Marriott Hotels is rolling out the free Red Coat Direct app in all of its properties during the next several months. The hotel sends a personalized version of the app to planners three days before their meetings. They can use it to edit their meeting requests and preferences just before the event or while on site, for example to request an adjustment in room temperature or to change a meal time. The app remains available for several months after the meeting so planners can also use it to reconcile their bills. The app will be available in all hotels in the United States and Canada by the end of this year and in international properties in 2014.
SlideShark, an app for viewing, presenting, and sharing PowerPoint presentations on iOS devices, launched a new version in March that enables meeting attendees to access slides on their own device, whether they are in the same room or across the globe. SlideShark Broadcasting creates a unique URL for the presentation so guests can view the session in real time from any Internet-connected device. Presenters receive visual alerts when someone enters and exits the broadcast. After the meeting, speakers can share the slides online and access analytics to track viewing. The new version of SlideShark also adds drawing capabilities that gives presenters a choice of six colors and three sizes to highlight elements of the slides.
Zooming presentation platform Prezi marked its fourth anniversary this spring by passing the 20 million user mark and adding sound capabilities. Other new features added in the past year include the ability to create 3-D backgrounds from a 2-D image. Users can load as many as three background layers and the system will cross-fade as the presenter zooms in and out.
LG’s transparent display is an eye-catching way to exhibit products at a trade show booth. Items sit on shelves inside the rectangular cube and the transparent LCD screen on the front is touch-enabled, so product information can appear as users tap the screen. The display comes in 29- and 47-inch models.
Arthur Holm displayed its newest retractable monitor, the Dynamic 3. The monitor automatically rises, rotates 180 degrees, and folds down flush with the tabletop, providing a variety of options when used for video conferences and presentations. The monitor automatically flips the image according to screen position and can include additional features such as a built-in camera, speakers, microphones, and USB connectors.
Panasonic demonstrated its new interactive displays that combine whiteboard-style functions with high-definition, plasma surfaces. Presenters write with an electronic pen and as many as four pens can be used simultaneously. There’s also a remote pointer function that allows users to point, draw, and annotate from up to 16 feet away. The interactive displays come in 50-, 65-, 85-, and 103-inch models.
Ava 500 is a Web conferencing system mounted on a robotic base. It combines iRobot’s autonomous navigation capabilities with Cisco’s TelePresence, so users can participate in Web conferences without needing to be in a fixed position. The system can be used to take an online conversation outside, onto an assembly floor, or into a laboratory. The host controls it with an iPad, and it automatically returns to its charging station when the meeting is finished. The iRobot Ava will be available early next year.
Ricoh’s new projectors are intended to be positioned on the edge of a table, not in the middle, so the cords and fan are at the front and away from meeting attendees. These units can be positioned as close as 27 inches and as far as 24 feet away from the projection surface. The multiscreen mode enables guests in up to four different rooms with four different projectors to view the same presentation.
FSR introduced iPad table mounts at InfoComm. The units can be mounted to a desk or other surface and rotated for use in either portrait or landscape mode. The company also makes iPad wall mounts, suited for using the device as digital signage. All of the mounts have locking systems to secure the iPad.
Sonic Foundry demonstrated its latest Mediasite mobile recorder, which is used for creating live Webcasts and as well as for archiving content for on-demand access. The new device is smaller and lighter and also has a touch-screen interface.
Christie introduced Brio, a meeting and collaboration system that allows multiple attendees to run audio and video presentations from their own devices without the need for special cables, adapters, or software. Brio uses wired or wireless connections to automatically share multiple presentations showing simultaneously on either one or two meeting room screens. Participants can add presentations to a meeting as a thought occurs, and their information will show up on the room’s display in seconds.
Tecom Electronics has added a touch-screen system to its newest high-definition lectern. Speakers can use common gestures such as swipe, tap, slide, and zoom on the screen to manage their presentations. The lectern also has a single control panel for all integrated audiovisual equipment, and the height can adjust to accommodate someone sitting or standing.
