Microsoft Awarded Patent for Dual-Screen Tablet
Gone but not forgotten.
Microsoft killed off its fascinating dual screen tablet, the Courier, in April of this year and, while the company said in a statement that it would be evaluated for use in future offerings, Redmond also stated, "We have no plans to build such a device at this time."
Disappointed, we came to terms with the fact that Microsoft's 14-inch (2 x 7-inch touch screens) digital journal would never come to pass. However, a recent application to the U.S. Patent and Trademarks Office leads us to believe Microsoft was definitely serious about the Courier. Despite the fact that Robbie Bach told TechFlash in May that the Courier was never a device, rather it was a project and incubation leading to innovations that could find their way into other Microsoft products, this patent filed in January suggests Microsoft was, at one time, committed to a product that looked strikingly similar to the Courier.
Microsoft received the patent this week and TechFlash reports that this kind of patent is good for 14 years, so Microsoft has until 2024 to do something with this design.
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This would be a tablet that's really worth it. You could use screen 1 as an e-reader and screen 2 to do some background research on what you're reading for example. Or you could truly multitask, with one app on each screen. There are hundreds of things a dual screen tablet could do that's a lot less comfortable or downright impossible on an iPad or other single screen tablet.
Plus you could fold it up (I assume) to carry it and to stop the screen being scratched without requiring a separate case / make it less likely to be sat on etc.
Why waste 14 years if you are not serious about the device