Quick info needed Smart E70 Interactive Flat Panel

[SimpleSi]

Anyone got one or seen it in proper classroom use?

 

Looking for feedback on anti-glare abilities and accuracy/responsiveness

 

(new school SLT want one NOW and I want to make sure they are not buying a lemon!)

 

Simon

[Clevertouch_Rob]

Is this not going EOL very soon?

[SimpleSi]

Is it?

Is that why the price is the same as the others (I'm sure when I looked in the past it was MUCH more expensive than equivalents from others)

 

Is there a technical reason for it going EOL or just bringing out new product (like all manufacturers do - and new ones only stand 50/50 chance of being actually better than old ones so not too bothered about that

 

Under severe time pressure here and just making sure no lemon being bought

 

Simon

[Zourous]

If you search on the forum you'll find a few comments about these. From what I remember the speakers aren't up to much, but apart from that they seem ok. We demoed one and all the staff liked it. The glare wasn't too bad from the students point of view but being close to the screen sometimes proved a bit tricky in terms of glare. It depends where your windows are I guess.

[achedgy]

Got a few of these... Accurate, viewing is fine...But, the speakers are very 'flat' is possibly the best way to describe. Teachers have complained. Shame as it is a nice screen in all other regards. Add some wall mounted active speakers, all good

[SimpleSi]

This is to replace existing smart board/speaker setup so I'll just stick with the original speakers then

[Educare_AV]

We have fitted a few, no complaints really apart from the poor sound quality.

 

Nothing a cheap set of wall speakers can't resolve, I haven't heard of it going EOL our account manager said they were just trying to make the product more competitive in price.

[TechSupp]

Will agree with the previous posts, the sound level is terrible for classroom use. We had one installed in our foundation unit and had to have the previous wall speakers reinstalled. Teachers and kids love it but the sound issue left a bad taste and wont have anymore installed as can get other makes with software that also loads Smart notebook files.

[SimpleSi]

So apart from sound (which isn't an issue as already got amplified speakers in place) they are fine

 

Thanks people.

 

I've had a test of the Alphatouch (factory is 2 mile from my house - its seemed fine but E70 coming in from my normal installer a few hundred cheaper for slight bigger display so going to go it for my first foray into the new world

 

Simon

[Cablers_JonPaul]

We have installed well into the 100's of these SMART E70's into primary's and secondary's. The anti glare works really well to reduce glare considerably but you will never eliminate it completely. You will notice a huge difference between a screen with and without anti glare though. The low friction glass is also a feature that has been well received by teachers who spend all day running their fingers over the screens. The E70 has a extremely responsive screen and it seems to track much better that the current market leader. SMART did not rush the E70 into production and by taking their time have produced a highly polished product.

 

The internal speakers are not very powerful but you can get a sound bar from LG that looks great with the E70 (Others available too) and works well or you can continue to use the audio from your previous Smartboard installation.

 

We have not had any issues with the screens since they came out. We may be lucky but i am convinced that they are robust reliable units that compare very well to the competition. We do sell other screens too so i know whats out there.

 

You will not get a lemon if you buy the E70. They are no longer the expensive option but that will depend on who you purchase from. In my opinion they are still the Rolls Royce of touchscreens currently available. SMART E70 fact sheet from Cablers | Cablers

 

Edited June 26, 2014 by Cablers_JonPaul

[MbroTech]

We were sent one of these to evaluate the other week, then they took it back and gave us the new model which was replacing it.

 

It was a nice panel other than that.

[SimpleSi]

What is the new model - how is it different and how much more?

[MbroTech]

This one - SMART Board 6065 interactive flat panel - SMART Technologies

 

Very different in terms of technology (Camera and LED based rather than IR) and the display looked amazing with a 4K source, but there are only a few units in the country at the moment so we only had it for one day. Stock arriving immintently so I am told. I don't do pricing, sorry.

[SimpleSi]

Just had an interesting email from a company that is quite detrimental over the E70 (old, prone to failure, difficult to get fixed) that has not been echoed by anyone here so unless someone neutral comes out to support them, I'm going for the E70

 

As they used to say in the old days - no-one gets fired for buying IBM

 

Simon

[Cablers_JonPaul]

This one - SMART Board 6065 interactive flat panel - SMART Technologies

 

Very different in terms of technology (Camera and LED based rather than IR) and the display looked amazing with a 4K source, but there are only a few units in the country at the moment so we only had it for one day. Stock arriving immintently so I am told. I don't do pricing, sorry.

