Modern workspaces are being transformed, but one thing that will remain the same is the need and desire for people to meet and collaborate.
Face-to-face meetings are still the best way to work out problems, talk, make lists, draw ideas and share content, and a new tool in meeting spaces is making collaboration not only easier, but more interesting and engaging.
A broad spectrum of organizations from Fortune 500 companies to school districts are using Samsung’s new Flip interactive display to make planning more efficient. The Flip, a very modern, fully digital twist on paper flip charts, was introduced in early 2018 and is already evolving to address what users need and desire in the collaboration space.
Why Flip?
Before getting into product updates, here’s a look at the roots of the Flip.
The product grew out of thorough market research, developed from three years of interviews and behavioral studies, involving approximately 700 people working in different industries and circumstances around the world.
About 95 percent of respondents said small, in-person meetings were what they liked and wanted most, and three-fourths said they preferred analog collaboration tools. They wanted simple, familiar tools with little or no learning curve.
Respondents also said they liked to bring their own devices to meetings, such as smartphones and laptops for sharing documents and taking notes. They wanted, as well, the ideas, conclusions and plans that came out of meetings captured, archived and easily shareable.
Addressing a Need
All those insights made it clear there was a gap in the market between high technology office tools like conventional interactive digital whiteboards or remote meeting systems, and old-school flipcharts and whiteboards. People were looking for a simple, flexible piece of technology that would bridge the gap, address pain points and make face-to-face meetings better.
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The Flip is reminiscent of the old paper flipcharts you’ll see parked on easels in meeting rooms everywhere. Flip has that same form factor and portability, but this is not your father’s flipchart.
It’s a smart digital display that can do all of your list-making, chart-drawing and numbers-tallying on a centralized surface. It captures all the notes and doodles without anyone having to tear off sheets for transcription, take a photo or type notes up back at a desk.
Key attributes of the Samsung Flip include:
- Portable: Just like paper flipcharts on easels, the 55-in., 4K-capable Samsung Flip has a stand and wheels, making it easy to move around offices or hotel meeting spaces.
- Simple: Walk up to Flip and it just turns on, identifying someone’s presence with an embedded smart sensor, letting attendees dive right into meeting content.
- Flexible: Flip’s display works in traditional flipchart orientation, or can be pivoted to sit in landscape mode. Flip also tilts for more natural writing.
- Synchronizable: Flip has embedded computing power and is web-connected, making fully synchronized collaboration possible in and between meetings.
- Presentable: Flip can drive digital presentations. Imagine walking the team through a presentation deck, then pivoting Flip into portrait mode to develop notes and gather real-time feedback.
- Searchable: Meeting notes all get captured and housed in a central database.
- Shareable: Notes from a meeting can be recapped and shared straight from Flip, using built-in email, distributed over the network or saved to USB storage.
All of these features make meetings much more effective and connected, ensuring everyone leaves on the same page, with the right information in hand.
Redefined and Enhanced Engineering
A lot of sophisticated engineering and design went into Flip. The core element is a brilliant, pixel-rich ultra-high definition LCD display. Up to four people can use Flip at once. There is a simple stylus, and erasing material requires nothing more than a hand swipe. It has an onscreen keyboard for note taking, and it also employs unique passwords to protect the content of different users.
Since Flip’s launch, there have been numerous product updates, including:
- Capability to share content from another device to a Flip screen over Wi-Fi
- Security enhancements, including WPA2 secured wireless connectivity, upgraded file security features and screen-lock protection — once a Flip screen is locked, notes and drawings can’t be inadvertently erased
- A document viewer that lets meeting attendees see common office productivity documents (like Word files and PowerPoint decks) and PDF files
- Support for Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) means Flip users can tie into enterprise data, locate and launch files, find people and send emails directly from a Flip
The Flip also now has a screensaver mode, allowing it to show content even when not directly in use.
Who’s Using Flip Technology?
Large corporations who want a mix of technologies in their workspaces are embracing Flip’s portability and ease-of-use in huddle spaces and smaller meeting rooms. Several Fortune 100 companies have already added Flips to their collaboration space toolsets.
In the hospitality sector, major hotel chains are using Flips as everything from notice boards in their lobbies to resort activity sign-up sheets and kids’ activity room attractions.
Smaller, tech-savvy companies will look at Flip and see something that lets them stay digital, ideating, collaborating and sharing across their company without making a big capital investment. Flip’s relatively small form factor and portability means it can serve the high-tech needs of a small, growing and active office.
University and pro sports coaching teams are using Flips in their athletic centers to draw up and explain plays, and review game video.
One major wireless retailer has more than 500 Flips in its stores, used for product demos and consultative selling.
Major creative, architecture and design firms have adopted Flips as tools to draw up ideas, add images, pull up old designs and annotate. They can then easily share the output across the office or to a client on the other side of the globe.
Experience shows organizations of all types thrive when people can effectively collaborate and share ideas. The presence of a Flip improves meeting quality and brings projects to life, right on a screen.
Get an in-depth look at how Samsung Flip can drive your company’s productivity to new heights.
