Visionect Adds Smart Magnets With Location Tags For Its ePaper-based Joan System
September 16, 2021 by Dave Haynes
The Slovenian company Visionect has announced a new version, with major tweaks, of its e-paper meeting room management system, known as Joan.
The most interesting advance is a system that uses “smart magnets” that allow the screens to be relocated without any reconfiguration work. “Joan’s Smart Magnets attach to any service and act as location tags for the portable Joan 6 Pro, guaranteeing zero installation costs,” says the PR. “Devices automatically reconfigure to display each room’s dedicated information every time it is anchored to a networked magnet. Furthermore, devices are trackable and aren’t tied to specific meeting rooms, giving your team members unprecedented flexibility.”
Like earlier versions, the Joan screens are e-paper based and monochromatic, but also interactive and capable of running without a recharge for up to six months. “Joan 6 Pro’s ultra-low-power architecture has been perfected over more than a decade. With 6-months battery life, or powered for just pennies a year, Joan 6 Pro uses a staggering 580 times less energy than iPads. The best businesses are clean ones and Joan 6 Pro is perfect for anyone managing workspace availability in a sustainable way.“
iPads and other consumer tablets are also, generally, thought to be a bad idea for full-time on solutions like meeting room signs because they’re not engineered for that and there are lotsa stories out there about bulging, overtaxed batteries.
The power saving side of Joan has always been the main value proposition, but the system also supports powered displays using POE (power over ethernet). Those versions come with the added benefit – something common with powered, LCD-based meeting room signs, of red and green LED lights that indicate occupancy and booking status from a distance.
The big thing I always tend to note with Visionect is that the designers know, absolutely, what they’re working with, and optimize that. I have seen other e-paper based meeting room and shelf tag products and the on-screen presentations tend to look like the work of engineers, not graphic designers. The Visionect people have found a way to make black and white look beautiful.
Technology advancements for the office and meeting safely are a top priority. It is great to see after many years of customer feedback, Joan engineering creating this new offering. Contact me if you want to know more: martin.fishman@visionect.com