THE BORE
General => The Superdeep Borehole => Topic started by: elektrikluv on March 06, 2010, 06:22:26 AM
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I think this has a lot of potential.
We've been dying to know more about Microsoft's Courier tablet / e-book device ever since we first caught wind of it last September, and while our entreaties to Mr. Ballmer went unanswered, we just learned some very interesting information from an extremely trusted source. We're told Courier will function as a "digital journal," and it's designed to be seriously portable: it's under an inch thick, weighs a little over a pound, and isn't much bigger than a 5x7 photo when closed. That's a lot smaller than we expected -- this new picture really puts it into perspective -- and the internals apparently reflect that emphasis on mobility: rather than Windows 7, we're told the Courier is built on Tegra 2 and runs on the same OS as the Zune HD, Pink, and Windows Mobile 7 Series, which we're taking to mean Windows CE 6.
As we've heard, the interface appears to be pen-based and centered around drawing and writing, with built-in handwriting recognition and a corresponding web site that allows access to everything entered into the device in a blog-like format complete with comments. We're also hearing that there will be a built-in camera, and there's a headphone jack for media playback. Most interestingly, it looks like the Courier will also serve as Microsoft's e-book device, with a dedicated ecosystem centered around reading. It all sounds spectacular, but all we have for a launch date is "Q3 / Q4", and we have no idea how much it's going to cost, so we're trying to maintain a healthy skepticism until any of this gets official -- call us any time, Microsoft. One more pic showing the interface after the break.
Article (http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/05/microsofts-courier-digital-journal-exclusive-pictures-and-de/?s=t5)
(http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/03/03-05-10courier.jpg)
(http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/03/03-05-10courier2.jpg)
More pics of the interface here (http://www.engadget.com/photos/courier-user-interface/)!
So what does everyone think? Reckon you'll be buying one?
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Looks great to me.
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Looks better than the iPad honestly.
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Yeah I think so too! I mean even in the area that you'd imagine Apple would do a better job - slick interface/physicality - Microsoft appear to have won.
It just needs things like magazines etc to take off and be custom made for the courier, in the same manner that all the newspapers and magazines have flocked to make their own versions for the iPad. It also needs a strong app store.
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I'll get both the iPad and the Courier.
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designed by j allard.
the father of all xfags.
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It also needs a strong app store.
I'm not holding my breath, this was supposed to happen with Zune HD too :-\
That looks great though. I am curious to see the price on this thing
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If it's competitively priced with the iPad we could have a serious competition on our hands.
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I would buy this in a heartbeat.
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Apple annihilated yet again.
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for creative types, students, and on-the-go business design this looks awesome
i'd have to see some specs on resolution, how open it is to independent app development, etc
the screens are a bit small for what i'd be reading on it
if it's 5x7 closed that means the screens are likely each 4x6 considering the bezel space, plenty for e-reading books but not so great for displaying a full comic page with legible text
i'll probably stick with leaning towards a netbook/tablet convertible, but that sure does look slick
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Yeah I'm with you on that one :(
However we can't really say until its out, there's a lot that could go wrong. But the concept itself is great.
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Yeah this could turn out to be quite clumsy and difficult in appliance, it will probably lack cohesiveness. But we'll see.
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I've got no interest in either MS's or Apple's tablets but that sure as hell looks a lot more promising than the fucking iPad. The pen stylus alone amps up the functionality 10 fold in my eyes.
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It looks pretty nice and I agree that having stylus support adds a lot more practically to the device. Don't know how much I like the idea of two screens, but if they add a virtual keyboard on the right screen, I feel like that would change my mind.
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Microsoft 1up's Apple again
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Yeah it looks ok and all but will Steven Colbert use it for an awards show like he did the iPad? :smug
I thought so.
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Looks cumbersome to navigate
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I thought the videos made it look like a breeze, but then again those weren't real life demos so who knows if it'll be as easy and as fast in reality.
Again, I've got no use for either of these gadgets but if I had to choose, I'd take MS's product over Apple's gigantic iPhone. MS's tablet actually seems practical in a real sense while I don't know what the fuck people are supposed to do with an iPad when there's already a ton of netbooks and smartphones out there. Makes no sense at all to me.
But I'm sure it'll sell to all the Apple mujahideen out there.
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Yeah I'm with you on that one
The iPad has the advantage of actually existing.
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Looks hot.
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If MS does this along with a suite of usable "cloud" software that scales appropriately, then they will lead into the future.
I just read a report that they spent 9.5 billion into R&D (have to figure some of that was for the next Xbox, too) on last year alone.
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[youtube=560,345]AgqnOqfehJE [/youtube]
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:rofl
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But outside of Xbox and Windows, MS seems to fail at delivering everything. Zune is amazing, but there's no support for it. Its like they left it on the vine to die. Where the hell is surface?
Zune is slowly being integrated into the new Windows Phones and the Xbox, I think it'll gain traction.
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Microsoft annihilated Apple with the Zune.
Microsoft annihilates Apple with their new tablet.
Will Apple ever make something that's better than a MS counterpart? :lol
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Microsoft annihilated Apple with the Zune? :lol
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Himuro is right, though. The Zune HD blows away the iPod Touch. It isn't even a comparison. Who the fuck wants an iPod Touch?
