All posts in the category: Companies
Boogie Board Rip, LCD Writing Tablet Re-invented
We’re big fans of cartoonist Hugh MacLeod, whose creative insights at gapingvoid.com have inspired us for years. You might have read one of Hugh’s books, Ignore Everybody and Evil Plans, which are highly recommended for inventors and other creative minds. For a daily dose of creative inspiration, subscribe to the gapingvoid.com newsletter. We get Hugh’s newsletter, which featured the drawing above about a permanent state of re-invention. It got us thinking about tossing a cube grenade to our friends at Kent Displays.
Kent Displays recently announced the introduction of the new and improved Boogie Board Rip™ LCD Writing Tablet, the latest innovation in paperless, environmentally-friendly eWriters from Improv Electronics that utilize Kent Displays Reflex™ No Power LCDs. The Boogie Board Rip tablet (Rip stands for Record Image. Preserve.) combines the exceptional writing experience inherent of all Boogie Board tablets with the ability to save notes or illustrations and then transfer them to a computer for editing, organizing, archiving and/or sharing. Saved images are stored as .pdf files in the tablet’s internal memory and can be uploaded to a PC through its micro USB port.
“The introduction of ePaper as a paper replacement, both in its most recognized use as a dedicated eReader, and now as a dedicated eWriter, is a momentous step forward not only for Improv Electronics but for environmentally- conscious consumers all over the world.” said Improv Electronics/Kent Displays CEO Dr. Albert Green. “Since the introduction of the original Boogie Board 8.5 LCD Writing Tablet in 2010, we have been inundated with requests to make a version with the ability to save what is written or drawn on the tablet’s writing surface. Because of the high demand, other entities announced plans of their own to launch a similar product. These plans failed to materialize, and we are very excited that we are the first to bring a product of this type to market.”
The Boogie Board Rip tablet’s paper-saving and productivity benefits will have the most pronounced impact in education and workplace environments, where note taking activities are most prominent. It will replace wire-bound note books, loose-leaf paper, work books, essay books, composition books and sketch pads.
Wait ’til Hugh MacLeod gets his hands on one of these!
IBM Cognitive Computing Chips Mimic Human Brain
IBM announced the very first cognitive computing chips, designed to emulate the brain’s abilities for perception, action and cognition.
Researchers at IBM and collaborating universities are working to build cognitive systems that can learn and perform complex tasks such as action, recognition and perception, while rivaling the low energy and power consumption of the human brain. IBM has assembled a world-class team including collaborators from Cornell University, Columbia University, University of California – Merced and University of Wisconsin – Madison, to work with their scientists from IBM Research sites including Austin, TX, Yorktown Heights, NY, India and Zurich.
Here’s a peek inside IBM’s brain lab in San Jose, CA.
More of the latest inventions by IBM can be discovered by searching IBM Redbooks.
Kent Displays Wins NorTech Innovation Award for 2011
Congratulations to our friends and colleagues at Kent Displays, a recognized world leader in the development and manufacture of liquid crystal displays, which won a NorTech Innovation Award for 2011.
Notably, Kent Displays introduced its Boogie Board™ in early 2010, which soon became a commercial success. The Boogie Board™ is an electronic writing table that only uses power when clearing an image and consumes no energy to display the image on the writing tablet.
Through its consumer electronics subsidiary, Improv Electronics, Kent Displays has since introduced the “Skin Flik” protective cases for the iPod Touch that showcases design applications of Reflex™ LCD Electronic Skins to color coordinate electronic devices as fashion accessories.
Recently, President Obama noted during the Closing Session of the Winning the Future Forum on Small Business in Cleveland, Ohio, the made-in-America innovation of Kent Displays.
Canada’s Most Innovative Companies
Discover how four innovative companies earned accolades at the 2011 Canadian Innovation Awards. Canadian Innovation Award for Manufacturer of the Year went to Celestica. BRP earned the award for Global Business of the Year. The Canadian Innovation Award for New Technology was given to Cavet Technologies, and Dolphin Digital Technologies was recognized as the Innovator of the Year. Learn more about four of Canada’s most innovative companies and watch videos about these winners here.
How Canadian Companies View Intellectual Property
In a recent guest post on the Securing Innovation blog, Mark Penner and John Beardwood of Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP survey how Canadian companies view intellectual property.
Recognizing, protecting and exploiting Intellectual Property (“IP”) assets has never been more important to businesses. While capturing the benefits of innovation can make the difference between profitability and demise, there are numerous and competing priorities on companies’ time, money, and attention that make doing so a challenge.
See the findings of their survey of Canadian companies here.
You can now search Canadian patents and patent applications in IP.com’s Intellectual Property Library, which includes the full content of the Prior Art Database.