to a Foldable Pocket Surface?

Halfway between the smartphone, the tablet and the pocket PC, the Andromeda project begins to reveal its silhouette. In the form of a foldable notebook, the new Microsoft device could allow it to catch up on the mobility market … while promoting new uses.
                

© David Breyer

Chained on a rock to be devoured by a sea monster, this was the fatal fate of Princess Andromeda in Greek mythology. And that was, more or less, the sad fate of Microsoft's mobile platform against Android and iOS ecosystems, judging the failure of Windows Phone and Nokia devices. But as Perseus came to deliver it, the giant of Redmond also tries a final breakthrough on this market through the project Andromeda, a fundamentally new apparatus which today delivers some of its characteristics.

Our confreres of The Verge have indeed got their hands on an internal document and, without disclosing it, seem to confirm the coming out of a "pocket-sized device, fundamentally new and disruptive" . In essence, the document indicates that this is "a Pocket-sized Surface, combining a hardware and an innovative software experience to achieve a truly personal and versatile experience" . The device is similar to a foldable smartphone, like a notebook, with a screen that occupy the entire surface once unfolded. It should also be accompanied by a stylus. The designer David Breyer, examining the various patents filed by Microsoft, has split a series of 3D sketches and all actors close to the file confirm that this vision is "very close to the prototype on which work the engineers ".

@zacbowden @h0x0d @windowscentral #Surface Andromeda Render according to the latest patents pic.twitter.com/CmbvlfETtU

– David Breyer (@D_Breyer) December 18, 2017

An innovative user experience

This device should "blur the lines between mobile and fixed computing" continues the internal document. Hardware side, the project Andromeda could embark on the future Snapdragon 1000 from Qualcomm, an ARM processor entirely dedicated to PCs and not built on the redesign of a mobile CPU. Microsoft is not the only manufacturer to work around a mobile notebook: Intel has also unveiled several prototypes combining a conventional screen and an Electronic Paper Display (EPD) around a central hinge that evokes a spiral notebook. Asus and Lenovo would be directly inspired by it to work on their own concepts that could come out at the end of the year.

However, we should remain cautious about the realization and availability of the Andromeda project. Again, sources close to the record recall that Microsoft is able to cut the food to the team at any time. A few years ago, the head of the Surface division, Panos Panay, was enthusiastic about the development of an extraordinary " Surface Mini, around a design that evokes a Moleskine notebook ", the promising for the coming weeks. But that was before it was definitely canceled …