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Himuro is right, though. The Zune HD blows away the iPod Touch. It isn't even a comparison. Who the fuck wants an iPod Touch?
It's about the apps, mang. The Zune HD is a nice piece of kit, solidly built and great sound quality. But I not sure if MS has released an SDK for it?
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Even vanilla Zune is better than vanilla ipod.
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Yeah seriously, you just have to be Apple hatin' to actually make a statement like that :lol
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Comparing Zunes to iPods :lol Are you guys for real? What is Zune's marketshare? 0.04%? :lol
I'm an Apple fanboy to the nth degree, but I think the guys are just talking about their preferences and not the popularity of the devices.
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Himu is right. Zune :bow
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This Zune talk is distinguished mentally-challenged, I was happy with my Zune 120GB, but the iPod touch is so much better.
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:munch iPod :munch
:derp Zune :derp
Link me to the thread where these were born please. :lol
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As far as I'm concerned, SanDisk annihilated everyone with the Sansa Clip
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Comparing Zunes to iPods :lol Are you guys for real? What is Zune's marketshare? 0.04%? :lol
Marketshare is not the only measure of quality.
I have 3 or 4 iPods and I want to get a ZuneHD if they ever go to a bigger capacity than the meager 32GB.
The iPod touch is a fucking ass old interface for APPS not music. It's an iPod in name only.
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[youtube=560,345]-p-RZAwQq0E[/youtube]
HP Slate looks nice too. Supports Flash! probably has a shitty battery life, which I think is the one good thing about the ipad.
and it is full windows 7, meaning you can probably run Diablo 2 on it.
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It's about the apps, mang. The Zune HD is a nice piece of kit, solidly built and great sound quality. But I not sure if MS has released an SDK for it?
Why the fuck would I want a bunch of shitty apps for my standalone media player. This isn't a smartphone we're talking about. The iPod Touch's primary function is to be a media player, and the Zune HD absolutely smokes it.
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Looks a lot better than the iPad, very nice design, would probably work great as an ebook reader. Zune HD is pretty awesome too, I love mine.
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This is shaping up to be a very interesting war, since everyone else had so much advance notice of what Apple was trying to do, unlike with the iPod. I really can't decide wtf I want now.
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It's about the apps, mang. The Zune HD is a nice piece of kit, solidly built and great sound quality. But I not sure if MS has released an SDK for it?
Why the fuck would I want a bunch of shitty apps for my standalone media player. This isn't a smartphone we're talking about. The iPod Touch's primary function is to be a media player, and the Zune HD absolutely smokes it.
OK, I'm really curious now: what makes it better? I've got a Touch, and it is revolutionary compared to my iPod 5G. The older iPod was really convenient for music and some movies, but the instant I became able to watch movies on a reasonable screen, and read books on the go, and if I've got a net connection I can grab new podcasts wherever, and then have it all sync to my computer when I get home... I have been really blown away by the Touch. What does the Zune bring that tops that?
Please don't tell me you're getting worked up over WMA/WMV playback...
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This is all kind of tortuously academic 'cause we're never gonna see the Zune in Japan but:
Does it have access to an all-you-can-eat music service?
Can the Touch play PGR?
And have you seen the UI? It's phenomenally slick. Makes the Touch look sluggish and antiquated.
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tough shit, zune hd gen1 buyers
http://gizmodo.com/5489587/zune-hd2-will-be-like-ipod-touch-for-windows-phone-7-read-apps-also-zune-hd-is-for-suckers
man, that's brutal :lol
glad i waited the first round out there
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This is all kind of tortuously academic 'cause we're never gonna see the Zune in Japan but:
Windows 7 phones are coming, which is essentially the same thing, right?
Yeah, but by then the game will have changed. They're not competing against the Touch.
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oh well
we still have KIN!
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A PRODUCT THAT IS GENERATING A LOT OF INTERNET BUZZ?
cancel it
/
:derp
(http://i41.tinypic.com/29ene6p.jpg)
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:lol
:(
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http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/j-allard-leaving-microsoft-over-courier-axing/
consider Microsoft
8)
dealt with.
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The Courier would have never unseated the iPad. Long post ahead.
Look at it from a price point; given all the technology that was supposedly in the Courier, there was absolutely no way it would have retailed for less than $400.
Throw out being able to compete from a price perspective.
Now look at it from a value point; if you're buying an iPad, you're also buying access to an iPod, a portable internet device, a portable movie player, a portable gps, a portable gaming device (at least that's what the casuals think), a portable book reader, an app store with hundreds of thousands of applications, the list goes on and on and on.
I might have missed this, but does Microsoft even have an app store? If not, then throw out being able to compete from a value perspective.
Then last but not the least, you have brand power. iPad is directly tied to the 'i" brand which has been a phenomenal success thus far, whereas Courier is tied to nothing.
Throw out being able to compete from a brand perspective.
The final decision at Microsoft was more than likely based on how much money they would have to put into the Courier to make it a success. It was - more than likely - billions of dollars, and they said fuck it.
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I like the dual screen "book" design, could have been awesome.
Sucks to hear that the product was canceled and J Allard is back to doing nothing.