It looks kinda like a whiteboard, and kinda like a TV, but it’s actually so much more than both of those. This new bit of tech wizardry from Google is just the latest addition to an increasingly hardware inclusive portfolio. The Google Jamboard is essentially the classic whiteboard from your school days but re imagined for the 21st century. The device measures as a 55-inch 4K screen and is the first piece of hardware in Google’s G-Suite of cloud-based tools. The product makes collaboration a breeze by eliminating a major obstacle that has traditionally limited collaborative possibilities; location.
While other companies have tread down the smart-whiteboard road well before, it’s Jamboard’s capabilities with Google cloud services such as Drive and Docs, that set the product apart. Users can launch a Jamboard session from anywhere using a mobile application on their Android or iPhone devices, so even when you can’t be there – you can! From this mobile application, users can send and receive real-time text, photos, and drawings in the collaborative space. The leader of the Jamboard meeting holds the ability to be able to share sessions with others using Google Hangouts.
Everything in a Jamboard session is saved to Google Drive because Jamboard doesn’t have an internal memory system. The board has a great hand-writing to text feature for those that bare the curse of chicken-scratch longhand. This feature allows hand-drawn lines and shapes to immediately straighten, to make sure your whiteboard is as clean and concise as your ideas. With the Jamboard you’ll be able to call in collaborators through Google Hangouts and search for media to include in the session. Above the screen is a webcam that allows you to take pictures or video. With built in Chromecast, you’ll also be able to stream TV and movies from your office as well!
If your looking to get the Jamboard for your next project, you’ll have to wait a little bit longer seeing as it won’t be available until next year. That’ll give you enough time to start saving too, seeing as its expected to cost just less than $6,000. If you can’t wait that long though, be sure to sign up for the early adopter program.
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