Surface Hub 2 puts a cool new spin on Microsoft’s digital whiteboard

Microsoft has unveiled the new Surface Hub 2, a sequel to its original digital whiteboard, and it’s expected to be out in 2019.

The new model comes in just one size, and it offers a 50.5-inch touch display, with a 4K+ resolution, along with a 3:2 aspect ratio.

The Surface Hub 2 allows the user to rotate the screen between portrait and landscape modes, with a nifty mechanism on the rear facilitating this. The display also keeps the on-screen content in place, in a very slick manner, as it rotates.

And, for further flexibility, you can tile multiple displays together to create one massive screen that looks even more impressive.

Microsoft says it’s teaming up with Steelcase to offer a number of options in terms of rolling stands and mounts for those who buy the giant whiteboard.

You also get 4K cameras (which rotate with the screen), along with integrated speakers and far-field mic arrays to boot, all of which should make video chat and collaboration a streamlined experience.

Slick software

And in terms of software integration, the device runs Windows 10 and Office 365, along with the collaborative chops of Microsoft Teams, and Microsoft’s Whiteboard app.

Surface Hub 2 further benefits from multi-user sign in which allows several people to log on in the same workspace, and simultaneously get access to their files and documents, again making collaboration a more seamless process.

In a blog post, Microsoft claims that no less than half of all Fortune 100 firms have purchased Surface Hubs, and the company has previously said that the original device witnessed ‘very strong demand’.

It’s not surprising that a sequel is emerging, then. As we mentioned at the outset, the Surface Hub 2 should be available to buy next year, although it will be trialed with selected commercial customers later in 2018.

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