Enter the electronic whiteboard, which allows presenters to write and annotate on the fly, interacting with existing Powerpoint presentations, backgrounds, documents and the like, and electronically save the results.The InterWrite Meeting Board system from GTCO CalComp Peripherals hangs on a wall or mounts on a castored stand. Available in 50- and 70-inch versions, the board networks with a laptop or desktop computer (with InterWrite software installed) via USB or Bluetooth; the computers hooks up to a projector, which displayss on the meeting board for full interactivity. (Without the projector, presenters can still capture their dry-erase marker notes.)
If the presentation features aren’t enough to make you toss the old flip charts, perhaps using it online will be. WebEx-powered sessions allow remote users to view presentations in real time through a Web browser. (OK, so “real time” may be a bit of an overstatement; there was considerable latency in my online session with CalComp.) There’s even the possibility of some remote collaboration during a presentation, if the users can exchange control of the WebEx session, according to the company.
Starting at about $1,600 (US) — about three times the cost of a decent quality flip-chart presentation set up — it’s definitely worth considering if you have remote presentation needs.