Just like much of the online community, I was a little underwhelmed/pissed off when the iPad was announced.  The iPad’s feature list is rather frustrating to most tech savvy people with its lack of a camera of any sort, standard def screen, not supporting flash, App Store software restrictions, no ability to make phone calls… the list could go on for a while.  We all thought the iPad would change the way we do mobile computing… and in a way it has.  The release of the iPad was such a huge media hype event that many companies jumped on the tablet bandwagon, and it is this very fact that will change mobile computing forever, not the iPad itself.

IDC, a small tech design company, could become a huge player in the emerging tablet market if all goes as planned.  Not a lot of information is available online about this company at the moment, and even their own website is lacking in content.  What we do know about the company is they are developing tablets… awesome… awesome tablets.  The Gemini model appears to be their flagship product and is generating quite a lot of hype, especially from those looking to avoid the Apple alternative.  Just take a look at the spec sheet below comparing features of the Gemini with the iPad and JooJoo.

If you don’t want a Gemini after looking at those specs, you may want to check your head.  With the ability to make 3g phone calls (plus sms, and mms), 2mp forward facing camera for making video calls, 5mp camera on the back for shooting pics, HD video at a proper 16:9 resolution, GPS, Flash support, this thing makes the iPad weep with envy.  Even with all these great specs you may be like me though, wondering if you could get any real work done on a device like the Gemini or iPad.  Sure it would be great for relaxing on the couch or taking on a plane, but I like to work, I like to create.

Enter the MS Courier, a mashup of tablet PC and sketchbook.  While the iPad and Gemini focus on content consumption, the Courier focuses on content creation.  It allows a person to gather information, images, and other media from the internet and outside world then organize it in an artist’s sketchbook manner.  From there they can add notes, draw sketches, share the pages with other computers and Couriers, and even collaborate in near real time with others.  In order to truly understand the Courier you have to see it in action.

I really can’t wait to get my hands on the Courier. I have never felt like any other mobile device quite captures the feel of a traditional organizer and sketchbook. I just want a device that is a blank page where I can let my creativity flow, and then use the power of a computer to sort it and share it. I feel like the Courier fills this void.

What excites me even more than all these devices themselves is the fact that computers are changing and evolving in a big way again. Companies are trying new ideas and consumers are frothing at the mouths to test them out. I cannot wait until we can ditch mice and keyboards and have computing become a much more visceral experience. With devices like the Gemini and Courier in the works, I feel we are heading in the right direction.

Update: Sadly I have come to find out that the Courier is no longer in production and has been canceled by Microsoft.