I came across the web site for a Microsoft-sponsored alternative computing form factor contest a few years ago, and even still I must say there were a few interesting ideas that might help people begin to see the future of computing.

The most interesting concept was coincidentally the winner of the contest, the Napkin PC.

If you follow the link above you’ll see the artist conceptions and get a good sense of the vision. The gist is that some of the greatest advances in the world have been conceived on the lowly paper napkin in restaurants and coffee shops all over the world, so why not take the napkin high tech. Just don’t try and wipe up spilled coffee with it.

The concept consists of a rack to contain and potentially recharge the OLED “napkins” and the styluses that go with them. These “napkins” provide a computing interface much like a tablet computer and can be pinned up on a board or connected together to make a larger display.

The concept is targeted squarely at the brainstorming, ideation, collaboration space and if the designer can ever manage to pull it off, I think it would be a welcome tool for organizations everywhere.

So what is your vision for the future of computing?

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