Jamboard & Google Meet Series One Board 65: Hardware that Works as Hard as You

Video conferencing has become a primary tool for enabling hybrid or fully remote teams. Team members can use company equipment or their own device to connect from their chosen location, whether it’s a home office, coffee shop, shared workspace, or even outside. With Google Meet’s visual effects you can blur the background or even change it entirely. I once had an entire conversation with a colleague before realizing they were sitting outside since he had Meet visual effects turned on. 

Empowering collaboration between in-office and remote staff can require additional hardware. As you might expect, there are some great options available that readily integrate with Google. Before we jump into the new Series One devices, let’s chat about Google’s original whiteboarding device: the Jamboard.

The Jamboard: Hardware

Initially, “Jamboard” referred to both the collaboration application capability as well as the physical hardware for use as a digital whiteboard. 

The Jamboard hardware was first available to G Suite customers under an early adopter program in October 2016.

Using the physical Jamboard you could:

• Write and draw with the included stylus.
• Search Google and insert images or webpages.
• Drag and resize text and images with your fingers.
• Sketch a box, star, cat, or dragon. Image recognition technology converts your sketch into a polished image

The Jamboard: Application

Google explains how the Jamboard application enables you to, “Visualize your ideas in a new and collaborative way. Sketch your ideas whiteboard-style while benefiting from the access and connectivity of an interactive canvas, on mobile, or right from your web browser.”

The app functionality is free with Google Workspace and doesn’t require any dedicated hardware to use. 

End-of-Life for Jamboard Hardware

But, as all good things come to an end, the Google Jamboard 55 hardware is approaching end of life. 

With that said, there is a brand new device that will further elevate your whiteboarding experience, which is the Google Meet Series One Board 65. I know the title sounds intimidating, but trust me, you’ll want to learn more. So with that said… let’s meet the Board 65!

The Google Meet Series One Board 65

Avocor is a global leader in collaboration display solutions with the goal of delivering productive collaboration and consistent user experiences in every space where meeting or learning happens. In August 2021, Google and Avocor announced a strategic partnership and the launch of two new all-in-one video conferencing and digital whiteboarding devices  —  the Google Meet Series One Desk 27 and Board 65.

The Series One Board 65 is an all-in-one touchscreen Google Meet device designed for team collaboration. Designed by Google ‑ in partnership with Avocor ‑ the Series One Board 65 is both a premium, team‑focused meeting device and collaborative digital all‑in‑one. The Series One Desk 27 is an all-in-one touchscreen Google Meet device, desk monitor, and laptop docking station. Both hardware devices have Jamboard app capabilities built right in.

Board 65 Provides Meeting Equity

Board 65 provides meeting equity for teams who are both in-person and remote. Global Design News writes that Board 65 is, “ADA-compliant when wall-mounted, the plug-and-play unit facilitates inclusion regardless of the users’ location, technical know-how, and physical abilities.” 

You can mount Board 65 on a wall or rolling stand and turn any room into a collaboration space. And although optimized for Google Meet, Board 65 works with any conferencing service. 

Cool Board 65 Functionality

Global Design News states, “Desk 65 reinforces Google’s reputation as a provider of cutting-edge business tools that not only accelerate productivity but also are gorgeous to look at and a pleasure to use.” Other fun, unique Board 65 innovations include:

• Integrates with Google Calendar, waking up just before a scheduled meeting
• Goes into a low-power mode when meetings are over
• Includes an actual paper “Quick Start Guide,” as shown in this unboxing video. (Yes, physical paper.)

Making Google Workspace Work for You

Contact us to discuss how Wursta can make Google Workspace work for your organization. Our Google Workspace Migration and Onboarding and Google Workspace Optimization and Support services include helping your teams collaborate remotely.