Currently from September 2017, 2 of the latest IQBoard IR Dual User with MultiTouch with a wall mounted Panasonic Short Throw Projector, Powered Wall mounted Speakers and professional Installation for only €1,680 + VAT each(€2060 including VAT)
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Posted by Simon of www.anseo.net
I haven’t reviewed an interactive whiteboard for some time now and after visiting the BETT show in London last week, I found some new boards to play with including this one, the IQBoard. Sourced by a company called Mediascene who are working in partnership with Sight and Sound, (who sell the excellent Teamboard), I had high hopes for this board. It promised my three criteria – one you can use a magic pen with it, two you can use your finger or any other pointy device on it and three you can use a dry wipe marker on it.
From playing around with it, it is an excellent board. It’s sturdy, accurate and has everything I could ever want with an IWB. I don’t find this minor issue a big problem but only one user can interact with the board at a time so I wasn’t bothered by this admission from the salesperson. The most important factor was the price. You can get the board for around €2,900, which includes a full installation including a short-throw projector. This is a good price in my opinion. However, Mediascene are doing a promotion so if you buy two boards, you’ll get a €1,000 discount. This amounts to approx €2,400, which is the best value I’ve seen for a short-throw solution of this quality. (IQBoard note: The Discount no longer applies. However, currently prices are exception)
Essentially the IWB market is starting to go in the same direction with touch-based and dry-wipe solutions becoming the norm. The differences between them are minimal. You’ll have to check out prices, guarantees, servicing and all that other stuff now as that’s becoming as important. In the IQBoard’s case, standard guarantee is 3 years with a 5 year option available. The other thing that’s driving the IWB market right now is all-in-one classroom solutions. By this I mean companies are creating IWBs, slates, visualisers and other materials designed for interactivity. The IQBoard does have accompanying slates but I’m quite happy to use different brands with different IWBs.
Mediascene have been around for many years selling computers in the early 90s and are now embarking in the IWB world with many partners. I don’t think they’re going to disappear anywhere so you’re looking at an established company. They have big ambitions to get the IQBoard to be the 3rd biggest selling IWB on the market within two years.
