BETT preview BETT 2019: is the tide turning?


BETT is known to alternate be- tween “hardware years” and “software years”, and, while 2019 is one those light on hard- ware front of class innovations. Both the market-leading touch screen specialists will be there, plus others, including BenQ and Vestel, will be on show. What won’t be there are the legions of new brands attracted by the rapid growth in education sales, as the market is satisfied, and the new- comers attracted to the burgeon- ing corporate market.


As Europe’s leading education event, the annual BETT show usually provides a comprehen- sive showcase of front of class interactive teaching technolo- gies. But some familiar names are missing. There are a vari- ety of reasons for turning away from the opportunity presented by BETT, but, in general, the feeling is that investing BETT will not offer an equivalent ROI to that of ISE with its greater appeal to the wider corporate market and education, in par- ticular, higher education where the requirements are similar. CTOUCH, for example, has announced that it will not be exhibiting at BETT 2019, and instead investing further into product improvements, a com- pany rebrand and launching a series of events in 2019 where it can bring its award-winning technology to the customers directly.


Gregg Ringer, Head of UK Market Development, explains: “The BETT Show is still un- doubtedly an important Educa- tion event for the UK market, and taking the decision to not exhibit in 2019 often felt like a risky one. However, the time we got to spend with our custom- ers or prospective customers at the event was so brief, we often felt the investment didn’t really warrant the fleeting customer visits.” “We want to build better re- lationships with our Educa- tion resellers and customers, which means getting the time for more meaningful conversa- tions. We feel the best way to go about this is to launch our own events both independent- ly, and in conjunction with our alliance partners. We have seen that a number of our Educa- tion customers simply cannot travel to BETT anymore due to the up-front cost, as well as the downtime. If they can’t come to us, we will go to them.” He went on to hint “Although


and Laser Nova have been de- signed specifically for the Edu- cation markets and are aimed at both basic users as well as Education establishments with more advanced requirements and technological ability. The company has hinted at


lots of exciting developments for 2019, including a rebrand and some impressive product advancements, most of them being revealed at ISE in the Netherlands in February.


learning experience into their classrooms. Both the Main- stream and Premium panels from BenQ boast a smart eye- care solution with an intuitive embedded motion sensor. For a comfortable viewing experience, the IFP’s will auto- matically activate Flicker-Free, Anti-Glare and Low Blue Light


features by detecting


the movement of users close to the screen. However, the BenQ Premium panels are also equipped with a Germ-Resis-


ExCeL London, Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, London E16 1XL, United Kingdom. Wed 23rd January, 10:00 - 18:00 Thu 24th January, 10:00 - 18:00 Fri 25th January, 10:00 - 18:00 Sat 26th January, 10:00 - 15:00


mium panels with a spotlight/ laser pointer, to help teachers build a dynamic learning envi- ronment with ease. BenQ’s new range of IFPs also


its software and content offer- ings to the IFP platform, a re- cent wave of innovation an in- vestment from Net Dragon has seen the company making great strides in technology and inno- vative market development. SMART Technologies’ recent announcements have centered on enhancements to SMART Learning Suite Online software including a new ‘Workspace’ activity. This new activity is designed to enable whole-class or small group collaboration by leveraging student devices and providing a shared digital space where multiple students work together. Workspace activities are an integrated part of a les- son, so teachers don’t lose time transitioning between devices, applications, and lessons. The company has introduced SMART Remote Management, a


cloud-based solution that


BETT will look at futures technologies and new realities. Last year, BETT attracted 34,000 visitors.


Move to corporate


Other brands conspicuous by their absence include Avocor. The company still has a com- plete portfolio of interactive displays for education, created specifically with teachers and students in mind. Avocor says that


its interactive displays


create a collaborative learning environment that is easy to use and extremely cost-effective. Avocor has recently announced its intention to follow the Win- dows Collaboration Device route to bring its range in line with the requirements of busi- ness users.


