Portable Interactive Whiteboards like the eBeam and Mimio really captured teachers a few years ago when permanent IWBs cost around €6,000. Costing about €2,500 back then, these boards were reasonably affordable solutions. We learned that it was probably better not to move the boards from room to room and we were better off leaving them stuck to whiteboards on a permanent basis, tucking wires away where possible. We also found that they has some limitations, in that they always were pen-based.
We also had a solution called Onfinity, which sat next to the projector and beamed invisible rays on a surface. This surface could then be manipulated using a “magic” wand. The great thing about these was you didn’t even need a solid wall or surface to interact. It even worked on projector blinds. The only problem was that this solution had wires all over the place too and we definitely couldn’t interact with anything else other than the wand. They were a similar price to the eBeam and are still sold today.
The Intech Portable IWB is a very similar product to the Onfinity. The main two differences between the solutions are: the price and the accuracy. Neux are the company selling the Intech IWB and they’re selling them at about €295 each, which is about €250 less than any of the other portable solutions. Add it to a short-throw projector and you could have a full solution with installation for under €1,500. For a cash-strapped school, I think I would favour this option over an eBeam, Mimio or Onfinity. The software that comes with the Intech is better than the much-used eBeam software but not as good as Promethean’s, (well nothing is).
Since the whole IWB market completely changed, and now you can get full IWB installations for less than €2,000, portable solutions are not as attractive as they used to be.
However, of all the portable solutions to the market, this is the best one available, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to rush out and buy one. It will serve the needs of the eBeam lovers better than the eBeam does, but for those who need finger-based interaction, this is not a solution for you.
Last Update: August 17, 2017