Microsoft could revive ‘Courier’ as it files patent for a new foldable dual-screen notebook
Microsoft has filed a patent for a foldable dual-screen notebook which is quite like the company’s “Courier” concept.
Remember Microsoft's Courier? The elusive concept device featured dual touchscreens that faced each other in a booklet form factor. The device was first reported in 2008 and then was abruptly cancelled in 2010. Cut to 2017, the company has filed a new patent application for a device that has Courier-like functionalities.
"It shows the now well described dual-screened device with a first and second 'surface' with the 'self-regulating hinges' which would allow the device to be positioned in a number of ways similar to a Lenovo Yoga but without any of the thickness associated with a regular hinge," mspoweruser.com reported late on Friday.
The patent, filed at the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), includes intricate details around how the hinge works. However, there are not much details about software for such a device. Notably, Microsoft appears to have used the special hinge to solve the bezel problem of having two screens.
The design shows two edge-to-edge displays which are positioned such that they touch each other without any significant gap. The company is also reportedly using gear-like cogs to create this adjustable hinge, allowing the device to hold in different positions.
Microsoft, however, isn't the only company that is looking at foldable devices in the coming years. Apple late last month filed a patent application for a foldable device that can be "opened and closed like a book." Apple is rumoured to be working with LG for its foldable smartphone.
Samsung is also rumoured to be working on a foldable smartphone, dubbed as Galaxy X. According to rumours, the Galaxy X will sport dual 5-inch or 6-inch screens, Qualcomm's latest processor along with popular Samsung features such as iris scanner and face recognition.
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