Why Microsoft killed the Courier Video

Why Microsoft killed the Courier Video Transcript

IT'S TUESDAY NOVEMBER FIRST, 2011. I'M BRIDGET CAREY ON CNET.COM AND IT'S TIME TO GET LOADED. SOME LIGHT HAS BEEN SHED ON WHAT HAPPENED TO THE COURIER, THE TABLET PROJECT MICROSOFT TRASHED IN 2010. IT WAS GOING TO BE A TWO-SCREEN DEVICE THAT WOULD USE A PEN. ACCORDING TO STAFF INTERVIEWS WOVEN TOGETHER BY CNET, THE TEAM BEHIND THE COURIER DIDN'T WANT IT TO HAVE A TYPICAL WINDOWS EXPERIENCE, AND IT FOCUSED MORE ON CONTENT CREATION THAN HAVING CLASSIC PROGRAMS LIKE OUTLOOK. IT WASN'T TO REPLACE A PC, BUT RATHER BE A COMPANION. PROBLEM WAS, THAT DIDN'T SIT WELL WITH MANAGEMENT LIKE CHAIRMAN BILL GATES. AFTER ALL, MICROSOFT OFFICE WAS A MASSIVE MONEY MAKER, SO WHY NOT HAVE IT IN THE TABLET? THE CONFLICT CAUSE THE PROJECT TO BE SCRAPPED. BUT FAST FORWARD TO TODAY, AND THE WINDOWS 8 TABLET, WHICH WON'T COME OUT PROBABLY UNTIL THE END OF NEXT YEAR - ISN'T EXACTLY YOUR TYPICAL WINDOWS EXPERIENCE. FUNNY HOW THAT HAPPENS. NOW MICROSOFT HAS TO PLAY CATCHUP WITH APPLE, AMAZON AND A SLEW OF ANDROID MODELS. AT&T'S FIRST LTE 4G SMARTPHONES ARE ARRIVING SUNDAY. THE HTC VIVID AND SAMSUNG GALAXY S TWO SKYROCKET WILL WORK ON AT&T'S HSPA+ AND LTE NETWORKS, AND BOTH WILL HAVE THE ANDROID GINGERBREAD OPERATING SYSTEM. ON SUNDAY AT&T WILL ALSO EXPAND ITS LTE NETWORK TO BOSTON, WASHINGTON D.C., BALTIMORE AND ATHENS GEORGIA. IT ALREADY WAS IN FIVE MARKETS IN SEPTEMBER, AND THE GOAL IS TO REACH 15 MARKETS BY THE END OF THE YEAR. NEXT WEEK, BARNES AND NOBLE WILL UNVEIL ITS NEXT GENERATION ANDROID COLOR TABLET TO FACE OFF AGAINST THE AMAZON KINDLE FIRE. THE NAME AND DETAILS BEHIND THE SECOND INSTALLMENT OF THE NOOK COLOR WILL BE KNOWN ON MONDAY AT A NEW YORK PRESS CONFERENCE. THE ANNOUNCEMENT COMES JUST ONE WEEK BEFORE THE KINDLE FIRE SHIPS WITH A 200 DOLLAR PRICE TAG. SO WE'LL JUST WAIT TO SEE WHAT PRICE AND FEATURES THE NOOK CAN OFFER TO TRUMP THAT CHEAP FIRE. GOOGLE READER HAS A NEW LOOK TODAY. THE APPLICATION THAT PULLS IN WEBSITE FEEDS AND SEARCH TERMS HAS BEEN REVAMPED TO INTEGRATE MORE WITH THE GOOGLE PLUS SOCIAL NETWORK. BUT IF YOU POKE AROUND AND ABSOLUTELY HATE THE CHANGE, GOOGLE LETS YOU EXPORT YOUR FEEDS INTO ANOTHER FEED READER. THE CREATOR OF SECOND LIFE HAS LAUNCHED A NEW E-COMMERCE WEBSITE FOR PEOPLE TO BUY AND SELL SMALL JOBS FROM EACH OTHER. IT GOES BY THE QUIRKY NAME OF COFFEE AND POWER. A SIMILAR CONCEPT TO SITES LIKE ZAARLY OR TASK-RABBIT, EXCEPT COFFEE AND POWER HAS A TWIST TAKEN FROM SECOND LIFE: THE CREDITS, OR COST OF THE SERVICES, THEY'RE VIRTUAL CURRENCY. YOU CAN RECEIVE PAYMENT IN C DOLLARS, AND USE THAT MONEY TO BUY OTHER SERVICES. OR YOU CAN SPEND ONE REAL DOLLAR TO GET ONE C-DOLLAR. BUT IF YOU WANT TO CASH OUT, YOU ONLY MAKE 85 CENTS FOR EVERY C-DOLLAR IN YOUR ACCOUNT. THOSE ARE YOUR HEADLINES FOR TODAY, I'M BRIDGET CAREY FOR CNET. COM AND YOU'VE JUST BEEN LOADED.