SMART has made available for free aspects of their Notebook software through SMART Notebook Express which allowed users to use SMART Notebook on the web without having the software installed on their computer. Through this service users could start a new file or open an existing presentation.
It now appears that SMART is going to shift towards another option called SMART Notebook Web, which is currently in Beta and will allow users to do a lot of what Express did. Since it is currently in beta, there are several features still not active...like the ability to save! However, if you are an avid user of the Express version, it might be worth keeping an eye on the direction that SMART Notebook Web goes and if it adds features currently missing from Express. Currently the services it provides are simple in terms of drawing, shapes, arrows, and erasing. This might be a good version to introduce teachers into using a SMARTBoard since it only provides the simplest of features.
SMART Notebook Web is currently optimized for Google Chrome and Safari 6. Soon, it will be optimized for iOS software, Android, and Firefox. Also available (for $6.99) is SMART Notebook for the iPad. As this new web version develops, users will be able to use SMART Notebook on their mobile devices and tablets.
If you want to help in the development of SMART Notebook Web, you can take a survey and let SMART know the devices and browsers you use, help develop a new name, explain how you have used it, what you liked and disliked, features you would add, and ranking your experiences.
