Microsoft Courier coming 2H 2010: Tegra 2 based digital journal [Update: Video]

It feels almost blasphemous what with the iPad furore right now, but some of us are more interested in Microsoft’s long-rumored Courier project. New details of the dual-screen “digital journal” have emerged today, with Engadget hearing that the pen-centric device is, indeed, on course for an official release later in the year.

Updated with video after the cut

Apparently the Courier is only slightly larger than a 5 x 7 photo, and measures less than an inch thick when closed. It’s a little over a pound in weight, and is powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 chipset with the same OS – presumably meaning Windows CE 6 based – as the Zune HD, Pink and Windows Mobile 7.

Microsoft are apparently building an ebook ecosystem to support digital text on the Courier, and there’ll be an integrated webcam and headphone socket. There’s handwriting recognition and the Courier will also produce an online site with access to notes and diagrams like a personal blog. No word on how much we can expect it to cost, but there’s talk of a launch in Q3 or Q4 this year; that’s something keeping us excited.

Microsoft CEO hints at new form factors for Xbox platform

During yesterday’s cloud computing talk at the U of W, Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer brought up out of nowhere a few points involving the future of the Xbox platform, swiftly hitting up several prospects of the potentially new form factors, price points, and options.

He revealed, “In the case of the TV we’ve got both strategies. We actually have a TV implementation in some senses built into Windows,” Ballmer said. “It works really well for small screen TVs that you might call a PC, but for that big screen device here’s a piece of hardware that we build, there’s no diversity. You get exactly the Xboxes that we build for you. We may have more form factors in the future that are designed for various price points and options, but we think it’s going to [be] important.”

Could we get something like a Vudu, or perhaps an Apple TV-esque media device from the tech giant as the next-generation Xbox? How will this tie in to the whole Windows Mobile scheme? We shall see