It is no secret that a great many ideas—as well as business plans—were first conceived on the humble napkin. It is perhaps then no surprise that this simple instrument has now been improved upon by technology. Avery Holleman has developed a new Napkin PC that uses electronic paper and RF technology to allow people to instantly share their ideas—and doodles—with others.
What I like about the technology is that it can be used by groups to collaborate more effectively, as well as brainstorm more efficiently. Not only can people instantly build upon other’s ideas, the technology might also encourage shy people to contribute more—all they have to do is write down their idea and hit the send button in order to send it to the group’s central PC.
Another way to think of the technology is that it might do away with the job of “group facilitator,” not to mention getting rid of all of those huge, white pieces of “brainstorming” paper.
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Jack Uldrich is a writer, futurist, public speaker and host of jumpthecurve.net. He is the author of seven books, including Jump the Curve and The Next Big Thing is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business. He is also a frequent speaker on future technology and future trends, nanotechnology, innovation, change management and executive leadership to a variety of businesses, industries and non-profit organizations and trade associations.
