What is the Best Collaboration Alternative for Vibe Smartboard Pro?

Many companies today are finding new ways of using their office space, shifting the emphasis away from one large (and rarely-used) conference room to multiple huddle rooms using cloud-connected interactive displays that help in-person and remote teams collaborate and ideate more effectively.

Vibe is a relatively new manufacturer of collaboration displays, while BenQ is one of the largest commercial display brands in the world - so what questions should companies be considering when deciding if the 75” Vibe Pro is right for them? Let’s consider the following to compare BenQ’s RE series entry level collaboration display with the Vibe Pro board.

-          What operating system runs each display

-          How does Remote cloud whiteboarding & cloud storage work on each display

-          How does each display enhance workplace safety?

-          Which display is easier to manage?

For any computer-powered interactive display – the first question is about what operating system runs on the display.  The Vibe runs on VibeOS – a proprietary operating system which supports about 50 apps listed on its website.  The BenQ RE display comes with an Android operating system, with over 3 million apps available.  For companies that use Microsoft products, the BenQ RE includes support for Microsoft Office documents, but can also be equipped with a Windows PC directly into the display.  

Reliable cloud collaboration tools are the “secret sauce” for any successful meeting room display – making them truly valuable for remote teams. Both the Vibe and BenQ interactive displays offer an excellent set of cloud collaboration tools.   This was introduced by BenQ in 2019 on the BenQ boards for education – and both displays enable any remote user to join the whiteboard session using a computer, phone, or tablet. 

With the BenQ system, you can simply share a QR code or a link to connect to the display from anywhere.  A button on the software enables you to switch from broadcast mode – where only the presenter can write on the board – to collaboration mode – where anyone can write on the board from a remote connection.

Both displays have the ability to store and use content from cloud-based drives – making it easy to share files and whiteboards with your team.  But the biggest difference is the ease of use.

The BenQ display maximizes meeting time and user security by enabling a team member to log in to the display using their smartphone – instead of typing it on the screen.  This process takes only a few seconds – then instantly connects their personal and company cloud storage to their BenQBoard profile. This includes Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google Drive.

The Vibe Smartboard Pro has users sign in manually with a username and password to the board each time they use it. Vibe does feature integrations with today’s leading cloud storage services as well, but some features such as the Google Play store are labeled as an “experimental feature”.

Perhaps the biggest practical difference between the Vibe and the BenQ RE display is writing on the board.  With the Vibe – you have to write – and erase - on the board with a pen.  It does not support the use of any other input device.

The BenQ display uses advanced shape recognition to support any type of creative brainstorming.  In addition to pens, the display will recognize a finger for writing, and to erase – simply wipe over it with your palm.  Perhaps the most innovative feature is the variable-width “paintbrush” mode, where you can use any object – including a real paintbrush- to draw on the display, offering fantastic flexibility as an ideation and innovation tool. 

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a fundamental shift in the way companies build their meeting spaces, and employee health and safety has never been a higher priority than now. It is essential to outfit huddle spaces with displays that directly address user safety. 

Both the BenQ and Vibe displays use hardened, heat tempered glass to avoid having the risk of broken glass if a person or object bumps into the panel, and have anti-glare coatings. The BenQ display uses a special process where, each panel is coated with a silver ion anti-microbial coating, which then is baked onto the glass.

This coating is certified by Germany’s TUV as highly effective against multiple types of bacteria, including e. Coli, salmonella, and staphylococcus. The coating is also certified as safe for any hypo-allergic employees by Japan’s SIAA, meaning BenQ’s anti-microbial displays are a very safe choice for any huddle space. Vibe does not offer any anti-microbial protective coatings on its displays.

Extended exposure to blue light, for example, can negatively affect sleep patterns. Even prolonged exposure to flickering LCD screens can cause eye strain and other health problems.

To solve this problem, every BenQ interactive display is built with automatic blue light filters and a flicker-free screen – developed specifically to reduce eye strain during prolonged use. The Vibe Pro features no blue light filters and uses a traditional LCD screen, which could pose a risk to users engaged in lengthy meetings in front of the display. 

As your organization grows – most IT managers look for scalable tools to manage displays in multiple locations. To help ensure quick support from IT staff – only select displays with built-in, centralized device management capabilities. These essential tools help keep your company’s devices up-to-date and secure.

BenQ’s Device Management Solution (DMS) offers centralized management for every company display and projector, regardless of the brand. If you happen to have legacy projectors from Epson, Hitachi, NEC, and other brands, BenQ’s software can also support these devices – turning them on/off or other functions such as switching sources.

BenQ’s Account management software enables your IT staff to set up each employee or guest account using Active Directory, allowing easy management of user-profiles and access control from a single location – saving your IT staff valuable time and leveraging existing resources.

The Vibe does not have any remote management or account management software available for the display at the time of writing this article.  There is a beta version of their Fleet Management software that can be requested.

While both the Vibe Pro and BenQ’s entry-level RE model share similar features such as 4K resolution, wireless screen mirroring, and cloud whiteboarding software, there are a number key differences in addition to the price that can help you decide which brand of interactive touch display will be right for your team. 

You may also want to consider other BenQ models that have integrated array microphones, cameras, and other features as well.  Each BenQ display comes with a three year warranty that can be extended to five years, while the Vibe only offers a one year warranty.