SMART Technologies has announced a new initiative to bundle its collaborative technologies into visual collaboration solutions, to be sold under the marque Freestorm. Freestorm solution include interactive displays, intuitive collaboration software and remote collaboration tools. They include the new SMART Board 8055i interactive flat panel — the world’s first large-format interactive display to offer presence detection — SMART Meeting Pro 3.0 software with new SMART Ink and Bridgit 4.5 conferencing software. Each Freestorm solution is also designed to work seamlessly with a variety of third-party remote collaboration tools and can be integrated with various industry-specific applications for a comprehensive, easy-to-use collaboration solution. Freestorm also includes training resources, services and support to ensure organizations get the most from their SMART products.
Freestorm visual collaboration solutions are said to transform how people work together using interactive displays and remote collaboration tools, helping them improve productivity and reduce costs. Freestorm solutions enable interaction with virtually any digital material, and remote users can fully participate in collaboration sessions, increasing engagement and fostering teamwork. The SMART Board 8055i interactive flat panel includes presence detection, an innovative feature enabled by sensors that automatically detect user movements, turning on the display and keeping it active when people approach it, and saving energy by turning off when the display is not in use. SMART Meeting Pro software and Bridgit conferencing software enable all meeting participants, whether in-room or remote, to share documents, write notes, save files and easily distribute collaborative work.
“Freestorm visual collaboration solutions demonstrate SMART’s leadership in providing business customers with interactive displays, software and services to address their increasing collaboration and connectivity needs,” says Linda Thomas, VP of products at SMART Technologies. “The SMART Board 8055i interactive flat panel, SMART Meeting Pro software and Bridgit software were developed with these needs in mind, enabling increased engagement both in-room and over distance, which results in more meaningful collaboration and better business outcomes.”
Pricing and availability
The suggested list price for the SMART Board 8055i interactive flat panel with SMART Meeting Pro 3.0 software is US$6,999 in the United States. The suggested list price for Bridgit 4.5 conferencing software including licensing for 500 concurrent users is US$12,999 in the United States. Prices outside the United States vary by country and may include applicable taxes, duties and import costs. SMART Meeting Pro 3.0 software and Bridgit 4.5 software are now available globally. The SMART Board 8055i interactive flat panel is expected to begin shipping globally in August 2012.
