May
23
2005Steal My Idea™ #2 - Digital Whiteboard Tablet
23
2005
I’ve been pondering the best way to brainstorm software design ideas while lounging on my couch and my mind keeps returning to the same thing: Few tools are as ideal for spontaneous brainstorming as the ubiquitous dry-erase whiteboard. It takes no time to set up, there is no interface to learn, you can easily designate different aspects of the project via different colors, and you can make modifications simply by wiping the problematic sections away with your finger.
The problem with whiteboards is that A.) They’re usually big and stuck to a wall, and B.) There’s no way to permanently record the data drawn upon them.
Of course, there ARE small whiteboards available (though I’ve yet to see one designed for handheld use) and there are, in fact, solutions to problem B out there, but I don’t think anyone has yet come up with the following:
Digital Whiteboard Tablet
The Digital Whiteboard Tablet is a lightweight notebook-sized device with a glass screen (backed with a white surface for readability) which is simply drawn upon using standard dry-erase markers (the storage of which may be integrated into the device). When the user wants to store the image permanently, he or she presses a single button which scans the image and stores it digitally via an integrated memory card. The user can then erase the image and begin the next. When complete, the user can transfer the images for future use by downloading them from the memory card to their PC.
Potential additional features: Send drawings by e-mail or WiFi, saving of images as digital ink.
This is one of those ideas that inevitably leads to comments like “Why don’t you just use XYZ?” Yes, there are many solutions that come close to this one, but none yet that allow you to semi-mindlessly brainstorm ideas using a physical medium, while lounging on your couch, and permanently commiting them to storage with one button click. A Tablet PC perhaps comes close but it must frequently be charged, requires a distracting software UI, and costs well over $1000. The Digital Whiteboard Tablet could easily be sold for under $200.