Sharp has elected to follow a similar path with its version of the Windows Collaboration Device, which meets Microsoft WCD specifications, combines Sharp’s award-winning touch technology and sensors


that


we are not exhibiting and don’t have a physical stand space next year, don’t be surprised to see us there in some other ca- pacity though”.


CTOUCH recently launched two brand new products to su- persede the successful Laser air + in the UK. The Laser Sky


P8 AV News December 2018


can work with Microsoft Azure Digital Twins to monitor collab- oration spaces. Other options for education buyers include touchscreen vendors active in a number of vertical markets, including education. BenQ, for example, has announced that it has enhanced its line of Inter- active Flat Panels (IFPs) with Mainstream and Premium solu- tions for the education market. BenQ’s IFPs are optimised with a flexible user interface and classroom-ready solutions to support schools by bringing a truly healthy and collaborative


tant Screen which is powered by a multi-layer coating of a non-toxic enduring nano, ionic silver agent that kills germs ac- cumulating on screen surfaces. The ionic silver’s antimicrobial feature remains effective even after thorough cleaning or long periods of use. The Premium panels also incorporate an air-quality sensor to help moni- tor CO2 concentration levels in classrooms and reminds teach- ers to adopt necessary mecha- nisms to keep CO2 at an ideal level.


This thoughtful design


ensures students can remain highly productive during class, whilst enjoying a much healthi- er learning environment. The new IFP panels integrate the repositioned front-facing audio speakers with a screen- length curved pen tray. The two front-facing 16W speakers cre- ate better sound transmission and bring more audio-visual enjoyment to interactive learn- ing. The curved pen tray offers a useful place to store the IFP stylus and other tools that help enrich presentations without interruption. Furthermore, the BenQ Premium panels support a personalised multi-account management system (AMS), which allows users to directly access their personal IFP desk- top, folders and major cloud storage services. BenQ under- stands the value of ergonom- ics and has introduced a new launcher platform for the Pre-


feature InstaQShare software, which is designed for seamless wireless presentation and col- laboration. It allows for smooth streaming of both visual and audio files, including HD qual- ity video, plus users can mirror content from mobile devices and invite up to 16 partici- pants. The range also supports multi-touch capability up to 20 points, allowing more students to participate in discussion and engage in activities. The panels are also equipped with EZWrite annotation software, which is designed to illustrate ideas, re- cord notes and brainstorming. It also comes with dual pens that allow users to write or draw in different colours simultane- ously, plus intelligent handwrit- ing recognition features. BenQ’s latest premium line of Interactive Flat Panels will be available from Q1 2019.


Specialists


For the majority of visitors to BETT 2019, the Clevertouch and Promethean booths that will provide two of the focal points in the show. In 2019, Clevertouch will celebrate its tenth anniversary. As the first company to introduce a touch- screen at BETT, Clevertouch has consistently led the edu- cation market and continues to serve the sector. Promethean, also a pioneer of interactivity, was a little slow in migrating


allows central management of all student and teacher devices (iOS, Android, Chrome OS and Windows) and SMART Board interactive displays. SMART Remote Management provides education and business ad- ministrators alike with the tools necessary to manage, main- tain, control and support an en- tire fleet of devices across their organization from any remote location helping to save time and resources. In tandem with Workspace activities and Remote Manage- ment, SMART is releasing the SMART Board 7000 and 6000 series interactive displays in- tegrated with iQ, Intel ® Com- pute Card and Windows 10 Pro. Offering a completely new approach to computing and a hassle-free service model that is a more cost effective solu- tion than traditional PCs, users can update the Compute Card to extend the device’s capabili- ties, allowing users greater flex- ibility in how they collaborate, interact with content and share information.


BETT 2019 is heavily slanted in favour of future technolo- gies, gamification and alterna- tive realities but with no firm idea of whether we are close to using current resources to the fullest extent – buy a suspicion that we are probably not.


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