First there were blackboards, then there were whiteboards, now there’s a whiteboard that is actually a blackboard. Have we come full circle? Not quite. Hitachi’s latest interactive whiteboard has a clear march on the old model by being three things in one. It’s a stand-alone, dry-wipe board that you can write on, or you can connect it to a PC to make it an interactive screen - you write on it with special pens (see picture). You could also onnect it to an LCD projector and a computer and it promises to save, annnotate, print, transmit, e-mail or videoconference. And what is more, it can even read handwriting (it says here). It is compatible with Microsoft and will operate on most common platforms including Windows and the Mac. It’s not cheap though. Units start at pound;1,654.

Details: Hitachi Software Engineering, FREEPOST LON3926, London W5 2BR. Tel: 0900 4585880