With interactive whiteboards taking over classrooms across the UK, it is certainly surprising to see the occasional critical comment about these gadgets that have undoubtedly changed how teaching takes place in the classrooms.

In a guest post on ZDNet blogs, Morgan Panting talks about her dislike for interactive whiteboards. In fact she goes to the extent of stating that these boards probably impair learning! Among other things, she cites the alignment/ orientation issue  as a key irritant.  She makes her preference for the old fashioned whiteboard crystal clear.

Somebody should be pointing out to Morgan all the studies that point to the positive impact of interactive whiteboards on students right from primary schools to college level education. But then, will that stop at least somebody from cribbing...  

Sanyo has introduced the PLC-XP200L QuaDrive projector to the UK market, reports AVInteractive.

Introduced earlier this year, this projector offers a brightness of 7000 ANSI lumens and a very high contrast ratio of 2000:1.  As a result, the PLC-XP200L projector is capable of producing "clearer and richer images with greater depth than conventional high brightness projectors" (according to Sanyo).  

The projector also requires less maintenance due to the presence of its Active Maintenance Filter system which negates the need for filter cleaning. 

TouchStar Call Centre Software has integrated the NMS next generation Multimedia Application boards with their TouchStar Connect call centre system for customers in the UK.

The advanced design capabilities of the NMS boards offer several features such as Speech Recognition & Text to speech using MRCP standards, Voice XML to enhance IVR capabilities and 3G video. Moreover, the high density boards also decrease platform cost by reducing the number of servers required, reduce energy consumption and decrease the possibility of platform failure.

Since VoIP is used, multiple contact centres can be managed from a single console. This allows agents to sit in disparate locations all connected to the same server, giving the added flexibility of working from home.

Customers can expect cost-effective expandability for both inbound and outbound customers. Besides, the system can also backward integrate with all existing TouchStar products.

The Noble WFM is a new powerful workforce management system that offers a robust and affordable forecasting and staffing management solution that is easy to deploy for centres of all sizes.

The  contact center software can acurately forecast call volumes, leverage flexible scheduling processes including both call and non-call activities for call centre and back-office personnel, and produce reports that measure agent and centre performance. 

According to a company press release, the benefits of Noble WFM for  a call centre are:

1) Add instant value to your contact centre by receiving better information to make faster, more informed decisions

2) Automate the tedious process of forecasting call volumes and agent scheduling

3) Manage your workforce across multiple contact centres and locations

4) Optimise your workforce at a fraction of the cost and significantly build profitability

5) Increase productivity by ensuring that the right skills are in the right channels at the right times

6) Improve communication between agents and supervisors to view schedules, monitor performance, and streamline common tasks
 
The software is offered as an integrated component of the unified Noble Solution suite for inbound and outbound customer communications, including predictive dialer, ACD, recording, IVR, messaging, desktop and workflow design, monitoring, and reporting.

In what is touted as a first for the UK telematics industry, a vehicle tracking device from Navman Wireless, the Qube, is now certified suitable for installation in vehicles transporting hazardous materials after meeting the Essential Health and Safety Requirements for Category 3G of the ATEX directive, reports The Transport News Network.

This is a significant development for the UK petrochemical companies since these companies previously couldn't benefit from the features of a vehicle tracking system. While use of a vehicle tracking system for safety reasons has been recommended for petrochem companies, the lack of a safe/ secure system that could meet the requisite safety standards was a problem plaguing this sector. In that respect, the certification of the Qube is certainly a significant development.