 

We do those too. Shipping in time for summer installations. SMART Board® 6065 interactive flat panel | Cablers

[Cablers_JonPaul]

Just had an interesting email from a company that is quite detrimental over the E70 (old, prone to failure, difficult to get fixed) that has not been echoed by anyone here so unless someone neutral comes out to support them, I'm going for the E70

 

As they used to say in the old days - no-one gets fired for buying IBM

 

Simon

 

We are not tied to one brand, we are independent unlike some companies who need to sell a certain volume of one particular brand in order to qualify for preferential pricing discounts. We sell BenQ, Smart, Promethean along with some Panasonic, Toshiba, Sony, Hannspree and LG. We work closely with our customers to provide the best option for their specific needs and not just what we want to sell them. I can hand on heart say that we have had no problems with the SMART E70's and even if you did they are backed by a robust education warranty. What screen do this other company recommend?

[Cablers_JonPaul]

Is it?

Is that why the price is the same as the others (I'm sure when I looked in the past it was MUCH more expensive than equivalents from others)

 

Is there a technical reason for it going EOL or just bringing out new product (like all manufacturers do - and new ones only stand 50/50 chance of being actually better than old ones so not too bothered about that

 

 

Under severe time pressure here and just making sure no lemon being bought

 

Simon

 

It will not go EOL, it will be sold alongside the new SMARTBoard 6065. SMART Board® 6065 interactive flat panel | Cablers

Smart were late to the touchscreen party and reduced their price a while ago to better compete with other touchscreens for the schools market.

[steveg]

I've installed 6 e70's so far, and have 13 of them being delivered today. I think they look much nicer than a lot of the other screens, although they could be slimmer.

 

The new model looks great, but 65" is just a little too small for us, so we've stuck with the e70's. Don't forget to factor in the cost of the 5 year warranty, as they only come with a 2 year warranty as standard.

 

As others have mentioned, the speakers are useless, Roth audio are making a new version of their Sub Zero II soundbar in white, specifically to go with the E70 - the install kit even comes with the optical cable to connect it up. We've ordered these, lead time is about 2 weeks at the moment.

 

Final thing to consider is they are very heavy, - 74kg, so u need a sturdy wall to take it!

 

Steve

[Cablers_JonPaul]

I've installed 6 e70's so far, and have 13 of them being delivered today. I think they look much nicer than a lot of the other screens, although they could be slimmer.

 

The new model looks great, but 65" is just a little too small for us, so we've stuck with the e70's. Don't forget to factor in the cost of the 5 year warranty, as they only come with a 2 year warranty as standard.

 

As others have mentioned, the speakers are useless, Roth audio are making a new version of their Sub Zero II soundbar in white, specifically to go with the E70 - the install kit even comes with the optical cable to connect it up. We've ordered these, lead time is about 2 weeks at the moment.

 

Final thing to consider is they are very heavy, - 74kg, so u need a sturdy wall to take it!

 

Steve

 

I will look into the audio from Roth. Cheers.

[MbroTech]

The 6065 we saw had the Roth soundbar attached, but I think it is an optional extra.

[Balrog]

I would seriously consider looking at all options for this type of product instead of selecting just the one. If there are market leaders then they are market leaders for a reason. You will have to consider not only price but also functionality, connectivity, software and also support. As on old phrase you:-"you pay for what you get". Cheaper isnt always best.

[Cablers_JonPaul]

I would seriously consider looking at all options for this type of product instead of selecting just the one. If there are market leaders then they are market leaders for a reason. You will have to consider not only price but also functionality, connectivity, software and also support. As on old phrase you:-"you pay for what you get". Cheaper isnt always best.

 

Sometimes the only reason a product becomes a market leader is because it was first to market. The first to market will not always stay the best choice even though it may well still boast about being the market leader or number 1 this or that.

 

I agree with Balrog, do your homework and edugeek is as good as place as any to start swotting up.

[Balrog]

I'm sorry but generally market leaders have so much more to offer than just being the first to market and yes you are correct in saying it may not be the best choice but they have the right to boast because that is what they are. The best choice is surely made by the customer once they have seen all avenues and is not forced to make a choice just based on other peoples say so.

[SimpleSi]

Excellent info people.I think I'll sleep soundly getting a E70 for my first board

[Guest Guest]

We've just had one fitted. It makes the 680 series I've got in my room look like a rotting dinosaur's corpse....

 

utterly stunning bit of kit