Calgary, AB — December 18, 2012 — SMART Technologies, a world leader in interactive collaboration technologies and maker of the world’s most popular interactive whiteboard, has released a new SMART Board software development kit (SDK) that allows developers to build web applications that sense user actions on a SMART Board interactive display. The applications have embedded intelligence to recognize if the user is touching the interactive display to move an object, sketch with a pen or to perform other physical interactions with the large screen device. SMART is the first interactive technology manufacturer to release an SDK that communicates hardware events directly to web applications. The SDK is now available to all SMART Ecosystem Network members. Currently over 2,000 software development, publishing and design organizations are members of the SMART Ecosystem Network. Membership in the network is available at no cost. To register to be a part of the Ecosystem Network, visit smarttech.com/ecosystem.
Developers can leverage the SMART Board SDK to enhance applications designed for Windows, Mac and Linux operating platforms and web applications. The applications can sense interactive whiteboard activity, such as interaction with the SMART Pen Tray or Object Awareness, to enhance the user experience on a SMART Board interactive whiteboard or display. Developers around the world have used the SMART Board SDK and SMART Notebook SDK to create interactive applications that offer enhanced ease of use, interoperability and greater functionality for various markets including architecture, design, engineering, construction and education.
Amongst the first SMART Ecosystem Network members to deliver applications using the new SDK are KapIT, Conceptboard GmbH and Thoughtstream. Conceptboard provides an application for visual online collaboration – thanks to the SDK integration users can pick up a pen and start sketching in their Conceptboards. They can also pan, zoom and manipulate objects with ease as the web application is optimized for the latest displays from SMART including the SMART Board 8055i interactive display with presence detection.
“SMART is an innovator and as the world shifts from desktop applications to web applications (Google, Microsoft, etc.), SMART is at the forefront of this movement and the first interactive whiteboard manufacturer to embrace web applications with a dedicated SDK,” says Alexis Kartmann, CTO of KapIT, the Independent Software Vendor behind iObeya. “The web development kit has given iObeya the ability to add another level of simplification and engagement to its visual management software.”
A customer of KapIT noted the benefits they have achieved in using iObeya and SMART Board interactive whiteboards. “We have successfully implemented a collaborative management process. Our goal is to equip all meeting rooms with SMART Boards, a solution ultimately no more expensive than existing equipment,” says Jean-Pierre Dumoulin, Chief Technology Officer for PSA Peugeot Citroen. “Using iObeya and SMART Boards combines the best of both worlds. The solution enables multi-site collaboration for teams located across the world. SMART and iObeya gives us a district advantage over our competitors. We can no longer imagine working without it.”
Daniel Bohn, Conceptboard’s Co-Founder said, “The SMART Board SDK is truly amazing. It bridges the world of browser-based applications and the many possibilities of physical interaction a SMART Board provides.”
Another software development company that has seen benefits in SMART’s new SDK is Thoughtstream – a leading provider of online engagement. “Thoughtstream’s integration with SMART Technologies opens up a new world of Community Learning possibilities for our customers,” said Jim Firstbook, CEO of Thoughtstream. “The web development kit has allowed for easy and smooth integration immeasurably enhancing Thoughtstream.”
About SMART Ecosystem Network
The SMART Ecosystem Network (SEN) is a community designed to nurture the growth of companies and individuals interested in working with SMART. The network provides technical resources, accreditation programs and marketing support to its members, ensuring they are given the resources they need to develop and market software and content that work well with award-winning SMART products, such as the SMART Board interactive whiteboard, the SMART Table interactive learning center and the SMART Response interactive response system.
About SMART
SMART Technologies Inc. is a leading provider of collaboration solutions that change the way the world works and learns. As the global leader in interactive whiteboards, our focus is on developing a variety of easy-to-use, integrated solutions that free people from their desks and computer screens, making collaboration and learning with digital resources more natural. Our products have transformed teaching and learning in more than two million classrooms worldwide, reaching over 40 million students and their teachers. In business, our Freestorm™ visual collaboration solutions improve the way that people work and collaborate, enabling them to be more productive and reduce costs.
