SMART Camfire™ Whiteboard Camera System Effortlessly Saves Dry-Erase Whiteboard Notes
Using mounted whiteboard camera system, users capture high-resolution images of whiteboard notes and post information to the Web
Calgary, AB --- April 26, 2002 --- SMART Technologies Inc. announces the SMART Camfire whiteboard camera system. Permanently mounted above a regular dry-erase whiteboard, this patent-pending system enables users to electronically capture high-resolution images of whiteboard notes with the touch of a button. Notes can then be saved, printed or posted to a Web site for future reference by meeting attendees, students, parents or teachers. As a self-contained solution, the SMART Camfire whiteboard camera system is always on and requires minimal training.
The SMART Camfire whiteboard camera system includes a camera boom and a control unit. The camera boom incorporates two 3.4 megapixel digital cameras and easily installs above a 4' x 8' whiteboard. Mounted beside the whiteboard, the control unit features a back-lit LCD, printer port, network connection and USB port to save directly to a USB memory device. Users press a single button on the control unit to save a digitally enhanced image of anything written, drawn or posted on the whiteboard. To record notes from multiple whiteboards, users may connect up to four camera booms to one control unit.
"With the SMART Camfire whiteboard camera , there is no setup before or during my classes, and I didn't have to change my teaching style in order to use it," says Kathy Burton, a math teacher at Willow Creek Composite High School in Claresholm, Alberta. "I have always used two whiteboards to write notes, and with the Camfire product I am able to use two camera booms with one control unit, so it is very convenient. Plus, both children and parents like being able to refer to class notes and assignments on the Internet."
"Installing the Camfire whiteboard camera system in Mrs. Burton's classroom was fast and easy," says James Aitchison, the school's network administrator. "In just a few hours, I installed the Camfire product, connected it to our school's network and set up a Web page for her to post class notes. Now Mrs. Burton can capture images of her whiteboard notes throughout the day. At the end of the day, she literally drags and drops the Camfire files into our Web publishing software and – poof! – it's on the Web, ready for parents and kids to view, 24 hours a day, seven days a week."
"The Camfire whiteboard camera system is the perfect solution for organizations that are already using a whiteboard to write notes," says Nancy Knowlton, president and COO of SMART Technologies Inc. "With its ease of use and accuracy, the Camfire whiteboard camera system makes it effortless to conduct a meeting or lesson, then digitally capture notes for printing or posting to the Web."
Software
The SMART Camfire whiteboard camera system operates with patented software that joins the images from the two high-resolution digital cameras and transforms them into a JPEG computer file. The software normalizes color, corrects keystoning and creates high-quality images of notes written on a 4' x 8' whiteboard. Even notes at the edges of the board are accurately reproduced.
Availability
The SMART Camfire whiteboard camera system is scheduled to ship in the summer of 2002. For additional information, specifications or authorized resellers, visit www.smarttech.com/camfire or call 1.888.42.SMART.
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For more information, please contact:
Public Relations
SMART Technologies Inc.
300, 1207 - 11th Avenue SW
Calgary, AB CANADA T3C 0M5
Phone +1.403.802.3337 Fax +1.403.228.2500
pr@smarttech.com
Please note that SMART is written in all capital letters.