In the emerging world of interactive whiteboards, Google has debuted with its innovation called Jamboard. The new development, showcased at Google Cloud Next in San Francisco, is intended to provide Google Cloud access alongside the best of G Suite right on a large screen.
“Jamboard raises the bar on collaborative creativity, bringing the same real-time collaboration found in G Suite, combined with the best of the web, to your team’s brainstorms and meetings,” said TJ Varghese, product manager for G Suite, Google, in a blog post.
Google has provided a 55-inch 4K display on the Jamboard along with its G Suite offerings. The large panel comes with Google Search integration and allows you to work on Docs, Sheets and Slides or even reach photos stored in Drive. Additionally, there are tools such as sticky notes and stencils and features like handwriting and shape recognition to deliver an advanced experience right at your meetings.
Jamboard leverages Google support to offer remote access to the massive display through an Android-running smartphone or tablet. Also, there is a built-in HD camera, speakers and Wi-Fi to let you set up a Hangouts chat with your team.
Verghese explains that the touchscreen panel behind Jamboard is capable of recognises the difference between a stylus scribble and a sketch. Similarly, the board detects the moment you use the eraser.
Google has partnered with BenQ to design the hardware for Jamboard. However, content providers like Netflix and Spotify are also on the board to make the new development perfect for brainstorms and meetings.
Surface Hub competitor
Google Jamboard might be something unique from the search giant but not the only offering for enterprises. Microsoft brought a similar experience back in June 2015 with its Surface Hub.
The Windows 10-powered Surface Hub was designed to take team collaborations to a next level. However, Google’s fresh development brings a collaboration of Cloud and G Suite that distinguishes use cases from the Microsoft whiteboard.
Google is launching Jamboard this May at $4,999, which is $4,000 lower than the starting version of Surface Hub. But you need to pay an additional annual support fee of $600 to access Google Cloud and G Suite.
