Talk about inspiring... all of this is great.
The story behind the creation of sticky notes is incredible given that they have changed the way we plan our daily activities or do the simplest task like reading a book. The story goes that in 1968, DR. Spencer Silver, a chemist at 3M, was looking to create a strong-hold glue, but failed and was left with a weak-hold glue he had no application for. For the following 5 years, he tried to promote his new invention, but nobody really knew what to do with it until his colleague Dr. Arthur Fry, out of frustration, used the glue on a bookmark that would not stay in place. When he could remove the bookmark without damaging any page, he had an Eureka moment: they could make small pieces of paper people would use to take notes or as bookmarks. Dr. Silver and Dr. Fry pitched their idea to 3M which proceeded to produce the product. Even the yellow color of the original post-it notes was an accident. Today, sticky notes are getting a makeover through Cubinote.
Arthur Fry
Spencer Silver
Invented by Knectek Lab. Inc., a Toronto-based innovative company, Cubinote is a Wi-fi and Bluetooth enabled printer that print just sticky notes. The printer is connected to the internet through an app that lets the users write or draw their message and send it to the printer from anywhere or any device connected to the Web. Even though Cubinote is a printer, it does not require ink to print, since it uses thermal paper. Instead of the original yellow color used for Post-it, the Cubinote prints sticky notes in a variety of colors. Also, currently Post-it users are forced to buy multiple sizes of sticky notes depending on their intended use. But Cubinote solves that issue by printing only on the necessary amount of paper: from the tiniest notes to the longest.
Cubinote printing a sticky note, Image from YouTube (via Cubinote)
Coming to the market in March 2018, Cubinote is meant for office environment. However, Knectek Lab has already another product on the market designed for a more casual use, like with friends and family. It's Called MemoBird. MemoBird uses the same principle as Cubinote, but allows users to send pictures. Both devices serve as a bridge between two worlds: the pen and paper lovers and the technology lovers. In addition, while being very practical the devices, especially MemoBird, are also bridging a generation gap: between the grandparents who are not tech-savvy and the grandchildren who are all about technology. Since the devices do not need either the receiver or the sender to be near to print the message, they make it easier for long distance relationships to communicate. Cubinote and MemoBird are like a fax machine without the hassle of getting a phone line or a mailing system without the hassle of being present to receive it.
Despite all its promises, Cubinote leaves potential users wondering. Why would a company buy Cubinote if they have a good Instant Message platform? Why is Cubinote ($149) more expensive than MemoBird ($69) even though both do the same job? While MemoBird's price can be justified by the gap it feels between generations, when it comes to Cubinote, one cannot help but wonder why pay $149 for the device and $10 for just rolls of paper when the same amount is spent for all the sticky notes for a year and long-distance coworkers are already sending emails or using services like Zoom to communicate. Is Cubinote really solving a problem? And is it a big enough problem to build a brand around it?
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