

SwivelCard uses regular paper and has a USB drive embedded - 5toclose
http://www.swivelCard.info

======
egypturnash
These guys need to re-record this video several times until it's not painfully
obvious that he's reading off a script. There's no emotion in his delivery at
all; he sounds super bored.

This also seems like a solution desperately looking for a problem to solve.

~~~
exit
he sounds super bored? he sounds really enthusiastic / passionate about his
product to me.

it's surprising to me how different perceptions of how people express
themselves can be.

------
Someone
_" Are there privacy issues since the cards use analytics and tracking? No,
swivelCard uses the same sort of analytics and tracking that you would
encounter with virtually any website."_

I would replace that "No" by a "Yes". Also, educate me: does "virtually any
website" do tracking?

~~~
dangrossman
> Also, educate me: does "virtually any website" do tracking?

Yes. All web hosting comes with web stats as part of the standard service. Web
servers come with logging enabled by default. To have a website with no
tracking of its traffic, you'd have to build your own server/instance, and
edit the web server software configuration to disable the logging.

Third-party tracking like Google Analytics also has more than 50% penetration
on the top 100K websites. More sites than not are not only tracking you
themselves, but sending every visit to third parties.

~~~
Someone
I thought tracking wasn't logging ("we remember what you look at") per se, but
"we remember where you are whenever you use our stuff", but I agree, the
difference isn't that larg for desktop use, given that most web servers log IP
addresses.

I also reread the web site, and couldn't find a privacy statement. I think
there should be one, and hope the product will come with one.

------
tzm
I like the vision, but confused on what you're actually selling. After reading
the FAQs, I was expecting a card that has physical memory and a foldable USB
connector, but it seems this an NFC tag implementation that invokes a URL and
is "designed for a connected experience". You're referring to this as
'unlimited storage' and 'wireless' technology.

I'm not interested in NFC tags.. I want ephemeral USB cards with physical
memory. Analytics is important, but secondary in this form.

~~~
kevin_iP
tzm,

Kevin from intelliPaper here.

NFC tags are not on all models - so I think we got you covered if you don't
want NFC.

I'm curious what use-case you see. I can probably get you what you're looking
for.

We have plans to extend the firmware, and I'd love to see a self-destructing
chip - or lock the content to only a few uses.

------
K2h
I have been following intelliPaper [1] for a few years now ever ever since a
close friend quit his job to go hack on this full time with a small team
bringing the technology to market with manufacturing in the USA. It really is
a cool story about what goes into the product they have today [2] and some of
the challenges the company has gone through to get where they are, including
having to survive a flood in manufacturing! [3]. For all those of you that
work in manufacturing you know first hand the challenges that goes into
ramping up production to more than 500,000 units a month [4]. Drop a quick
note to the CEO Andrew DePaula and give him support[5], little words of
encouragement mean alot to all of us pursuing our passion - and these guys
are! I wish intelliPaper the best.

Update: There is little publicly available information about what is inside
intellipaper. There is a small note from cypress [6] that enCoRe V USB
microcontroller might be used. They should bring out an additional contact and
make the 10-bit ADC accessible! I'd put a little DMM app in my business card,
or add a long wire and do a SDR radio. now that would be cool.

[1] [https://www.intellipaper.info/](https://www.intellipaper.info/)

[2]
[https://www.intellipaper.info/technology/](https://www.intellipaper.info/technology/)

[3] [http://www.krem.com/news/Edwall-businesses-clean-up--
2460786...](http://www.krem.com/news/Edwall-businesses-clean-up--
246078631.html)

[4] [http://www.spokanejournal.com/local-news/intellipaper-
ramps-...](http://www.spokanejournal.com/local-news/intellipaper-ramps-up-to-
roll-out-new-product/)

[5] [https://twitter.com/intelliPaper](https://twitter.com/intelliPaper)

[6] [http://www.cypress.com/?rID=94593](http://www.cypress.com/?rID=94593)

------
nailer
Great product but I'd love for you to talk more about the product and less
about the world of information, without piano music. There are way too many
Steve Jobs keynotes on kickstarter and it's a terrible cliche.

------
cix
I like the concept, but posting this type of video on Hacker news is going to
question the core technology vs the pitch. The way it is demonstrated makes it
seem as if the card itself has flash memory, and has a wireless receiver. So
basically from what I can devise. Each card has a unique code that basically
accesses cloud storage that logs your ip address and location on use, that is
understandable (or is it just a site redirect). But, I am a little confused by
the core technology of your supposed wireless feature, what am I missing here?

~~~
cix
OK I see you indicated it is using NFC. But all the iPhone models from what I
know of don't even have NFC, let alone instant response from their proximity.

