Smart Technologies to tap education sector

The Canada-based $200 million Smart Technologies Inc, the provider of interactive whiteboards, on Tuesday announced the launch of the SMART Board 600 series interactive whiteboard in the Indian market.

The company, which has installed over 1,000 interactive whiteboards in educational institutions and corporate houses, aims to penetrate the market further with the launch of new series of whiteboards, said Nancy Knowlton, president and CEO, Smart Technologies.

"At a time when the Indian education system is exploring new methods of knowledge delivery, Smart's easy-to-use products will help educators move to a more participatory style of teaching and learning," she said.

The new SMART Board 600 series is equipped with features such as finger-touch control, the SMART Pen Tray and the award-winning whiteboarding software. It also offers larger screen sizes, sophisticated styling, an easily accessed help button and a hardware expansion slot.

The SMART Board 600 series interactive whiteboards are now made available in India with new ergonomic pens and eraser, USB cable, wall-mounting brackets and the latest version of SMART Board software for Mac PC for suggested list prices ranging from Rs 70,000 to Rs 1.50 lakh.

Smart Technologies is presently offering one smart whiteboard free with purchase of one board to the corporate sector in the country. Its clients in India include Infosys Technologies, Goldman Sachs, ING Vysya, IISc, IIMB, Delhi Public School and Jawaharlal Nehru University. It also has a strategic alliance with Intel Corporation for joint product development and marketing efforts.

The company, which has reported $200 million revenues in 2004, has 700 employees at present and aims to increase it to 1,200 by September 2006.

It has sold over 2.5 lakh whiteboards in over 75 countries across the world. Presently, as many as 7.35 million students are making use of the whiteboards.