Short Throw Preview

Small classrooms are hard to outfit with traditional projectors that need to be 15- or 20-feet from the screen to make an image large enough for the whole class to see. That’s where short-throw projectors, like Epson’s new PowerLite 450W and 460 come in. They have 2,500- and 3,000 lumens of light at their disposal and can be mounted only 18-inches away from the screen to get a 5-foot image. The PowerLite 450W and 460 sell for $1,500 and $1,700 and should be on sale by roughly February, 2010. 

Big Screen, Small Power Bill

Believe it or not, junking those old CRT monitors that are on the desks of your computer labs can actually save a bundle of money. The latest LCD monitors, like NEC’s 17-inch MultiSyncLCD175M, can use 42 percent less electricity than older displays without sacrificing brightness or the features you’ve come to expect. Plus, the LCD175M uses as little as 0.4 watts when in sleep mode. The 1,280 by 1,024 resolution display will cost $179 when it goes on sale later this month and includes a three-year warranty.

Digitally Mightier than the Sword

From Greeks scratching away on clay tablets with a stylus to the latest Sharpie, the idea of writing has been to put ideas on something that’s more or less permanent. AVerMedia breaks with the past with its AVerPen Mobile Interactive Collaborative Learning Solution, which uses the latest digital technologies to update the pen for the 21-st century classroom. The pen transmits what’s written to a nearby computer wirelessly where it can be saved or projected on the class’s screen; it has a range of about 60-feet. Whether it’s to quiz the class or for a group to work on a project, the AVerPen does away with paper. The included software lets students or teacher work with images, annotate material and draw to your heart’s content. The $800 package comes with a teacher pen, 4 student devices and a slew of software.

All in the Classroom

While all-in-one PCs are great for saving space and money on electricity in libraries, crowded classrooms and computer labs, they are often less than stellar performers. In fact, many can do no better than netbooks on typical educational tasks. Lenovo has a different idea with a pair of all-in-one PCs that don’t skimp on hardware. Regardless of which you pick these all-in-ones deliver a good balance between price and performance.

The ThinkCentre A70z starts with an Intel Duo Core processor, has a 19-inch display and measures just 2.5-inches thick. It comes with Windows 7, a 500GB hard drive, 4GB of RAM and can be mounted on a wall or sit by itself on a desk or table. It’s wonderfully integrated with its optical drive on the side. This leaves plenty of room for papers and notebooks, but the best part is that the A70z can be ordered with a wireless keyboard and mouse for a clutter-free desktop. Pricing starts at $500.

By contrast, the IdeaCentre B500 sells for $650 and is top shelf all the way. On top  of its high resolution 23-inch display that’s capable of showing HD programs, the B500 is powered by an Intel Core 2 Quad processor. It comes with Nvidia’s powerful GeForce GTS 250M video processor, 4GB of RAM and up to a 1 terabyte (TB) of hard drive space for everything from multimedia projects to homework assignments. I like the black case that has sophisticated accents of red and silver as well as the optional TV tuner and Blu-ray drive. In other words, it can be outfitted as a multimedia powerhouse or star 

The Do-it-All Printer

It may look like a souped-up fax machine but Panasonic’s DP-MB350 system can be an all-in-one scanning, copying, printing and faxing school imaging center. With both networking and USB communications built-in, the DP-MB350 will fit into any school. It uses a high-speed laser print engine and has a 3.6-inch color screen, a 1 ream paper tray and a duplexer for economic- or environmentally-minded to use both sides of paper. The machine sells for $2,000. 

 

Germ-Free Computing

With some keyboards used by as many as a dozen different children a day, all it takes is one with a cold to start an epidemic at your school. iSkin’s ProTouch keyboard covers can not only protect the mechanics below the surface from spills, dust or worse, but users from spreading germs. The keyboard covers are made of plastic with Microban, an antimicrobial that inhibits the growth of bacteria, mold and fungus. There’s a variety of covers for Apple keyboards and notebooks that range from $25 to $35. 

Cord Free Typing

There’s nothing more frustrating than getting tangled in the cords from a wired keyboard or mouse. Adesso’s latest keyboard is a marvel of miniaturization that gets rid of all cords, and allowing more room for books, papers and pencils. The $130 WKB-4000BB has a built-in touchpad and connects to a desktop or notebook PC by establishing a Bluetooth link. Small, thin and light, the Bluetooth keyboard combo doesn’t skimp on key size or quality and works with all recent Windows releases. 
 

Projector Player

Ever had trouble getting a DVD player to play nice with a projector? Epson’s PowerLite Presenter combines a powerful projector with a DVD player for a classroom one-two punch. A little larger than a traditional classroom projector, the Presenter uses three LCD screens to put a WXGA image. Its output is rated at 2,500 lumens of light. On top of playing DVD movies and traditional computer-based material, the Presenter can also grab images off of a USB memory key or external hard drive. A big bonus is that the system not only has a pair of 10 watt speakers but the ability to plug in a microphone so the teacher can be heard from anywhere in the room.

 

 

The Easy Route to Win 7

So, you’ve got a bunch of systems that have been waiting for Windows 7 but no way to quickly and easily upgrade them. Belkin’s Easy Transfer Cable for Windows 7 can provide a link from old to new by moving documents, images and all sorts of personal data, like browser bookmarks and old emails. The $40 cable uses the PC’s USB ports to move its data and comes with all the software needed to transfer a digital school life to a new computer. It works with Windows XP and Vista systems and when it’s done, the Easy Transfer software provides a report on its Win 7 upgrade and what was moved. 

Talk Time

Schools without intercoms or public address systems can now combine audio with a clock with Cyberdata’s IP paging equipment. The V2 Talkback Paging Speaker is the equivalent of a full-duplex Internet telephony phone masquerading as a classroom speaker with a 3-inch clock. The equipment can distribute announcements and act as a two-way speaker phone for talking to the office. Connecting it is easy because the intercom-clock get its electricity from power over Ethernet networking. Cyberdata has versions that are housed in a rectangular box and flush mounted.