Panasonic debuts password-protected whiteboards

While Panasonic's two newest whiteboards lack those snazzy multitouch capabilities, they posses something only the true undercover FBI agent posing as a first grade teacher could appreciate. The film and steel boards look pretty traditional at first glance, but underneath of that plain jane facade is a highly advanced security system. You see, each board can accept passwords, which will in turn restrict the ability to transfer information from the board to USB flash memory. For those cleared for access, the whiteboards can transfer on-screen information to a PC via USB, though we suspect you'll have to handle the encryption on your end. 'Course, neither of these will run you cheap, but you know your underground supervisor won't mind shelling out upwards of two large to make sure schematics to rule the world aren't intercepted by meddling rivals.

[Sora @ Dec 27th 2008 12:29PM]

...WHY?!

[KAIKAI @ Dec 27th 2008 12:31PM]

...WHY NOT?!!?

[Shinigami @ Dec 27th 2008 2:27PM]

So you can't copy the contents after sleeping during class.

[BigD145 @ Dec 27th 2008 3:21PM]

Too many people stealing 20 foot long whiteboards, I guess. How they manage to not smudge words, we'll never know.

[zelman @ Dec 27th 2008 12:43PM]

what if would be thieves have...oh...i don't know...some sort of...camera?

[Bauer22 @ Dec 27th 2008 1:42PM]

Then God help us all....

[jupiterthunder @ Dec 27th 2008 2:18PM]

Or they were just paying close attention when you were giving your presentation.

[Knee to the Groin @ Dec 28th 2008 2:18AM]

Just electrify the bloody thing, wrong password 3 times?

ZZZZZAP!

[arcticpenguins @ Dec 27th 2008 1:02PM]

A few things.

1. What school will afford this? This seems like over kill
2. "...WHY?!"
3. Why would a company waste money on a product like this!
4. Panasonic's R&D Team needs to be fired if they think this will be a big hint

[aYe aye @ Dec 28th 2008 2:19AM]

Personally, I think of it as more of a subtle hint...

[Dave Chappelle @ Dec 28th 2008 2:27AM]

1. No 'educated facility' would even consider this forget about affording it.
2. Panasonic's R&D Team should have been fired a good 10 years ago, i mean Panasonic was once respected alongside names like Sony now its the equivalent to LG or Samsung.
5. ???
6. PROFIT.

(forget the last two)

[robotfrog @ Dec 27th 2008 1:08PM]

Sometimes the best security is defeated the quickest. How does this fancy whiteboard prevent a quick capture by a small digital camera or cellphone? Oh, wait, it can't.

[wud_e @ Dec 27th 2008 2:28PM]

You ever heard of that spray that you can use on your license plates for Traffic Cameras? Well you use that spray after you are done writing on the board!! Duh! :p

[John @ Dec 28th 2008 9:37AM]

The license plate spray requires a camera with a flash to obscure your license plate, so in this case any camera without a flash will do.

[tidx @ Dec 27th 2008 1:10PM]

can i use sharpie's on this?

[Chris Are @ Dec 27th 2008 1:27PM]

Do they explode if the wrong password is entered?

[KarlW @ Dec 27th 2008 1:40PM]

Awesome

[JRM @ Dec 27th 2008 1:42PM]

What ever happened to the old "copy-it-down-in-your-notebook" technique? Have we all gotten so lazy that we can write notes anymore?

Boy, I can't wait until they make cyborgs that look just like us, so they can go to class/work while we sleep in.

[Shinigami @ Dec 27th 2008 2:25PM]

Those things will:
1. go instead of you to school college, making you dumb.
2. have sex with your girlfriend/wife, making you really miserable.
3. have your life, making you useless.
4. get rid of you, since you're wasting resources by living.

[Anonymouse @ Dec 27th 2008 10:20PM]

Oh, that's nice...

[Dave Chappelle @ Dec 28th 2008 2:29AM]

JOHN CONNOR

[TheCow5 @ Dec 27th 2008 1:50PM]

I get it, they had this idea for some time now but they did'nt want to have the dumbest idea of the year all year long so they held off until the end of the year.
well its the dumbest invention/idea of this year and next year.well done Panasonic, well done.

[michas_pi @ Dec 27th 2008 2:51PM]

It appears that my days of drawing phallic imagery on whiteboards are numbered.

[lordmorgul @ Dec 27th 2008 3:19PM]

For the very slow... this does not look like a classroom (k-college schools) tool, its an industrial tool. Some people work where they cannot take cell phones or cameras, and I imagine this board could display something very complicated (and not easily hand copied to paper).

[buckwild3 @ Dec 27th 2008 10:33PM]

Exactly! Not sure why people are thinking this would be a tool used for the classroom. Rather, this would be an ideal solution in the business world. Where I work, whiteboards are highly used for brainstorming and to talk through strategic plans. It would be great to be able to protect thoughts and plans if whiteboard usage will span across a long time period.

[Arkenklo @ Dec 27th 2008 4:12PM]

Obviously, it's password-protected so you can save what you written during a important, high-security, no-cameras meeting, and make sure no-one but the attendees will know what you wrote.

[Arkenklo @ Dec 27th 2008 4:18PM]

And of course, later retirieve that information.

[RL @ Dec 28th 2008 12:22AM]

But can it dooooo - wait for it - this ! - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVFsxev-2sk

[Arkenklo @ Dec 29th 2008 1:41AM]

Obsiously not, it's a whiteboard. White. Board.

[ED @ Dec 28th 2008 5:19AM]

Does it have anti-camera technology too?
Otherwise someone could just take a snap.
Hmm, it also needs a brainwashing feature to prevent unauthorised people from remembering what they saw.
Seriously, if someone can gain physical access to a whiteboard they're not supposed to have a copy of, you've already lost.