By It does seem fairly rhetorical to ask this sort of question, but why didn’t we get the Napkin PC?
The Napkin PC was the winner of a few important competitions back in 2008 when the concept was introduced. Avery Holleman entered it in the Next-Gen PC Design Competition and won 1st prize.
Another win clocked by the Napkin PC came when it received Chairman’s Award, a distinction personally appointed by Bill Gates. The winning streak of the fascinating PC was related to the things it was.
Napkin PC
It was a computer ran on a very old creative idea. Using a napkin as a first draft. Instead of writing things down on a regular table available sort, you would use a digital napkin that has all the properties of a tablet PC.
Don’t think Apple iPad, that isn’t exactly what the Napkin PC was based around. As you can see from the picture, the whole idea was based on being as close to capturing the napkin as possible.
If you take into account how most great ideas begin life as being written on a bar napkin, you start to get the point of this computing solution.
To me, even though it is a remember moment, the Napkin PC really is the sort of gadget worthy of the “end all gadgets” tag.
Napkin PC environment
The technologies employed within it are almost entirely achievable. At the core of the concept there’s electronic ink and radio frequency technology. Something that back in 2008 wasn’t achievable was a flexible screen that would be multi-touch capable.
Since we’re now in 2011 and Samsung showed us that technology is almost here, the barriers in front of the business case being made for the Napkin PC are starting to disappear.
Since we all live in heaven for environmental thinking at the moment, might as well mention how the Napkin PC is completely sustainable as it uses almost entirely recyclable materials and does away with batteries.
