Reviews for the Panaboard, SmartBoard and Mimio Interactive Whiteboards

We mention interactive whiteboards a lot in this blog, whether it’s students complaining about how the technology inhibits classroom learning, or NBA coaches using touchpads to teach their players. However, for all the print and online articles you find on interactive whiteboards and how they’ve revolutionized classroom and boardroom communication, you hardly ever see actual reviews of specific products. That’s why a recent article from Government Computer News (GCN) caught my eye - it reviews three interactive whiteboards and goes over their features and benefits.

Before getting to the particular products, the review notes that all three boards have a built-in drawback: if you stand in front of them as you write, you cast a shadow that can obscure the on-screen images, like in a movie theater. That’s because you have to step between the screen and the projector. That said, all three cost under $3,000, while plasma touchscreens and rear projection systems (where the light comes from behind the screen) usually cost more than $3,000. So keep this important tradeoff in mind as you look into buying your own interactive whiteboard.

As far as the actual products go, reviewer Trudy Walsh looks at the Panasonic Interactive Panaboard, the Smart Technologies SB680 Front Projection SmartBoard and the Mimio Interactive System:

• Panasonic Interactive Panaboard: Walsh likes the big writing surface and easy setup. In addition, she notes that you can write with an electronic pen or an actual dry erase marker, so teachers with an affinity for a traditional whiteboard won’t feel deprived either way. This interactive whiteboard also comes with a built-in printer, so you can roll out and mark up very legible hard copies of your presentation notes right away. Overall, the Panaboard gets very high marks for its ability to help you collaborate online and save your presentations offline. The only real issue is lack of mobility, although you can mount it on your wall or move it around on an optional rolling stand.
• Smart Technologies SB680 Front Projection SmartBoard: This interactive whiteboard lives up to its name with an interesting multi-pen system where you store each implement in one of the colored trays (red, blue, green and black). So if you take out the blue pen, the board recognizes that the blue tray is empty, and you end up writing in blue. But don’t worry if you lose your pens - you can use a dry erase marker or even your finger. Besides the large screen and other basic interactive whiteboard features, Walsh notes that the US military used the SmartBoard in Desert Storm and it worked even after getting hit by bullets. This model takes a little time to assemble, but otherwise gets high marks for its feature set, mobility and durability.
• Mimio Interactive System: This product reminds me a lot of the Quartet Portable IdeaShare in that they both consist of receivers that attach to any traditional whiteboard, wall, table, or other flat surface to turn it into an interactive whiteboard. Think Nerf basketball hoop with suction cups, only digital. In this case, the electronic pen sends out signals when it touches the board and the receivers capture them to read and display what you write. The Mimio Interactive System lacks certain standard features like handwriting recognition, but that’s part of what it makes more affordable than the Panaboard and SmartBoard. Walsh gives it an A+ for overall value.

So what do we take from these reviews? First off, they indicate that at least one expert thinks these products can competently deliver a lot of what we want in an online and offline collaboration tool, as long as we learn how to use them. It’s also good to know that the interactive whiteboard market has something for everyone, from absent-minded professors who regularly lose their pens to budget-minded educators and professionals who aren’t quite ready to give up their regular whiteboards. That’s a sign of a healthy and rapidly maturing industry that should grow even more over time.

Posted by Taeho Lim