Meetings unproductive and boring? SMART can change that

CALGARY, Alberta —- SMART Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: SMT) (TSX: SMA), a leading provider of collaboration solutions, announces Freestorm visual collaboration solutions, a set of comprehensive business products that combines industry-leading interactive whiteboards and displays, intuitive collaboration software and remote collaboration tools. They include the new SMART Board® 8055i interactive display – the world's first large-format interactive display to offer presence detection – SMART Meeting Pro™ 3.0 software with new SMART Ink™ and Bridgit® 4.5 conferencing software. Each Freestorm system is also designed to work seamlessly with a variety of third-party remote collaboration tools and can be integrated with various industry-specific applications for a comprehensive, easy-to-use collaboration solution. Freestorm also includes training resources, services and support to ensure organizations get the most from their SMART products.

Freestorm visual collaboration solutions transform how people work together using interactive whiteboards and displays and remote collaboration tools, helping them improve productivity and reduce costs. Freestorm solutions enable interaction with virtually any digital material, and remote users can fully participate in collaboration sessions, increasing engagement and fostering teamwork. The SMART Board 8055i interactive display includes presence detection, an innovative feature enabled by sensors that automatically detect user movements, turning on the display and keeping it active when people approach it, and saving energy by turning off when the display is not in use. SMART Meeting Pro software and Bridgit conferencing software enable all meeting participants, whether in-room or remote, to share documents, write notes, save files and easily distribute collaborative work. For more information about Freestorm visual collaboration solutions and all the products offered, visit smarttech.com/Freestorm.

"Freestorm visual collaboration solutions demonstrate SMART's leadership in providing business customers with interactive whiteboards and displays, software and services to address their increasing collaboration and connectivity needs," says Linda Thomas, Vice President, Products, SMART Technologies. "The SMART Board 8055i interactive display, SMART Meeting Pro software and Bridgit software were developed with these needs in mind, enabling increased engagement both in-room and over distance, which results in more meaningful collaboration and better business outcomes."
New product features

SMART Board 8055i interactive display – A commercial-grade, high-definition LCD flat-panel display, the 8055i is the first large-format interactive display with presence detection. Its multitouch surface supports freestyle interaction, touch gestures and object awareness. The pen, ink controls, eraser, volume control and input selection are all easily accessible on the front of the display.

SMART Meeting Pro 3.0 software – New features include integration with Microsoft® Exchange for access to meeting productivity tools, such as a meeting progress bar, an extend-meeting function and e-mail distribution, and a business content gallery. It also includes a new SMART Ink, which enables users to write directly into applications that support inking tools and to display smoother writing. Existing features include auto log-off, automatic setup for Bridgit, On-Screen Keyboard and multidisplay capability.

Bridgit 4.5 conferencing software – New features include the ability to resize video windows and viewer screens to suit the remote participant's screen resolution or size and to automatically join meetings through SMART Meeting Pro. The software also includes features that enable remote participants to virtually knock to join a meeting and raise their hand to ask questions without disrupting the flow of the meeting. Existing features include multitouch support, two-way inking and the ability for remote users to see multiple shared screens.

Pricing and availability
The suggested list price for the SMART Board 8055i interactive display with SMART Meeting Pro 3.0 software is US$6,999 in the United States. The suggested list price for Bridgit 4.5 conferencing software including licensing for 500 concurrent users is US$12,999 in the United States. Prices outside the United States vary by country and may include applicable taxes, duties and import costs. SMART Meeting Pro 3.0 software and Bridgit 4.5 software will be available globally April 2, 2012. The SMART Board 8055i interactive display is expected to begin shipping globally in August 2012. For purchasing information, specifications and a list of authorized SMART resellers, visit smarttech.com.

Video
Watch this video at www.smarttech.com/Freestorm to see how Freestorm visual collaboration solutions can transform the way people do business.

About SMART
SMART Technologies Inc. is a leading provider of collaboration solutions that change the way the world works and learns. As the global leader in interactive whiteboards, we bring more than two decades of collaboration research and development to a variety of easy-to-use, integrated solutions that free people from their desks and computer screens, making collaboration and learning with digital resources more natural. Our products have transformed teaching and learning in more than 1.9 million classrooms worldwide, reaching over 40 million students and teachers. In business, our Freestorm visual collaboration solutions improve the way that people work and collaborate, enabling them to be more productive and reduce costs.

Reader's advisory
Certain information contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking information or statements. By their very nature, forward-looking information and statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and risks that predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking information and statements will not be achieved. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on these statements as a number of important factors could cause the actual results to vary materially from the forward-looking information or statements. We do not assume responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking information or statements. Any forward-looking information and statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

For more information, please contact

Kelly Stewart Meyers
Public Relations Specialist
SMART Technologies Inc.
Phone +1.403.407.5087
kellystewart@smarttech.com
smarttech.com

© 2012 SMART Technologies. Freestorm, SMART Board, SMART Meeting Pro, SMART Ink, Bridgit, smarttech and the SMART logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of SMART Technologies in the U.S. and/or other countries. All third-party product and company names are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Please note that SMART is written in all capital letters.