AnyRactive GoTouch Portable Whiteboard Review

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At the beginning of the year, I was contacted by AnyRactive and pitched the idea of this portable whiteboard solution. I was intrigued by the technology and told them to send one over so I could see how it worked and give it a review.

The GoTouch started its life on Kickstarter. This project procured 898 backers and a touch over $110k with the premise of a portable device that can turn any projector screen or large format display into a portable whiteboard. This works by having a Bluetooth connected Ultra HD camera operating at 100Hz that sits on a desk or nearby surface capture and track IR signals from the GoTouch pen. The GoTouch base runs on a rechargeable battery while the pen uses two AAA cells.

Compatibility includes Windows, iOS, and Android, and the MSRP is said to be around $139.99 with no word on warranty terms.

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The GoTouch came in rather nice packaging. Here we have a white box with subtle branding on the front.

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Flipping the box open, we have the GoTouch and Pen connected.

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The scope of delivery adds a charging cable for the base station and AAA cells for the pen. We also have a second tip replacement for the pen.

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The pen itself uses a soft plastic material for the tip, its length about that of a standard pen but does carry the additional weight of two AAA cells.

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The base for this solution carries a USB port on the back for charging its internal battery, the top houses the long press power button.

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The blue section rotates to align with your projector or large format display.

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I'm testing this solution with iOS and Airplay to my TV. This is the app in the Apple Store you will need for the GoTouch.

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Once you are in the app, you will see the options above. You can choose from Whiteboard, to presentation, video and image and even pull up a webpage. This app also allows collaboration with others even if they are not in the same room with you.

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Using the whiteboard, you have a range of color options.

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There is also the option to change to highlighter mode from standard pen mode.

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The rest of the menu includes options for sharing, adding a group and settings.

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The settings menu aids in the setup of the GoTouch. The Bluetooth menu connects your smart device or Windows machine to the camera, then through the camera position menu, you can dial it in.

I used the GoTouch on a few occasions testing out its functionality with different displays. The overall quality is quite good, the plastics are quite durable being made from ABS, and battery life is more than acceptable; I got about 3.5 to 4 hours each time I used it.

Using this device on a 40" 4K display, I had no issues in setup, but I did get some lag between the time I wrote on the screen and it being displayed. This could be the Bluetooth connection giving me lag or even the Airplay I was using to get it to the TV. With my 60" 4K screen, it felt more like a real whiteboard, there was more room to write, and the pen felt smoother.

The overall performance of this device is good but not great; it has a noticeable amount of input lag from the time you write or begin drawing to when it shows on the screen. You also must set it up in a way where you won't walk in front of the GoTouch camera, blocking the view of the camera means it won't work, which results in you having to set it up at an angle or above you, which could be part of the lag problem.

With that said, I love the idea behind the GoTouch, being so flexible and turning any screen into a portable whiteboard is amazing. I just feel for its market price of $139.99, there will be some disappointed backers.