The device was conceived as being a digital notebook, consisting of two 7-inch touchscreens hinged together like a book, and running a custom operating system built primarily around handwriting input and a notebook-like journal for storing notes, images, and clippings from web pages.
[4] In October 2019, Microsoft unveiled an upcoming dual-screen tablet known as the Surface Neo, which has been widely-compared to Courier in terms of design and concept.
The outside of the hinge would have contained wireless signal and battery strength indicators, and a home button to interact with the system while the booklet was closed.
[10] The system's main purpose would have been to function as a personal notebook and day planner to track contacts, tasks, and appointments.
The mechanism for the location geotagging function might have come through an internal GPS, geolocation through IP connectivity through wireless access points, or through manual entry.
[3] The Infinite Journal concept reportedly originated from a desire to build Microsoft OneNote from scratch with the dual-screen booklet form factor in mind.
It would have contained two quick-access buttons: one would have switched between a writing pen and a marker-style input, the other would have served as a quick "undo" function.
[11] In October 2017, it was reported that Microsoft was working on a new foldable digital ink device codenamed "Andromeda", based on the concept of the Courier.