~~~
cix
Also what type of cost will be associated with these type of NFC chips, I
can't assume a mass production of these would be inexpensive with those chips.
Wouldn't just keeping the USB with the printed metallic ink and a QR code be
more economical for mass production? Or will you have two separate models
perhaps?

~~~
kevin_iP
Kevin from intelliPaper here.

We offer two separate formats of SwivelCard.

NFC is a really good fit for some markets, and other markets don't have the
adoption. By including NFC as a premium option, we can reduce the cost of just
the USB experience and offer it for less.

~~~
shyn3
Intriguing product. Where can I get a sample?

------
LukeB_UK
Your website is broken on my nexus 4. Parts of the content are overlapping and
the video is half covered.

Edit: Not to mention the top menu taking up a load of screen space.

~~~
cix
It seems to be using a responsive site with issues of a overlay. The logo is
also not flush with the mobile header. Should use a PNG logo with a
transparent background, using a white background for your logo is causing
that.

------
apendleton
There probably was some point at which technologists still exchanged physical
business cards but wanted people to access their digital content, but I get
the sense that the physical card is decidedly on the way out, in favor of
people directly connecting on Twitter or Github. It seems like, at least in
the tech sector, the period when this would have been useful is already over.

~~~
kevin_iP
Apendleton-

Kevin from intelliPaper here.

SwivelCard has bee a very good fit for many of our customers. One use has been
to focus conversations.

Consider a situation where you manage a portfolio that is constantly changing,
and you want to draw attention to aspects of it and personalize your pitch to
a client. How cool would it be to have a face-to-face conversation focusing on
real issues, and end with

"I've made a few notes. Use this SwivelCard to access them. They are secure
and only you have access to this information." No, I don't need your email
address - and there is no account to create or manage."

~~~
jahewson
But you can already do that with a USB stick? It's not like they're expensive.

~~~
Joe_iP
jahewson, I can carry 50 swivelCard with me to a networking event. I'd need a
bag to do the same with a USB. Even if I had the plastic credit card versions
of the same.

Beyond carrying them around, my swivelCard has access to every discount
offered by the USPS for bulkrate and EDDM campaigns.

~~~
jahewson
> _Consider a situation where you manage a portfolio that is constantly
> changing, and you want to draw attention to aspects of it and personalize
> your pitch to a client._

Handing out 50 cards at a networking event isn't a personalized pitch, you've
not really backed up your argument. Not sure what USPS has to do with that
discussion either, I hope you're not advocating sending these as junk mail, we
have enough waste as it is, are they recyclable?

------
saroshk
This idea would have been more intriguing 5-10 years ago when people were more
used to plugging stuff in and out and cloud based services weren't so
ubiquitous. It appears that they took a long time to develop the USB part and
missed the boat on that. Even the card's NFC chip, which seems to have been an
afterthought in development for this product, is a more compelling feature
that its main selling point.

I simply don't see this product's utility as a business card. If I want to get
in touch with someone after receiving their business card, the only
information I need from that business card is their email address; I'm not
going to plug in a USB device just to get that email address. If I want to
save all the info on the card, Evernote is already better and simpler at
solving that problem.

The only people I can see this possibly being useful to are photographers for
sharing their portfolio, but, again, it would have been a lot more useful for
that purpose 5-10 years ago.

~~~
Joe_iP
saroshk, great points. However, I feel you don't understand our solution
completely. First off, their is an inherent need for print-to-web solutions.
This has been an obvious demand with technologies such as augmented reality,
quick response codes and near field communication. This demand has been
created mostly by marketers. The advancements in the algorithms that effect
both Search Engine Optimization and Email is making marketing online a
difficult thing.

This has created a push back over to direct marketing and self-promotion.

Our swivelCard platform isn't a solution for a USB drive. If that was the
case, I'd agree completely with your comment. Our swivelCard platform is
closing the gap on print-to-web compatibility issues. Globally only 1 in 5
people own a smart phone. Things like QR, NFC, AR, Evernote only provide a
solution for a very small part of the problem. USB "PORTS" on the other hand
are in abundance. This fact makes swivelCard the most universal solution for
anyone looking to reach a large audience/demographic with a print-to-web
solution.

I also wanted to touch on your point regarding "getting an email address". I
agree, I doubt anyone would plug in a swivelCard to get someones email. To be
honest, swivelCard makes an email address a moot point. I can take one
swivelCard and assign it to you and give you direct access to my laptop via a
screen share. Or I can take one swivelCard, attach it to a dropbox shared
folder and share information with you that way. Yes, we could do that via an
email, but I'm sure you and I both can agree in the world of sales (business)
some people don't share their personal information (email).

You also mentioned "cloud based services". The idea behind cloud based
platforms is to keep people connected to an experience. Almost all cloud based
platforms can be shared through a simple URL. swivelCard lets you exploit this
feature by simply copying and pasting that URL into any point of communication
on the card. Meaning, I can take 200 swivelCards and attach them to 200
separate dropbox folders.

