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Is This Your Next PC?

Every year, Microsoft holds a contest for the best leading-edge PC designs. I love seeing the cool ideas that come from college students around the world. My only beef? These puppies never make it to market.

The latest round of designs, which will likely never be produced, include the Napkin PC, a Backpacker's Diary and a computer built for pre-schoolers.

The Napkin PC sits on a table like a napkin, and can be written on like a napkin. The PC, however, can't take care of your coffee stains. The irony, of course, is that many seminal PCs, like the original Compaq Portable, were designed on napkins. I'm not sure if the Napkin PC was sketched on a napkin or a CAD program.

The Backpacker's Diary also uses a paper metaphor -- in this case, a book rather than a single sheet of absorbent paper. Each page features a different function. One nice thing for those out in the woods for days: solar charging!

If you were to design the next PC, what would do? Let us know by writing me directly at [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on June 23, 2008


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