Rumor: Microsoft is working on a foldable tablet with stylus and call function

Microsoft is reportedly working on a kind of digital notepad that is aimed at use with a stylus, but will also have a calling function. The Windows 10 tablet, codenamed Andromeda, is said to be foldable to fit in jacket and trouser pockets.

The device would be internally called Andromeda and not intended as a smartphone, but as a new type of device with which Microsoft wants to target a specific audience, Windows Central claims, which has proven to have good resources within Microsoft in the past. There are currently only prototypes and there is a chance that the device will be scrapped, but it could also be on the market as early as 2018, the site writes.

By default, the device would run a notebook app, which links to OneNote and Windows Ink, and displays virtual pages across the two screens. The device would also contain an ARM processor, run Windows 10 and could appear under the Surface name. Microsoft partners could release their own versions of the digital notebook, Windows Central speculates.

The universal Windows Shell ‘CShell’, which Microsoft is reportedly developing, would be used with the tablet. The current shell of Windows still varies by device type, such as a PC, the HoloLens or the Xbox, but CShell needs to change this so that not only the Windows 10 subsystem is universal, but also the shell with system elements and objects. In addition, Windows Core OS would be central. Microsoft is working on this to make Windows modular: the company can then add or remove functionality, depending on the type of device.

The description of the device is very reminiscent of the Courier. In 2009 and 2010, there were rumors that Microsoft would be working on a dual-screen tablet with a book-like design, called Courier. Microsoft decided to scrap the device.

Concept image of the Microsoft Courier