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29 Apr 2010 21:36

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Tech: Lame: Microsoft kills innovative coulda-been-awesome Courier

  • In their defense, it was never technically announced as a real product. Last year, the Internet went aflutter over the idea of the Microsoft Courier, which turned the tablet concept into a book which focused less on consuming media but acting more like a journal where once could save scraps of content, take notes using a stylus and turn nerds into puddles of awe. Instead, the company killed it yesterday, choosing to focus their energy on the coming-soon Windows Phone 7 Series. Hopefully its memory endures, if not the product itself. source

05 Mar 2010 13:05

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Tech: Apparently, the Microsoft Courier isn’t a prototype. It’s real.

Apple should be shaking in its boots if the Courier is real, because it makes the iPad look completely pedestrian. It also uses the same OS as Windows 7 Series. source

02 Oct 2009 19:11

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Biz: A Hulu for publishing: Will media finally get its act together online?


About time someone noticed. We're not going to give the publishing industry a full pass here, but it's great to see they're finally attempting to cobble together a plan for magazines to have a life outside of glossy paper.
  • The plan Time Inc. is pushing to create a Hulu-style app for magazines, and other publishers (such as Wired publisher Condé Nast) are getting on board. The idea is to focus strictly on the content and the distribution system instead of where the content might show up. (Good idea, because you guys know nothing about devices.) source
  • The plan Time Inc. is pushing to create a Hulu-style app for magazines, and other publishers (such as Wired publisher Condé Nast) are getting on board. The idea is to focus strictly on the content and the distribution system instead of where the content might show up. (Good idea, because you guys know nothing about devices.)
  • Why it might work Let’s say Apple releases a tablet. Or Microsoft does something with its Courier prototype. The media industry could totally do some awesome things with it, such as multimedia, interactive graphics, or contextual stuff like Apture (used above). If they do it right, they finally – finally! – have a unique product that people would pay for again. source
  • The plan Time Inc. is pushing to create a Hulu-style app for magazines, and other publishers (such as Wired publisher Condé Nast) are getting on board. The idea is to focus strictly on the content and the distribution system instead of where the content might show up. (Good idea, because you guys know nothing about devices.)
  • Why it might work Let’s say Apple releases a tablet. Or Microsoft does something with its Courier prototype. The media industry could totally do some awesome things with it, such as multimedia, interactive graphics, or contextual stuff like Apture (used above). If they do it right, they finally – finally! – have a unique product that people would pay for again.
  • Why it might not To this, we defer to Fake Steve Jobs (a.k.a. Daniel Lyons), who made some really interesting points a couple of days ago. His argument is that content manufacturers completely lack imagination, and as a result, tech companies are eating their lunch. He nails it. If they just recycle the same crap from print, nobody will want it. source

22 Sep 2009 22:56

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Tech: The Microsoft Courier looks like a fawnworthy dream device

We know what you’re thinking. Since when did we fawn over Microsoft products? To that, we say, “Watch the video at the link. It’s jaw-dropping.” source