Sharp hopes to revolutionize the boardroom and do away with squeaky whiteboards once and for all with the 80-inch Aquos Board, a supersized multitouch display with a computer built right in.
Sharp’s goliath new LCD panels aren’t just for bragging rights in lavish home theaters any more. At the opening of CES 2012, Sharp applied its new bigger-is-better mentality to the Aquos Board, a combined TV and computer that uses its latest 80-inch LCD panels to effectively replace both the office whiteboard and boardroom projector.
The rather industrial-looking, metal-rimmed PN-L802B uses an integrated PC running Windows 7 to handle everything from your vanilla PowerPoint presentation to HD video conferencing. Rather than controlling it with a mouse or trackball, the entire 80-inch surface supports multitouch input for moving objects around, press buttons, and even doodling with your fingers or a stylus.
The 80-inch model joins smaller 60-inch and 70-inch models already available, but considering Sharp’s competition – projectors – the 80-inch display size should help put it more on par with what companies are already using for similar tasks.
The PN-L802B will go on sale in February with a retail price of $13,795.
