Microsoft rains on Apple’s iPad parade

Engadget's image of the Microsoft Courier

Of course it’s just coincidence, but details of a new device Microsoft is apparently working on have leaked out just as Apple announced when the iPad would be available. But despite being billed as an “iPad killer” Microsoft’s Courier would be a very different beast.

If the pictures on technology blog Engadget are to be believed, the device will have two screens which open as a small book. The suggestion is that it will be controlled by a pen which can be used as a mouse or to write and draw on the screen. It’ll also have a camera.

At five inches by seven inches folded, the Courier would be slightly smaller than a standard paperback. But weighing just over a pound means it’s not quite pocket-friendly. That said, it’s definitely portable.

The whole concept seems much more interactive than the iPad which is more geared to the consumption of media such as video, games and text. The Courier appears to be a journal device, equipped for people who are heavy users of social networking services on the move. It would be ideally equipped to, say, take a picture then write a caption to go with it. Where it would compete with the iPad is as an e-book reader.

Although the Microsoft device might look very desirable, don’t get too excited. Microsoft hasn’t even confirmed the Courier actually exists as a prototype let alone given a launch date. If it does see the light of day there is no guarantee it will be sold outside the US. Microsoft’s alternative to the iPod, the Zune, went on sale in America in 2006, but is still not available anywhere else.

Many believe Microsoft is testing the water while it waits to see if the iPad takes off commercially. Other competitors are being rather more aggressive. HP has released a video showing its forthcoming Slate running Adobe Flash which is the most popular way of displaying video and games on websites. Neither the iPad nor the iPhone are able to display Flash.

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