Jamboard is essentially a 55-inch touchscreen on wheels. It has a 4K display with what Google says is a “best-in-class” touch response time for precise pen input. There’s built-in Wi-Fi, speakers and an HD camera, everything needed to start collaborating and broadcasting work globally.
Jamboard is designed to be a drawing surface to replace traditional whiteboards in offices worldwide. It offers an experience familiar to anyone who has used a whiteboard in the past. Jamboard automatically recognises the difference between sketching with a stylus and using an eraser to start over. Touching existing ink with a finger will wipe it off, just like in real life.
According to Google, Jamboard helps teams “get back to the heart of what they love to do” — creating new ideas. It simplifies brainstorming and collaborating, integrating Google’s existing productivity tools into a workspace that anyone in the group can participate in. Images, information and content from Google Search, Drive, Docs, Sheets and Slides can be pulled directly onto the whiteboard and then shared to every user.
Everything created with the Jamboard is saved automatically to Google Drive. Whiteboards can be revisited in the future, preventing information being lost at the end of an meeting. Jamboard itself is similarly convenient to setup. It can be easily wheeled about and is powered by a single cable.
“At Google, we’ve set out to redefine meetings,” said Google. “So today, we’re introducing Jamboard — a collaborative, digital whiteboard that makes it easy for your team to share ideas in real-time and create without boundaries. We’re moving the whiteboard to the cloud.”
Jamboard is the first hardware to become part of Google’s G Suite. Google is following Microsoft in digitising the whiteboard, stepping up its productivity software by creating a specialised device to accompany it. Microsoft and Google are currently very close rivals in cloud-based collaboration and document authoring. The launch of Jamboard in response to Microsoft’s Surface Hub ensures Google is competing on every level.
Surface Hub is available in two different sizes, 55-inches and 84-inches. It’s designed to be fixed to a wall though, unlike the more versatile Jamboard. Both support pen and touch input and have very deep integration with their creators’ software. At “under $6,000” Jamboard is significantly cheaper than the $7,000 55-inch Surface Hub.
The two devices also have slightly different focuses. While the Surface Hub is targeted more at corporate board rooms and high-level meetings, Google is aiming Jamboard at individual teams. It has already convinced a few big names to start using the product. Instrument, Netflix and Spotify have been assisting it throughout the creation of the device.
Jamboard will be available to purchase in 2017. Google is partnering with BenQ’s network of channels and resellers to distribute the device. It has set up an early adopter program that enables existing G Suite customers to begin trialling Jamboard ahead of its wider launch. Interested teams can sign-up via the form on the Jamboard website.
