SMART Technologies Expands Its Lineup of Market-leading Interactive Flat Panels, Offering More Choice than Ever Before

• Customers desire choice among interactive flat panels (IFPs), which now comprise nearly 60 percent of all interactive display sales¹
• SMART broadens its award-winning 6000 series with the SMART Board 6075 and adds SMART Board 4075 and SMART Board 4084 to its 4000 series

LONDON and CALGARY, Jan. 20, 2016 /CNW/ - Educators are shifting from using legacy interactive displays to investing in state-of-the-art interactive flat panels (IFPs), which now account for 67 percent of displays shipped in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and 44 percent in the U.S.¹ Understandably, they are looking for increased variety from their trusted vendors. To address this need, SMART Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: SMT) (TSX: SMA), a leading provider of education and collaboration solutions, has expanded its portfolio of interactive flat panels (IFPs) designed specifically for the education market. The new models include the SMART Board® 6075, the SMART Board 4075 and the SMART Board 4084

SMART Board interactive flat panels are now offered in 11 models, ranging from 55 inches to 84 inches. All SMART IFP models feature Silktouch™ and SMART Ink^™, the world's most natural and accurate touch and inking experience. The SMART Board 6000 Series delivers a premier experience in classroom displays and includes a comprehensive range of touch-enabled, Ultra HD LED displays to accommodate any collaborative learning space. The displays also feature Object Awareness™, which automatically detects if you are using a finger, pen, fist or eraser, providing a more intuitive user experience, and Pen ID^™, allowing two students to use different colored pens to write, independently and simultaneously in any lesson activity.

The entire range of SMART Boards is comprised of durable, commercial-grade panels rated for 50,000² hours of use. This longevity combined with no requirement for projector maintenance and replacement of projector bulbs means that, over time, SMART interactive flat panels have an estimated lower total cost of ownership compared with traditional projector solutions.  

"Our customers are our number one priority, and many are seeking larger format displays for the front of the classroom," says Greg Estell, SMART president, Education. "With our expanded portfolio of both premium and value IFPs purpose-built for education, SMART now offers a comprehensive lineup ranging from 55 inches up to 84 inches. When combined with our award-winning software suite, SMART delivers the world's best education solutions, enabling students and teachers to collaborate, learn and engage in the ways that are most natural to them."

The new SMART Board 6075 builds upon the existing 6000 Series lineup, and adds:

• Additional ports to support a greater number of connected devices
• Mini PC compatibility – mounting points allowing greater flexibility in how customers choose to equip their classrooms and collaboration environments
• 60Hz 4K Ultra HD for true 4K video support
• Freeze Frame, enabling customers the freedom to freeze screen content while they perform background tasks, leading to more efficient use of classroom or meeting time
• Improved touch and ink performance for the most accurate and reliable experience possible

The two latest additions to the 4000 Series, the SMART Board 4075 and SMART Board 4084, add the following features:

• Additional ports to support a greater number of connected devices
• Mini PC compatibility – mounting points, HDMI & USB ports and pass-through power, allowing greater flexibility in how customers choose to equip their classrooms and collaboration environments
• 10 simultaneous touch points
• Improved touch and ink performance for the most accurate and reliable experience possible
• The SMART Board 4084 also uniquely offers 4K Ultra HD resolution.

All SMART interactive flat panels include the SMART Learning Suite – an integrated educational software platform designed to enable natural and collaborative learning experiences, combining the power of industry-leading SMART Notebook, the award-winning SMART amp, and the newly enhanced SMART Lesson Activity Builder (LAB). The SMART Learning Suite supports a variety of instructional strategies and fosters active learning, inside and outside the classroom. Furthermore, the SMART Learning Suite is optimized to work best with SMART interactive flat panels – this hardware and software combination deliver the best solution for educators.

To learn more about SMART Board interactive flat panels for education, visit education.smarttech.com/panels. Images of SMART Board interactive displays are available here.

Pricing and Availability

• The SMART Board 6075 is available for order in February with shipments beginning in April. The suggested retail price is $6,499 in the U.S. and £4,099 in the U.K.
• The SMART Board 4075 will be available for order in April with shipments beginning in summer of 2016. The suggested retail price of $5,499 in the U.S. and £3,599 in the U.K.
• The SMART Board 4084 is available for order now, with shipments commencing next month. The suggested retail price is $6,999 in the U.S. and £4,339 in the U.K.

Prices outside the United States and the United Kingdom will vary. Please contact your SMART authorized dealer for more information.

About SMART Solutions for Education
Nearly 70 million teachers and students around the world use SMART solutions for education to make learning more interactive, engaging, effective and fun. A consistent innovator and the inventor of the SMART Board®, SMART's education software includes the revolutionary SMART amp™ and the world's most popular collaborative learning software, SMART Notebook®. With a full range of interactive displays, including flat panels, projectors, whiteboards and the SMART kapp® digital capture board, SMART helps educators achieve better learning outcomes. To learn more, visit smarttech.com/education.     

About SMART
SMART Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: SMT, TSX: SMA) is a world leader in collaboration solutions that are redefining the way the world works and learns. We are an innovator in interactive touch technologies and software that inspire collaboration in both education and businesses around the globe. To learn more, visit smarttech.com.

SMT – M

Reader's advisory
Certain information contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking information or statements. By their very nature, forward-looking information and statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and risks that predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking information and statements will not be achieved. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on these statements as a number of important factors could cause the actual results to vary materially from the forward-looking information or statements. We do not assume responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking information or statements. Any forward-looking information and statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

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SOURCE SMART Technologies Inc.

Robin Raulf-Sager, Director, Communications, SMART Technologies Inc., +1.403.407.4225, [email protected], smarttech.com