SMART Podium 500
One of the
new tools that we have added to our trial toolkit and in our Mock
Courtroom/Training facility is the SMART Podium 500. The SMART Podium is an interactive display
that provides the functionality of a SMART Board in an 18” or 24” monitor. It uses a pen instead of your finger or mouse
to interact with content. One of the
reasons I like the pen instead of the touch screen is the ability to rest your
hand/arm on the display and not have to worry about the display getting
confused with new and unexpected sources of input. It comes with a gas spring stand that is easy
to adjust and adapt to your liking.
To add the Podium into your Courtroom configuration, you can use the Video In and Video Out interface to pass the signal through the display. The Video In source comes from your laptop/computer and the Video Out source then plugs into the rest of the Courtroom video distribution or projector. If you don’t have a DVI output on your laptop, make sure you have DVI-to-VGA adapters with you as the input/output connections on the Podium are DVI-I. You will also need to attach a USB cable from your laptop/computer to the Podium. I highly recommend getting the SMART GoWire autolaunch cable. It is a USB cable with the SMART Meeting Pro software included on the cable and you kill two birds with one stone/cable. A major benefit of the GoWire is that you can switch laptops or use someone else’s computer and you don’t have to install any software – it’s in the cable. To use the podium with all of the SMART Board tools, you need to make sure that you have their Meeting Pro software installed.
TrialDirector
has been integrated to work with the Podium incorporating the same features and
functionality as the interactive whiteboards.
Use the Presentation Preferences in TrialDirector to set the tool options
for the pen color buttons that are on the top portion of the Podium. The pen connected to the Podium becomes your
mouse and makes zooming, highlighting etc. with TrialDirector easy. It is an ideal piece of equipment to include
as part of your toolkit, especially if the Attorney wants to run the presentation
from the lectern in the Courtroom. Add
in a USB amplifier to extend the cable and some longer VGA cables, customize
the toolbar and you are good to go.
Sometime within the next year, SMART will be offering a touch version of the SMART Podium. For now, the 18” or the 24” monitors are much easier to ship or transport to your nearest Courtroom and much easier to find a place to put it. If you are interested in the specs/pricing or want to order one, contact Judy Miller at judymiller@smartcourtconsulting.com
