Report: Microsoft Courier Still in Development

The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Microsoft has a secret team working on development of the Courier dual-screen tablet. The company is also seeking ways to undercut Apple's iPad pricing with the HP slate running Windows 7.

Referring to Courier, the report stated that "although early designs leaked onto blogs last year, it's unclear whether the company will introduce the gadget." Bill Gates, former CEO of Microsoft, made news recently when he responded to the iPad keynote.

Gates was quoted saying, “I’m a big believer in touch and digital reading but I still think that some mixture of voice, pen and a real keyboard – in other words a netbook – will be the mainstream on that.”

Gates was reportedly unimpressed by the iPad, as he explained, "it’s a nice reader but there’s nothing on the iPad I look at and say, oh I wish Microsoft had done it."

Although the Courier also lacks a physical keyboard, it's possible that Gates' reference to a pen indirectly points towards the Courier prototypes we've already seen. If released, the Microsoft Courier would be a unique device with a dual-screen user interface that relies on touch and a specialized stylus for drawing and writing.