Microsoft Courier: Another iPad alternative could enter the mix....manufactured by ASUS?

The Microsoft Courier provides similar functionality to a tablet/e-book but with a unique hardware configuration. It looks similar to a real book with dual screens, best described as the digital version of a journal. Could this be the ASUS device mentioned here by an ASUS exec? Where he hints at two devices, one for the google OS and the other for Microsoft.

The Microsoft's Courier seems to be signalling a change in Microsoft approach to defining the user experience. In a welcome move by Microsoft, the Courier is to run on the Zune OS rather than Windows 7, which is definitely a good choice by Microsoft. The design considerations behind the Zune OS were probably completely different to Windows 7, Windows 7 wasn't built from the ground up as an OS for the new generation of touch screen devices and the pen and touch based UI concepts explored in the demo are extremely creative for a Microsoft offering. The question which comes to mind however is, Where does the Courier really fit in? the answer? It seems to be a device aimed at students, writers, designers or busy executives.

Microsoft have a good opportunity to learn from a number of projects, which have delivered innovation in User Interaction Concepts and Interface design (Metro UI, Windows Phone 7, Zune, Windows 7) and combine the best to bring consumers something fresh, will this be another success story for Microsoft? Only time will tell.

With a launch date around Q3/Q4 or no launch at all, will the courier remain a concept? if it does enter the consumer market then it definitely has the potential to be a strong contender!

Source: Engagdet.com

Three Android smartphones worth delaying your upgrade for

The smartphone market has recently gone in to overdrive it seems. It's like the perfect storm and the convergence of many technologies and mass production

I have had a Blackberry 9700 for a while now and love my blackberry, not just because of Blackberry Messenger but also because of its form factor, keyboard and excellent email. I have however started to think about switching to a touch screen device (other than the iPhone, I find the iPhone OS has much to be desired). Android has come a long way since its inception and Windows Phone 7 has also been turning heads. So are there any handsets out there really worth delaying your upgrade? well lets take a look at some upcoming hardware.

Samsung Galaxy S Pro

Specification

Processor: Samsung 1Ghz Application Processor

Screen: 4-inch WVGA 800 X 480 Super Amoled

Camera: 5 Megapixel

HTC EVO4G (Supersonic)

Specification

Processor: Snapdragon 1GHz

Screen: 480x800 LCD

Ram: 512MB

Memory: 1GB (onboard) and 8GB microSD Card

Camera: 8 mega pixel + another front facing camera

Video: 720p playback + HDMI Out

OS: Android 2.1

The HTC EVO4g supports WiMax. What is WiMax I hear you ask? (from Wikipedia) WiMAX, an acronym for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a telecommunications protocol that provides fixed and fully mobile internet access. The current WiMAX revision provides up to 40 Mbp. I am sure you can imagine the things that can be made possible by that amount of data being avialable however WiMax isn't available everywhere.

Source: Engadget.com

HTC Droid Incredible

Specification

Processor: Snapdragon 1GHz

Screen: 480 x 800 AMOLED

ROM: 748MB

Memory: 1GB (onboard) and 8GB microSD Card

Camera: 8 megapixel

OS: Android 2.1

Windows Phone 7

You might be wondering why I am including Windows Phone 7 in a "Handset worth waiting for" article. There are going ot be quite a few handsets coming out which will make use of Microsofts new OS. They will definitely be worth checking out.

Top 3 iPad Alternatives

So for the past week I have been watching the iPad adverts on TV and thinking "I need one right now" well not need, more WANT. The short comings of the iPad have been discussed to death but just to recap it has no flash support, lack of multitasking and lack of support for a variety of video formats.

I want a device that will let me read .pdfs for work, RSS feeds, watch video (any format), listen to music and browse the Web. So what are the alternatives?

Pegatron 'Slate PC' | Windows 7 | Price: TBA | Launch: TBA

The Pegatron is manufactured by a Taiwanese company and looks similar in specs to the WePad. The Pegatron device boats Windows 7 Home Premium on an 1.6 GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, 32GB SSD, webcam and HDMI connectivity.

So what can the Pegatron device offer that the iPad doesn't? Windows 7 gives users flash support, flexibility and infinite applications with the freedom to do with it as they please however, the iPads touch friendly interface definitely has an one over Windows 7.

Neowin Hands-On Video

Notion Ink Adam | Android | Price : $400 - $800 | Launch : 3^rd Quarter 2010

The Notion Ink Adam has a Tegra powered display with the ability to deliver 1080p Video. The device sports a HDMI connector, Android, Wifi, Rotating Camera for Photography or use as a Webcam and 3G connectivity. This unit will be thinner than the iPad. The Notion will amazingly deliver 16 hours of full HD video and 160 hours of e-ink thanks to its Tegra 2 chipset.

You will also be able to buy a 12.6 mm Pixel Qi version, which basically lets you switch between e-ink (e-reader type) display and the standard version which will be thinner. The ability to toggle the display between Pixel QI and normal does offer a huge advantage for people who get tired of reading text on normal screens.

There are rumours of a 12 mp camera, which may support HD video recording (Source: Slashgear)

Engadget Hands-onVideo

HP Slate | Windows 7 | Price: £350 - £400 | Launch: June

The HP Slate has been rumoured to offer the following specs : an Atom CPU, USB connectivity, a memory card reader, and a back-mounted webcam. It is HP's offering partnering with Microsoft to deliver a tablet, which offers a touch friendly version of Windows 7.

The HP slate UI is customised for the smaller screen size using Adobe AIR and Flash. From the video below it seems it will use a slightly customized version of the Windows 7 on screen keyboard. The HP Slate's screen is smaller than the other two devices.

HP Slate Hands-onVideo

Conclusion

On paper the Notion Ink Adam seems to be leading the pack in terms of specs and features. Who could say no to a device that has so much to offer? All three devices offer something different (price point, 3g or HD video) and in the end only you can decide what is best for you. I prefer the Notion Ink Adam on paper (even if the android UI isn't as nice as the iphones) it sports some amazing specs and features such as the battery life, 3g, wifi, HD Camera (potentially) and Android marketplace. The question is, can I wait until September 2010 to buy one?

How to Customize SharePoint 2010 Sites using SharePoint Designer 2010

SharePoint 2010 is a powerful tool and now boasts a substantial set of new and attractive features. Analysts such as Gartner have given Share Point 2010 rave reviews, which can be found here.

This means that many more organisations will be looking to implement SharePoint, which then naturally leads to the customisation and branding of such implementations.

I hope to write a series of blogs covering how to customize your SP2010 Site using SP Designer 2010. So here goes…I am going to begin by outlining the basic steps in this post and adding detailed descriptions to future posts.

Step 1: Create the design in Photoshop or any other tool.

Step 2: Convert that design in to HTML/CSS

Step 3: Finally you can use SharePoint Designer 2010 to embed the ASP.net controls (this will deliver the dynamic content, such as menus and the main content) in to the HTML.

SharePoint 2010 Designer provides some very useful tools which enable you to embed ASP controls in to Master Page HTML very easily.

My next post will cover how to embed the ASP controls in to the HTML, since the first two steps are relatively simple.

 
 

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