QuirkLogic’s new E-Ink whiteboard is a giant kindle for your office
E-Ink is one of those technologies that won't set the world alight, but it's going through a renaissance and it still has a place in the market
Key takeaways
- Backlit touch screens have, arguably, helped propel smart phone and tablet sales into the stratosphere ever since they were first bought to the market back in the early 2000's.
- For the past few years E-Ink technology has been relegated to the boring seats, behind the pillar, up in the heavens, an interesting technology that serves its niche well, but nothing more.
- Oh yes, the guys in facilities love it when some idiot's drawn on the whiteboard using a permanent marker.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2017) 'QuirkLogic’s new E-Ink whiteboard is a giant kindle for your office', 311 Institute, 7 January. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/quirklogics-new-e-ink-whiteboard-is-a-giant-kindle-for-your-office/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Backlit touch screens have, arguably, helped propel smart phone and tablet sales into the stratosphere ever since they were first bought to the market back in the early 2000's. After all, if you couldn't see what was on your screen then it's unlikely that you'd have ever bought them in the first place. That said though back lights are rubbish if you want to use your iPad, or other tablet device, outside for reading and that's where E-Ink first found it's niche, on Amazon's Kindle range of e-book readers.
For the past few years E-Ink technology has been relegated to the boring seats, behind the pillar, up in the heavens, an interesting technology that serves its niche well, but nothing more. But now, a new product from Canadian company QuirkLogic, called Quilla hopes to rejuvenate the E-Ink market and to do so they've bought out the world's first touchscreen powered "Connected E-Writer." Basically it's a giant Kindle for the wall in your office, it boasts a ludicrous 42 inch ePaper display, and it's trying to be an intelligent whiteboard, and, it has to be said it kinda works. Not only can you draw on it freehand with the appropriate stylus, you can also upload and display complex images like schematics, or anything else it would be handy to annotate, then, once you're finished with them you can E-Mail them out to people for review.
Whiteboards are so 80's... and with a Quilla there's no messing around trying to figure out if the pen you just picked up is a permanent marker. Oh yes, the guys in facilities love it when some idiot's drawn on the whiteboard using a permanent marker.
The Quilla is shouldering its way into an apparently booming market, and they're not alone, Microsoft too are trying to replace the humble whiteboard with their new $7,000 Microsoft Hub, which in its case is more like a massive Surface than a massive Kindle. So, it's 2017 and if you're really bored, or you have some of last years budget left to spend then why not upgrade your whiteboards?
What this means for your organisation
E-Ink is leaving the e-reader.
E-Ink first found its niche on Amazon's Kindle range. Quilla takes the same screen type to a 42 inch display on the office wall. That shows a mature display can find new uses when the form factor changes.
Meeting rooms are a live market.
QuirkLogic is not alone, because Microsoft is also trying to replace the humble whiteboard with its Hub. Two very different screen types now compete for the same wall. Touch is a technology at readiness level 9, so buyers can compare real products.
Review habits will shift.
Quilla lets users draw freehand, show schematics and send marked-up files out by E-Mail for review. The permanent marker problem disappears. The bigger change is that the board's output becomes a shareable file by default.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- Which of our meeting rooms still rely on whiteboards and photos of notes?
- Would a paper-like screen or a backlit screen suit how our teams work?
- Who owns the choice of shared display tools in our organisation?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
E-Ink is one of those technologies that won't set the world alight, but it's going through a renaissance and it still has a place in the market
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
Read full bio
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity programme, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- QuirkLogic quirklogic.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 7 January 2017. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2017). QuirkLogic’s new E-Ink whiteboard is a giant kindle for your office. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/quirklogics-new-e-ink-whiteboard-is-a-giant-kindle-for-your-office/
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