You are correct in regard to some of our existing customers like photographers
and videographers. And they do use it to share their portfolios, but the more
interesting use-case you haven't imagined. A photographer can actually use
swivelCard as a cross-sell. Instead of including a CD with digital versions of
client photos they can sell their personal business cards as a part of the
photo packages.

When you stop thinking of swivelCard as a thumb drive and start thinking about
what it really is, you'll understand it has limitless potential for sharing
digital/cloud based solutions that are accessible by everyone.

------
jeena
They lost me in the video at "We patented the technology ..." _closingtab_

------
kken
Many companies have policies disallowing any foreign USB-Sticks. This
diminishes the value of this concept in a professional environment
significantly.

~~~
borplk
Particularly the software people and generally tech-savvy crowd are hesitant
to stick foreign devices into their computers, and for good reasons.

------
Mandatum
Not sure how analytics could work/changing drive remotely without the user
needing to install something. Doesn't sound overly safe/practical.. Unless it
requires a network connection (ie the USB just holds a shortcut to a page on
the swivelCard site).. Which sounds crap.

------
jcr
Interesting concept, and probably really useful for people on the go.

I'm guessing you're doing the web redirection to the site of your client, or
is this incorrect?

If you are doing the redirection, I'm curious why you decided to not also
include a QR code?

~~~
5toclose
Yes, there is a backend interface that allows the card owner to direct each
individual card to any webpage they want. We do include QR code (printed on
the back of the cards) and NFC inside.

~~~
borplk
If someone sticks it in their USB port, what do they see? A URL shortcut file
they need to click on? Or some kind of fancy executable software?

~~~
kevin_iP
borpik -

Kevin from intelliPaper here.

On SwivelCard the drive drive shows up labeled 'iPaper' and presents a file
named 'Double-click to launch.html'

Once loaded, the browser redirects to your selected landing page.

If connectivity is not detected, a message indicates internet was not
detected, and prompts to reload the page.

------
ipsin
It seems like these are meant for mass distribution.

If I got one and wanted to dispose of it, would I throw it in the trash, the
recycling or would I need to dispose of it as e-Waste?

------
abritishguy
Moo.com already have nfc business cards. And I really don't see the USB part
being remotely useful.

~~~
lolbrainwallets
As far as I can tell those are still "coming soon" and not actually available.

------
danso
This will sound overly negative, but I'm asking from an old-fashioned
perspective...but why is this easier/better than just printing a URL on a
card...in that situation, the card-giver also has the ability to update the
content on that destination. Or, why can't the technology be as simple as a
read/write stick?

The product seems to envision an idea of a "connected experience" not yet
deliverable via a website...but what is that, exactly? The intention is that
the card-receiver is going to keep inserting this USB stick to check out if
the card-giver has updated the portfolio? If the impression/conversion hasn't
been made at first insertion of the USB stick, not sure how this card would be
any less discardable than a typical business card...

Also, what are the dependencies...if SwivelCard's cloud service goes down,
does that hamper the experience of the end-user?

The IntelliPaper tech seems very cool, but business cards don't seem like a
lucrative form for it.

~~~
kevin_iP
Danso -

Kevin from intelliPaper here.

We appreciate the honest perspective.

I'm always looking for ideas - what comes to mind for lucrative forms of
intelliPaper? (If you don't mind sharing...)

I'll jump around a bit here...

USB offers a familiar experience for accessing data. Many markets respond very
well to this experience.

In our other products you can specific the digital content of the usb chip -
and if you don't want to link to the intelliPaper servers for redirection (or
even do something else entirely) we have a well-versed team to assist you. The
SwivelCard product-line offers simplified features for mass production and
adoption and doesn't offer these extended options.

Read/write is coming to intelliPaper - and we're exploring that impact on
SwivelCard. We're not there yet. One concern I have is that if YOU can
overwrite your own card before distributing it, should the person you give it
to be able to do the same? I'd like to think you would be able to control
that. We're currently refining the firmware, and exploring what methods work
best for the average users to connect to the card to write to it without
folding it. We'll likely come up with a small helper socket to assist in
physical connection for reprogramming, but this is not refined yet.

Yes. Hosted/online services can, and do, go down. If the cloud goes down,
SwivelCard is offline. While not ideal, most online services experience this
problem and we've taken steps to reduce this happening. We're willing to
embrace this because of the flexibility it affords the product. Given that
static content can be obsolete fast - we're willing to work with the cloud
because of the flexibility it provides.

------
_pmf_
Yeah, I'm totally sticking this piece of shit in my USB port.

~~~
Joe_iP
pmf,

No doubt some people will just simply refuse to adopt certain technologies.

