I have created two documents which summarise all my findings on IWBs available in Ireland. If companies wish for their IWB to appear in future summaries, make sure to contact me. Likewise, companies should make sure to contact me if their information changes, (e.g. prices, inaccuracies, etc.)
The first document reviews all Interactive Whiteboards with respect to their price, software, service, aesthetics and their quirks, (e.g. short throw projector, height-adjustablity, etc.) Because software can make or break an IWB, where necessary, I have included the same board twice, one with its native software and one with Promethean Inspire software. The second document does not take price or software into account. Therefore, this second document is of interest to schools where money may not be such an issue. This second document will not need to be updated as much as it does not take price into account.
To summarise the results of both documents:
The March 2009 review saw 27 variants of IWB reviewed and the clear winner was the TouchIT Board with Promethean software installed. Its price was one of the major benefits. Even without the Promethean software, this board managed a more than respectable 3rd place. Liosdoire’s €2,400 Smartboard solution, which may end at the end of this month [ending today according to post written after this was written] took 2nd and 5th place, mainly due to its super price. This was also the case with BoardWiz whose Promethean clone was staggering value, but only with Promethean software installed. Promethean’s excellent €2,500 option came 8th probably due to its lack of training and service but moreso the fact that it lost points for being only pen-based. Sadly, the era of the eBeam is slipping a little, just in 11th place with Promethean software. It must be noted that 6 out of the top 10 products had Promethean software included.
The second document saw some interesting differences – the biggest one being the board in first place – The Hitachi Starboard was the star performer. Its brilliant multi-touch facility, along with dual-surface saw it top the poll as the best Interactive Whiteboard out there now. TouchIT came second, followed by Smartboards and all their clones!
This was followed by the electromagnetic pen type boards, e.g. Promethean. However, Cleverboard managed to squeeze in the middle too. It was interesting to note that CleverBoard ranks somewhere in the middle for quality but in the first review, it came bottom, due to its high price.
The guys on the bottom were the infrared stick-on devices. I find them to be perfectly acceptable solutions; in fact, I championed them for a good few years and in many ways they are every bit as good as the electormagnetic pen devices. The reason they ranked lower was due to the fact, you need to stick a battery in the pens for them to work. Also, the guarantee given with them doesn’t seem to be as good as other options.
The two documents are below for you to download and review. As I said, feel free to disagree by commenting on the post here. If companies wish to add their solution to the mix, make sure you contact us and we’ll write up a new review in April (or May). The prices and details listed are correct to my knowledge up to 12th March 2009.
Download the Review including prices (PDF 98KB)
Download the Review excluding prices and software (PDF 92K)
