Cisco's 'Spark' board is basically a giant iPad, but it makes sense
When was the last time you used a dedicated video conferencing room over a video call on Skype, Slack, or FaceTime?
This realisation has seemingly hit Cisco Systems, which is pushing a new "smart" whiteboard to the market.
It's basically a giant iPad mounted on the wall. But it makes sense.
Over the years, Cisco and its competitors have struggled to push deluxe video conferencing gear as widely as they hoped.
By Cisco's estimates, only 1 percent of small firms have dedicated video call equipment, like high-definition screens with microphones. That figure is 5 percent and 15 percent, respectively, at medium and large firms.
Cisco's biggest client base are the larger operations, hence the hefty $299,000 price tag for the top-of-the-line IX5000 suite.
Sure, for the money, you'll get three 70-inch LCD screens, 18 speakers for "theatre-quality audio" and three 4K cameras so you look as lifelike as possible to the other party.
But for the rest of us making do with laptop cameras, Cisco's new product, Spark, is the answer.
The company is billing it as a high-tech whiteboard, allowing you to doodle on its canvas, or on a sharp PDF document.
It comes with some impressive video calling technology too. In addition to a 4K camera and display resolution, the board is able to zoom in and out automatically to accommodate more people in the frame, or zoom in the direction of someone speaking.
The board works with devices you already own.
But the board's spark (sorry!) is really in its compatibility with the devices you already own.
I downloaded the Spark app on my iPhone and put in my email address. After a quick verification process, the app detected a board in the same room and I was connected.
No passwords to punch in or codes to scan.
When connected, you can send pictures and media to a central folder for the board, as well as other personal devices, to display.
And if you need to switch rooms while you're conducting a call, you can swipe the call onto your phone and take it on the go.
Compared with many fancier video conference products on the market, the 55-inch Cisco Spark will retail at $4,990 with a $199 monthly subscription.
Unfortunately, you'll need the subscription for the board to connect to any other device. Without it, it's just big screen.
A 70-inch board will be available later this year at $9,990.
Victoria Ho is Mashable's Asia Editor, based in Singapore. She previously reported on news and tech at The Business Times, TechCrunch and ZDNet. When she isn't writing, she's making music with her band
