InteractiveWhiteboard
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Sanyo PLC-WL2503 ultra-short-throw projector does built-in interactivity a tad cheaper
The Sanyo PLC-WL2503 isn't the first whiteboard-less whiteboard solution we've seen -- in fact multi-surface projector interaction dates back at least as far as 2007. As for a projector with built-in interactive capabilities, well, Epson's BrightLink 450Wi has been on the job since last year, albeit at a much higher price: the Epson projector costs $2,200 while this Sanyo comes in at about $500 less. Both tout short-range projection: the BrightLink provides 80-inch displays from two feet, while the PLC-WL2503 requires at least 34 inches to do the same. They pack identical WXGA 1280x800 resolution and 2500 lumens of brightness, and they both use IR pens to communicate with front-facing cameras built into the projector for multi-surface interactivity. Really, the only thing separating these two on paper is price. If the BrightLink is just too rich for your blood, and you can wait a little while longer, the Sanyo PLC-WL2503 can have you writing on walls by the end of January.
Samsung's 82-inch multitouch E-board demonstrated (video)
We've been hearing about a certain 82-inch E-board as far back as SID-2008, but recently the Samsung Roadshow launched in Germany, allowing us to finally get a good look at the device. In addition to its interactive, multitouch whiteboard functionality, this bad boy (also available in a 65-inch model) can act as a display for a PC or Mac and supports Sammy's EmoLink technology for receiving and displaying data from the company's e-readers. No word on a release date, but when it does roll around you can expect to drop about €9,000 -- or about $12,300. So start counting those pennies now! Video (in German) after the break.
SMART adds "touch recognition" to SMART Boards
We've seen some interesting large-scale multitouch products from SMART lately, but the company's bread and butter is still the SMART Board interactive whiteboard, and it's getting a neat little upgrade today: touch recognition. The board now intelligently senses the difference between a pen and your hand, so you can draw with the pen, move objects with your finger, and erase with the palm of your hand all at the same time -- no tool switching required. It's just a little tweak, sure, but it's the stuff like this that's going to make touch a viable primary interface -- check out a video after the break.
Wiimote repurposed for multi-point interactive whiteboard
While certainly there's been no shortage of Wiimote hacks, the number of genuinely useful ones has been considerably more limited. It looks like you can now add one more to that list, however, as Johnny Chung Lee (he of the Wiimote finger-tracking hack) has now upped the usefulness even further with a makeshift multi-point interactive whiteboard. There's a bit more involved with this one than just a Wiimote, however -- namely, an IR-emitting pen (or two), which the Wiimote tracks while relaying all the necessary information back to a PC. That, as the video after the break shows, allows you to turn any surface into a multi-point whiteboard with the use of a projector, or turn any LCD screen into a touchscreen, of sorts. Best of all, Johnny has kindly provided the necessary software free of charge, so hit up the read link below if you want to give it a shot.[Via Hack a Day]
