Gary Sheynkman
11-08-2004, 06:00 PM
<img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/Whitboard-Photo_Box.jpg" /> <br /><br /><b>Product Category:</b> Productivity Software<br /><b>Manufacturer:</b> <a href="http://www.polyvision.com">PolyVision</a> <br /><b>Where to Buy:</b> <a href="http://www.polyvision.com/webstore/accessories.asp#wbp">PolyVision Web Store</a><br /><b>Price:</b> $249.00 USD<br /><b>System Requirements:</b> Intel Pentium processor-based PC, 32MB RAM, Microsoft Windows 95 or higher, 20MB HD Space, CD-ROM Drive, SVGA Video Card with 256 colors or greater, Source for digital images 1024x768 or greater<br /><br /><b>Pros:</b><li>Works as advertised;<br /><li>Easy to use;<br /><li>Thoughtful additions.<b>Cons:</b><li>Not for a student budget;<br /><li>No printed manual.<b>Summary:</b><br />We’ve all been at meetings or classes where presenters scribble notes on whiteboards with different color markers while explaining some amazing or amazingly boring concept. The worst part of the process always seems to be copying the presenter’s notes or scribbles for future reference while attempting to pay attention to what the presenter has to say in the first place. Polyvision Corporation solved the problem by employing a most elegant solution. They don’t think you should take notes. All you have to do is take a picture of any white or blackboard and the program will take care of the rest. <br /><br />Read on for the full review!<!><br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>Everything You Need, Nothing You Don’t</b></span><br />It is said that simplicity is the essence of elegance. If we assume that premise, then Whiteboard Photo has to be the most elegant piece of software in the world. There are no fancy wizards or Flash based menus here. The entire program is displayed in a small adjustable window with a single row of function icons across the top along with the usual File, Edit, View, Tools, and Help. That is it. There are no insane tweaking menus or absurd options that would distract the target consumer from the product. That is what makes this product so neat. It's not designed to be used by crazy programmer types but by ordinary people who can click a mouse several times (4 to be exact). Another favorite feature of mine is the fact that it does not have any extra features! I don’t need my picture conversion software to play mp3s, and it doesn't. I have to mention that there is no printer manual, but you will have to take my word for it and click the four clicks: open, select, convert, save. Why can’t all programs be this simple and intuitive?<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/options screent.jpg" /> <br /><i>Figure 1: The interface is very easy to use. The options menu allows you to select which type of board the image will be.</i> <br /><br /><span><b>Ease of Use, Redefined</b></span><br />Once you acquired the picture, either from a digital camera, a scanner, or from the Internet if you are so inclined, Whiteboard Photo offers to do everything for you. The only option that you have to select is the color of the input background; white for whiteboards, black for blackboards, and green for those weird green blackboards that no one uses anymore. From there you can have the program batch process your entire photo shoot and turn your often unreadable photos into perfectly legible text. One caveat that I found is that unless the entire board is filled with writing or you took your picture at some ridiculous slant, the program will not set nice output boundaries off the get go. Fortunately you can move the four corners in any direction on the photo thus accounting for angled photos. You can also adjust the concavity of the output by dragging the midpoint adjustment squares and thus compensate for any odd lens effects. You can also lighten or darken the picture as well as apply rotation and negative effect to assist the program in making the clearest image possible. After that short step, just click the “Clean Photo” icon and in a short instant, depending on your computer speed, the program will produce a clean image. You can save the image under the original name, eliminating the no longer necessary original photo, or you can save it under whatever name you wish. The new image will be the same size as the original. This is where a high resolution camera will yeild better results. PolyVision says that 1024x768 is the minimum that you should ever you if you want complete satisfaction from the program. You can also e-mail the image straight out of the program. Clicking the e-mail button opens up the Word as an e-mail editor and you are off! Speaking to the quality of the images, they tend to be fantastic. After several whiteboard shoots I decided to give it a challenge and have it convert a blackboard type photo from a plack on the wall of our school that I took from a weird angle. As you can see, the results are examplary and are a true testament to the great power of this program.<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/Whiteboard 003t.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/Whiteboard 003Xt.jpg" /> <br /><i>Figure 2: I took this picture from my desk during my Philosophy class. Tomas Aquinas was never clearer.</i> <br /><br /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/Whiteboard 005t.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/Whiteboard 005Xt.jpg" /> <br /><i>Figure 3: This photo was taken in a multipurpose room to test the contrast capabilities of Whiteboard Photo. As odd as I looked doing that, I think the result speaks for itself if you keep in mind that the original images are both 5 megapixels.</i> <br /><br /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/Whiteboard 009t.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/Whiteboard 009Xt.jpg" /> <br /><i>Figure 4: At the end of the day I decided to give this program a true challenge. Instead of picking some random blackboard, I used a bronze colored plaque in our school hallway as the ultimate test. Much to my surprise, the program was more than able to cope with my challenge.</i> <br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><br /><span><b>Some Nice Touches</b></span><br />We love when software works as promised, but we love it even more when the software designers add little touches to make the experience so much better. Much to my surprise, I found a nifty miniature tripod in the Whiteboard Photo box. The note that came along with it said that Polyvision wanted the user to take the best pictures possible. this tripod is cleverly designed with most of the weight resting on the main “foot” and the other two “feet” supporting the main foot. There is also a Velcro strap that allows one to strap the tripod and the attached camera to most light poles and similar objects. There was something very sincere about including the tripod like the company actually cared for the user. That belief is reinforced by the great help file. Although the program is nearly self explanatory, the help file has just about everything one would ever want to know about the program. <br /><br /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ultrapod.jpg" /> <br /><i>Figure 5: This great little tripod was included with the package. Although it may not provide much height, it is more stable than the last mini tripod I reviewed and it has the ability to cling to things with that Velcro strap.</i> <br /><br /><span><b>Is It Worthy?</b></span><br />I will try to articulate this in the best way possible. If you use whiteboards or blackboards on a daily basis and do not want to take notes by hand, there is absolutely no reason why you should not have this software installed on your machine right now. Whether you are a student or an executive this software will become a major asset to your time management skills.