SMART Board 600

Smart Technologies has just launched its new SMART Board 600 series of interactive whiteboards. Similar to the popular 500 series that is used across the world in classrooms, boardrooms and collaborative design centers – and most recently, on CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer – the new boards are larger and feature a number of slicker accessories. The new 77-, 64- and 48-inch models, aimed at installation rooms, now include a redesigned pen tray that holds not just an ergonomic pen and eraser but a Help Button (for access to online training and support) and a hardware-expansion slot for future hardware upgrades (there’s your return-on-investment). A new optional audio system comes with a pair of 15-watt speakers for a richer, multimedia experience; the volume control and a two-port USB hub, for connecting other devices, are integrated into the speakers. The Smart Board 600 whiteboards work with all major computer platforms, from Windows and the Mac to Linux, SGI and Sun. $999 to $1,999; audio system, $299.