Hey all. This showed up today...
PictureTel Introduces GroupBoard, the Newest Member of Its Family of T.120 Group
Meeting Tools
PR Newswire, Tuesday, November 05, 1996 at 17:25
ANDOVER, Mass., Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- PictureTel Corporation
(Nasdaq: PCTL), the global leader in videoconferencing technologies, today
introduced GroupBoard(TM), a T.120 standards-based whiteboard-at-a-distance
that works with PictureTel's industry-leading group videoconferencing systems.
GroupBoard is the newest member of PictureTel's growing family of group data-
conferencing meeting tools. It joins GroupShare(TM), application-sharing
software for PCs, and GroupView(TM), the industry's first document
conferencing projector-at-a-distance, to create the industry's most
comprehensive and natural group conferencing collaborative environment.
GroupBoard brings the benefits of a traditional conference room whiteboard
to multi-site video conferences. It enables people at several meeting sites
to actively participate in brainstorming sessions and interact on visual
material and graphical ideas by using a simple pen, eraser and pointer on its
42-inch color electronic display surface.
Making technology simple and comfortable
"As with our other meeting tools, we designed GroupBoard to make the
exchange of business data in multi-site meetings as comfortable, productive
and simple as at a single-site meeting," said Andrew Nilssen, director of
information sharing for PictureTel's Group Systems Division. "GroupBoard is
proof that in group videoconferencing there's more to T.120 than just offering
compatibility; the real issue is how to best package T.120 technology to
provide a total group information-sharing solution that's very intuitive to
use."
PictureTel's meeting tools strategy is focused on creating virtual
extensions of the conventional meeting room. Its videoconferencing-enabled
products are extensions of the tools -- such as whiteboards and overhead
projectors -- found in practically all conference rooms, along with the
ability to share documents and other PC-based information through a group
videoconferencing system.
"Everyone knows how to use a whiteboard or an overhead projector during a
business meeting," said Nilssen. "When conducting a videoconference, sharing
information should be just as intuitive. GroupBoard looks and feels just like
its traditional counterpart. It's natural use of the pen, eraser, and the way
you can use your finger as a pointer helps people -- including first-time
users -- feel comfortable and confident using the product."
How GroupBoard works
GroupBoard presents the user with a 42-inch electronic whiteboard working
surface. Users need no special training to use GroupBoard - they just pick up
the pen or eraser from the tray to write or erase, or use their finger to
point. Information created on a GroupBoard appears at all conference sites
whether someone is creating a new presentation or annotating and pointing to
an existing one brought into the conference. And because most people conduct
business using paper documents, GroupBoard has a built-in paper scanner to
bring documents into the conference, and printer support so meeting
participants can leave with a copy of the meeting results.
PC users can import, display, and save PC images via a diskette in
GroupBoard - or use software provided with GroupBoard to connect to it via a
serial connection and participate directly in the group data conference from
their PC. GroupBoard can also exchange images and real-time annotation with
GroupView, PictureTel's document conferencing projector.
"This is the missing link to distance learning. Adding GroupBoard to the
classroom setting enhances the overall learning experience and allows document
collaboration with remote classrooms," said Paul Dattoli, director of
Technology Services, Boston University Corporate Education Center.
GroupBoard features
-- 42-inch color graphics display;
-- Super VGA resolution (800 x 600 color pixels);
-- electronic pen-writeable, erasable surface (4 colors plus highlighter);
-- simple touch-screen and keypad operation;
-- color scanner and printer support;
-- ability to import and save PC images via diskette or direct PC
connection;
-- supports multiple site, multiple device T.120 graphics conferencing;
-- capable of replacing a traditional dual monitor; and
-- compatible with all of PictureTel's group and compact videoconferencing
systems.
Availability and pricing
GroupBoard is available immediately worldwide in English, German and
French configurations. It will be available in Japanese in the first quarter
of 1997. GroupBoard has a U.S. list price of $18,995. It is available from
PictureTel's direct sales force and selected resellers. |
