Microsoft's dual-screen Courier tablet may have never made it to market, but the innovative idea lives on in two, new content-creation apps just released for the iPad: Tapose and Paper.
The Courier tablet, which first made headlines in 2009, was supposed to have two, 7-inch touch screens connected by a hinge for a book-like design. The two-screen tablet would have let users create content on one side, while browsing the Web on the other, for example. Though Microsoft cancelled plans for the Courier back in 2010, former executives from Redmond associated with the project apparently didn't give up on the idea.
Tapose, a digital journal iPad app backed by Microsoft Courier team member J Allard, was added to the App Store this week. Developer FiftyThree Inc., founded by former Courier team members Georg Petschnigg and Jon Harris, also added Paper to the mix this week.
Tapose, available in the App Store for $2.99, brings Courier's dual-screen concept to the iPad. The app, described as "a multifunctional productivity, multitasking and content creation resource," features a so-called slide bar that divides the user's iPad screen, allowing internal apps to be used in tandem.
Its developers, Benjamin Monnig and Ricky Drake, said they were inspired by the Courier project and thought the idea had a place in the tablet market.
"The iPad is an amazing machine, but it lacks the Courier multitasking and content creation" Monnig said in a statement on the company's website.
Meanwhile, Paper, released in the App Store on Thursday, allows users to create sketches, diagrams, illustrations and notes, and share them across the Web. Paper is free to download, but users will need to purchase brushes and other items within the app to take advantage of its full functionality.
For more, see video demos of both apps below.