A death of two tablets?

Looking at reports that Microsoft has killed off the Courier project and HP has killed their Slate PC. I’m sure that both are for different reasons. I’m waiting for some confirmation about things that I suspect are true in both cases before I comment.

When technology is fashion

My latest Engadget column takes a look at what happens when technology and fashion intersect. It’s a different world out there as mainstream consumers care a lot more about aesthetics than just “feeds and speeds”. Color, form factor, materials used are now part of the purchase funnel as users are making their buy or no buy decisions. Vendors that aren’t factoring in fashion as part of what they create are making a big mistake.

My wrist watch and automobile were chosen in no small part due to aesthetics — so why not my phone, desktop or laptop? In fact, if more vendors spent more time on the physical design and attributes of their devices, they’d probably sell more of them.