SMART Technologies, the inventor of the SMART Board®, has officially announced the launch of three exciting new products i.e. the SMART Board® Mini interactive podium and video conferencing tool; the SMART Board® M Pro High secure series TAA Interactive Display for government and privacy-sensitive industries; and the all-new SMART OneLaunch meeting tool for more seamless, connected hybrid meetings.
Before we dig any these innovations on an individual level, we must take into account a recent SMART survey of IT directors and professors, a survey which effectively revealed that critical challenges in instructional spaces are impacting higher education and businesses.
The study basically informs us on how 30% of higher education campuses still use outdated technology, which includes legacy projectors that no longer meet the needs of modern learning environments.
Furthermore, it highlighted a need for annotation capabilities that are hugely crucial to the pursuit of simplifying complex concepts and making training more interactive. The survey also released a piece of data showcasing that well over 50% of respondents expressed the need for real-time feedback features.
SMART’s Board® Mini, for starters, addresses these needs with robust tools for real-time collaboration, as well as high-quality audio and video for hybrid meetings and instruction.
Talk about the given innovation on a slightly deeper level, we begin from the fact that it is currently the only interactive podium with an integrated OPS PC module slot for both Windows and Google-licensed appliances. This allows any user to connect and work in a familiar, consistent environment.
Next up, there is potential for seamless presentations with a complete video conferencing solution, which packs together a 4K AI-enabled camera, 8-microphone array, 12W sound, and 27″ 4K UHD display, each one chipping into generate engagement for both in-person and remote participants.
Another detail worth a mention is rooted in the way this solution brings forth interactivity anywhere with a single cable connection. You see, touch and digital ink are enabled on connected secondary screens or projectors, mirroring content to any external display via the integrated HDMI or USB-C output, with no extra splitters or switches needed.
Turning our attention towards SMART Board® M Pro High secure series TAA Interactive Display, it is designed to meet stringent security requirements of the U.S. Trade Agreements Act (TAA), mandated by judicial, executive, and legislative branches, along with the military and high-security industries.
This display arrives on the scene bearing an ability to offer enhanced security features that are purpose-built to have no embedded OS, no mic-array, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi, and no USB mass-transfer to reduce security vulnerabilities.
Joining that would be the availability of SMART Ink, which is the only inking software to facilitate writing directly into PDFs and Microsoft Office files like PowerPoint, Word, Excel, OneNote, overtop of browsers, and into other applications.
There is also SMART’s industry-leading touch technology in the mix, geared towards helping multiple users write, erase, and interact at the same time without interfering with one another.
The display further boasts integration with JWIC, NIPR, SIPR, and KVM to streamline government workflows.
Finally, we have the SMART OneLaunch, powered by Airtame, an innovative gateway to hybrid meetings. The stated gateway empowers users to securely join meetings with just a tap, thus eliminating the need for extra setup or expensive hardware.
Markedly enough, SMART OneLaunch also brings forth a consistent experience across Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, and Webex without spelling the need for configuring separate apps. Apart from that, the technology in question also integrates with the cloud, helping meetings to be clearly displayed and ready to be joined from the SMART Board.
All in all, users can leverage this solution to securely share content, annotate documents with digital ink, and interact with apps using touch.
“I am thrilled about the collaborative, connected opportunities that the SMART Board® Mini has for users,” said Nicholas Svensson, CEO of SMART Technologies. “As a complete video conferencing solution with video in and out capabilities, as well as industry-leading touch and ink, the SMART Board® Mini delivers a solution for collaborating no matter where the audience is. It’s the only interactive podium available with an integrated OPS PC module slot.”
