Google is releasing a new product for people who need to collaborate for their jobs. The Google Jamboard allows it users to treat the new technology it like they would use a whiteboard, but it will be even better. An advantage of this product is that these images, notes, slides, or whatever have connectivity and can be stored in the cloud. Storing information in the cloud means the information is there, available, accessible, and it also means that other team members can open it and add or change the previous work as needed.

Another important feature is that individual colleagues can access the information on the Jamboard in real time, so they can contribute to the work being done, even if they are thousands of miles away. In the past, most technology would not allow for real-time collaboration for those in different locations. It has been said that the Jamboard doesn’t look all that different from a 55-inch flat screen television. It even comes with a stand that can be rolled around to the place a meeting needs to be held.

Some have compared the Jamboard to the Surface Hub which was released in 2015 and it offers some of the same uses, but there are differences between these two pieces of technology. For many people, the ultimate difference is the Hub costs a minimum of $9,000, and up to over $20,000 while the Jamboard costs about $6,000 which is a big difference for two machines that basically do the same job.

The Jamboard allows teams who work together no matter if they are all in the same room or not. This piece of technology allows you to directly access and edit documents, spread sheets, slides, and photos that have been stored on the drive. All of this work can be done in front of the group while everyone is together. There won’t be any more need to discuss changes that will need to be done, then breaking up while one person actually does the work and brings it back to the group. The work can all be done right there in the room allowing changes and edits in real time.

The Jamboard also allows people to use Google Cast and Google Hangouts to set up broadcasts and other opportunities for collaborations no matter where different team members are. It is also possible to use an app on their phone to have connectivity that most other tools do not offer.

Advantages and Features

Some of the advantages of Jamboard include the fact that it is plug and play, meaning that there are no batteries and the user doesn’t have to ensure that it is appropriately charged before each use. Users can plug it in and go to work with the business of collaboration, either in small groups or large.

The Jamboard is also Ultra HD, with a 4K touch display that supports a passive stylus that can draw lines as narrow as one millimeter wide if you need it, and the screen has finger recognition if you do not need a stylus. A big selling point of the touch screen is that it allows 16 points of contact, so several different people could be working on different parts of the screen at one time. There is also a wide-angle High Def camera built in to the cabinet, as well as a microphone and speakers. Other advantages include 2.0 and 3.0 USB’s, as well as a Type C USB, HDMI 2.0, Bluetooth, NFC, and Wi-Fi.

Accessing the Jamboard

Would you like to rent or purchase Google’s Jamboard sooner rather than later? Right now it only available to those who are current G Suite customers—except for education or governments as their editions are not prepared yet. To use Jamboard now, a business must be based in the United States, and they must be ready to provide feedback. This feedback will allow Google to make improvements so future generations of the technology will be even better than the current edition.