ThinkBoard X REVIEW Rocketbook Powered Whiteboard
Have you ever seen an invention and thought to yourself “Why didn’t I think of that?” I have spent a large portion of my life in classrooms, staring at whiteboards and chalkboards. Throughout high school, college and graduate school, I worked hard to copy notes onto standard paper. I had numerous spiral notebooks, 3-ringed binders, and shelves full of notes. Studying became a brute force endeavor, and I longed for a better way to store, organize and search through the notes. I had my prominent “why didn’t I think of that” moment, this past January while touring CES. I was introduced to the team from Rocketbook and their Rocketbook Wave and Everlast devices. I have since tested the Everlast, Everlast Mini and excitedly provided some information about the next iteration, the Rocketbook Powered Stick-Anywhere ThinkBoard X. I agree that a major part of my education was obtained by combining visual, audio and tactile techniques. Essentially, this added muscle memory to the sights/sounds experienced in the classroom/workplace. The ultimate benefit is when you can snap a picture of the page/contents and digitize them for later utility. Can you imagine how you would interact with your notes? How could this streamline your meeting workflow? Will this allow your staff to pay more attention during the meeting? Truthfully, the Rocketbook tech created numerous opportunities for improvement and change.
The ThinkBoard X originated as a Kickstarter Campaign, 9/10/18, combining the technology from Think Board, with the Rocketbook technology. The ThinkBoard X arrived in a 12 1/4 inches tall by 9 5/8 inches wide cardboard envelope. The clean white envelope was adorned with an attractive lime green lightbulb logo and Black “Think Board X” title. Instead of a flat, lifeless image, the logo brilliantly utilized action lines to signify an illuminated/bright idea. Opening up the packaging, I found one of the small peel-and-stick ThinkBoard X sheets, which measured 8 1/8 inches wide by 11 1/8 inches tall. In addition to the whiteboard, I found a 6 inches wide by 9 inches tall grey microfiber cleaning cloth and a low odor, black colored, dry-erase Expo pen. The surface of the ThinkBoard felt very similar to standard whiteboards, mimicking the glossy, shimmery texture. Located 1/8 inch from each edge, you will find a 1/8 inch black framing border. Toward your bottom left, you will find a 13/16 inches square QR code, and along the bottom right, you will find the same ThinkBoard X logo. You can write, draw, doodle, etc. on the surface of the sheet, like a standard notebook-sized piece of paper or you can remove the paper backing and affix the sheet to any surface of your choice. Perfect for a dorm room wall, home office, or tabletop, the sheets can turn a simple surface into a reusable dry-erase one.
The magic of the ThinkBoard X extended well beyond the apply-anywhere, dry erase sticker. By combining the power of the Rocketbook App with the ThinkBoard surface, we gain the ability to digitally store and organize our thoughts. Navigate to the iOS App Store. or Google Play Store and download the free App. When I opened up the App, I was greeted by a starry night scene with a lime green centered rocket. The main screen of the App displayed the “ROCKETBOOK” name/logo across the top and sign up/sign in across the bottom. If this is your first time utilizing this application, you will need to give a full name, email address and create a password. Having already signed up for the App for the ROCKETBOOK EVERLAST and EVERLAST MINI, I simply signed into the app. I entered my MacSources email, added my password and logged in. After you log into the App, you will be taken to the main page. Starting at the top left, you will see a cog icon, a magnifying (search) icon, and a triple circle icon. The large white mid-screen section, with grey squid shaped rocket, attractively drew my attention. Along the bottom of the screen, you will find History, New Scan, and Destination icons. Tapping the three circles icons will allow you to sort your scans, sync files, delete files. Tapping the cog icon will allow you to modify the scan settings, to toggle on/off Smart Titles, Smart Search and email transcription, to adjust the file naming/subject templates, learn more about Rocketbook, view a how-to video, send yourself extra Rocketbook pages, contact the team, and review terms of service.
If you touch the Destinations icon, you will be taken to a secondary page within the app. The App gives you the power to change the scan destination, file type, and the option to set up bundle scans, auto-send and to send animated GIFS. You can adjust each of the seven shapes (rocket, diamond, apple, bell, four leaf clover, star, and horseshoe) to Google Drive, EVERNOTE, Dropbox, OneNote, OneDrive, Slack, box, iCloud, Email, or Messages. Once you have your destinations set all you need to do is tap the “New Scan” icon along the bottom of the screen, aim the camera at the ThinkBoard X and watch as the App highlights the contents within the black border. You can use any dry erase marker to add a message, make a shopping list, draw a picture or many other activities. Once you have scanned the page with the App, use the included microfiber cloth to wipe the surface clean. With a new slate, you can jot down new ideas, draw another picture or make a new list. If you get tired of the placement, peel the sticker away and replace in a new location. I applied the device to painted drywall and noted no damage or discoloration to the surface of my wall. Additionally, the sticker did not cause any damage to my desktop, refrigerator and did not leave an adhesive residue on my mirror. The biggest feature that I missed was a small lower tray for a pen/microfiber cloth.
Learn more about Rocketbook.
Follow Rocketbook on Facebook and Twitter.
Download the free iOS app by navigating to the iOS App Store.
Download the free Android App by navigating to the Google Play Store.
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Originally published at macsources.com on November 21, 2018.
