By David Ponce
Having meetings, I’m told, is kind of important. So I’m all for having them, but I’m also against a few vestiges from the old world, like paper. It just doesn’t make much sense to have a couple of people meeting and be passing sheets of paper to one another. Or turning your laptop around to show your point. Or even to unplug your laptop from the projector so the guy next to you can use it. It’s an archaic way of doing things and there is a better solution. The Media:Scape from Steelcase is a fancy KVM-type switch. The white box contains four AC plugs, and four cables that attach to laptops, iPhones, iPads, etc. Each cable features a touch sensitive pod (which they call a Puck) and the idea is that by touching your pod, you take control of the connected screen. This way the meeting can proceed smoothly with everyone being able to demonstrate on a common screen whatever it is they want. It’s quick, convenient and greatly improves workflow. But it’s not cheap.
The 4 plug version, which will be available in February, costs $6k to $7k. There is a larger 8 plug version that comes integrated into its own table, but that’s somewhere around $12k to $14k. But heym if your company has the cheddar, it’s definitely a cool way to conduct meetings.
[ Product Page ]
