The MeetingPod is a new battery/DC power operated device that runs on a wireless network to communicate meeting information to the MeetingPods.
MeetingPod Technical Specification
The MeetingPod is made of the following key components:
6.4” TFT screen
Intel PXA270 512Mhz processor
802.11g integrated Wifi card
3 white on blue side LCDs
Pull out QWERTY keyboard
Special function and navigator keys
2 USB sockets
1 standard ethernet port
1 DC adapter socket
1 battery
The MeetingPod runs on Windows CE operating system.
The side LCDs display the name and company of the attendee using the MeetingPod
The special function keys include a red, green and blue key that provide shortcuts to key features.
There is also the option to leave the meeting and lock the MeetingPod.
The USB sockets will be used for: USB Flash Drives — retrieving information and storing Meeting record.
USB Full Size Keyboard if small keyboard not sufficient. Specifically this would be used by host to record minutes.
Network Setup
The MeetingPod can either run on a:
802.11g wireless network
Ethernet network
If running on a wireless network the specific network has to be selected during Setup. This cannot be modified during runtime.
The IP addresses can either be fixed or DHCP assigned.
A PC or laptop running at least Windows XP is required to be on the same network to run the Integrator.
The Integrator is our application to control the MeetingPods and send/receive information between them.
It is an application which runs in the background.
There are also applications to schedule meetings and to send/receive messages from the MeetingPods.
Powering the MeetingPod
The MeetingPod can run on two power sources either:
Rechargeable batteries
AC/DC adapter
If running on batteries, these need to be charged for about 8 hours to achieve about 10-12 hour usage.
The charger unit holds 4 MeetingPod batteries and charges all of them concurrently.
Useful tips:
If batteries run out, a backup is taken. When restarted, the MeetingPod will ask the user to re-login. If re-accessed with the same name, then it will restore the attendee’s information.
There is a screensaver mode than can be switched on to increase battery life
