Mourning the Courier

Unfortunately the Courier, Microsoft’s folding tablet and intended rival for the iPad, has been scrapped. The Courier was never officially acknowledged by Microsoft before the cancellation of the project, though it now admits that the tablet had been partially developed.

After seeing Engadget’s mock-up of the Courier and its functions (including touch and pen capabilities), I was chomping at the bit to get one.  The Courier seemed to be an e-reader/computer with unique capabilities for hand-written notes and sketches.  These new features would be a boon for writers, who could use the Courier for writing down spur-of-the-moment notes, as well as e-books (in a more traditional book-like form) and all the usual computer functions.

Microsoft has mentioned that ideas from the Courier will be considered in future projects.  Hopefully a new innovative tablet will bring the same writer-friendly features to the market and if so, I’ll be the first in line.