At Manzana we have long been advocates of keeping software choices separate from hardware choices. Many customers have multiple brands of other interactive hardware (whiteboards, interactive displays, slates and tablets, touchscreens etc), only to discover that associated software licensing restricts them from using some applications on competing hardware solutions.
The 2Touch Workbook whiteboarding software is “hardware agnostic” and is designed to help these situations by providing software which can be used across the organisation, regardless of what devices are connected. In addition, 2Touch Workbook opens content produced using competing iwb products, so that now customers can enjoy making application choices without being concerned that they might lose their investments in prepared content.
Using the same principles of inter-operability and open-ness, the 2Touch team has now come up with a fresh look at IWB software. This will be of particular interest to customers using Mac computers, or a mixture of Mac and Windows operating systems, since this software is designed to run in any browser supported by Mac or Windows. While not yet providing all of the functionality of Workbook, it does perform all standard whiteboarding functions (page manager, line drawing, shapes, images, videos etc). In addition, it supports some of the most popular Workbook features such as connectors useful for mind mapping.
Being browser based, this new solution will be released under the Xorro banner, joining last year’s release of Xorro-Q (the web based audience response solution), and the evolving Xorro-ed resource sharing community site. We have yet to complete the final branding for the new whiteboarding solution (your suggestions are welcome!) For now, early adopters are invited to come forward and participate in bgeta testing fo the tool, and contribute to the final touches leading up to its full release. If you’d like to join in the beta program, please email Pablo Garcia.