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Mimio Xi is an affordable and easy to use interactive whiteboard capture device
October 05, 2005
By: Alice Osborn
Interactive whiteboards facilitate group interaction
during virtual meetings and they enable meeting participants
to share applications, display brainstorm images and record
the meeting notes. One such interactive whiteboard capture
device,
Mimio Xi from the Virtual Ink Corporation, can control
desktop applications from the whiteboard and then can store
those images directly to Mimio Xi. This interactive capture
device becomes operational when the capture bar is attached
to the whiteboard with suction cups, the software is loaded,
and the device is connected to the host computer. Remote
users can use this interactive solution over their company's
intranet or over the web using a third party screen sharing
application, such as
Glance.
Glance works with Mimio Xi as a hosted screen sharing
solution when meetings are conducted live over the web.
Glance gives others in a virtual meeting the opportunity to
share the display of one user's PC screen live, which can
prove useful during an interactive sales presentation, new
product launch, training, or in technical support
situations. It is easy to use and affordable (a flat rate of
$49.95 a month for up to fifteen attendees), which are
important benefits for a small business.
A recent survey by the PolyVision Corporation revealed
that some whiteboards confuse their operators with a glut of
functions that aren't being used, so the virtual interactive
writing is not as effective as possible. To counteract this
trend, Mimio Xi easily tracks the display writing on the
whiteboard surface with infrared and ultrasound capture
board sensors that can be attached to any whiteboard up to
4' x 8'. These sensors triangulate the position of the
marker or stylus while transmitting data to a USB Ethernet
card adapter attached to the computer. In fact, Mimio Xi is
a portable wireless device that allows the users to go
"computer-free" since the capture bar stores the whiteboard
images. Other key features of the Mimio Xi include a capture
bar, a set of stylus sleeves for holding dry erase
whiteboard markers, a USB cable, and a MimioMouse insert
that acts as a mouse when the device is used with a
projector.
In a CNET
Mimio Xi product review, the device received a 6.9 out
of 10 rating based on its design, features, and performance.
Overall, the reviewers liked the whiteboard product's cost
and ease of use, but were disappointed with the quality of
its capture board sensors and lamented the fact that this
interactive solution didn't include a flip chart, which is
extremely valuable for interactive brainstorming sessions.
Some of their whiteboard display drawings were imprecise and
had to be redone. The reviewers also preferred a capture
device that didn't require the use of a hosted screen
sharing service, which Mimio Xi requires.
Although some aspects of the Mimio Xi are limiting, such
as its capture board capabilities and screen sharing hosting
requirements, this interactive whiteboard solution would be
a good choice for a mobile small business that needs
affordable whiteboard capabilities for its virtual
conferencing needs on a regular basis.
About the Author
Alice Osborn is a successful freelance writer and
contributor to Web-Conferencing-Zone.com. Your
definitive guide to
web conferencing services,
online collaboration software and
web meetings for business.
Also See:
[
Identifying and overcoming barriers to effective communication ]
[ Interactive white
boards -- convert dry erase white boards using eBeam ]
[ Interactive
whiteboards for online data conferencing & collaboration ]
Home Page:
[ Web-Conferencing-Zone.com ]
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