Smart Technologies (SMART Technologies Inc.)

Characteristics and products

SMART’s products mix hardware and software: large-format touch-sensitive displays or boards, pens and accessories, projector mounts, and the company’s interactive software that supports digital ink, lesson creation, screen sharing and simple annotation. Key technical characteristics have included multi-touch input, simultaneous multi-user interaction, integration with classroom management systems, and compatibility with standard computing platforms. The SMART Board name is commonly used to refer to the interactive whiteboards produced by the firm and its partners, and the product line evolved from projector-overlay boards to modern flat-panel displays.

• Input methods: finger, stylus (digital ink), gestures.
• Software features: lesson recording, screen capture, object recognition and collaborative whiteboarding.
• Deployment: wall-mounted boards, portable solutions and interactive flat panels.

History and corporate development

Founded in Calgary in 1987, the company grew through the 1990s and 2000s as schools and businesses adopted interactive displays. SMART received a number of industry recognitions and awards for innovation and educational technology; the company reports multiple awards including the 2009 EdNET Pioneer Award. In 2010 SMART placed shares on both the NASDAQ exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). In 2016 the company was acquired by Foxconn Technology Group for roughly US$200 million, a move that folded the brand into a larger global electronics and manufacturing group.

Uses, impact and market

SMART Boards and related products have been widely used in primary and secondary schools, higher education, corporate training rooms and meeting spaces. Educators have used the tools to present interactive lessons, annotate materials in real time and record sessions for later review. Businesses have employed the displays for collaborative planning, video conferencing and design review. While market competition and changing classroom technologies (such as individual tablets and cloud-based collaboration) have influenced adoption patterns, SMART’s products played a significant role in bringing interactive displays into mainstream educational and professional settings.

Notable facts and distinctions

SMART Technologies is associated with the early popularization of interactive whiteboards and has been described as one of the better-known brands in that category worldwide. The company’s trajectory from a Calgary startup to a publicly listed firm and subsequent acquisition by a major electronics manufacturer illustrates shifts in the educational-technology market. For more on the company’s origins and product lines see local histories about its founding in Calgary and references to the SMART Board product family here, as well as commentary on its global standing here.

Today the SMART brand continues to appear in classrooms and meeting rooms, both as legacy installations and as updated interactive panels, while the broader field of interactive display technology keeps evolving with touchscreens, cloud services and unified collaboration platforms.