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Photo Release -- SMART Installs Two Millionth SMART Board(TM) Interactive Whiteboard

CALGARY, Alberta, May 16, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SMART Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq:SMT) (TSX:SMA), a leading provider of collaboration solutions, announces the installation of its two millionth SMART Board interactive whiteboard. To mark the milestone, SMART is donating the two millionth interactive whiteboard to Douglas Harkness School (DHS) in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the city where SMART was founded in 1987 and remains headquartered. The donation consists of a SMART Board 885ix interactive whiteboard system with an integrated, ultra-short-throw SMART UX60 projector and a full day of complimentary training for up to 15 DHS educators. The achievement of the two millionth install adds to a year of product and company milestones for SMART. 2011 marks the 20th anniversary of the sale of the world's first interactive whiteboard, and SMART recently recorded the five millionth registered user of version 10 of its SMART Notebook™ collaborative learning software. It took 17 years for the company to reach the one-million unit milestone and then less than three more years to reach two million units.
/ Source: GlobeNewswire

CALGARY, Alberta, May 16, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SMART Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq:SMT) (TSX:SMA), a leading provider of collaboration solutions, announces the installation of its two millionth SMART Board interactive whiteboard. To mark the milestone, SMART is donating the two millionth interactive whiteboard to Douglas Harkness School (DHS) in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the city where SMART was founded in 1987 and remains headquartered. The donation consists of a SMART Board 885ix interactive whiteboard system with an integrated, ultra-short-throw SMART UX60 projector and a full day of complimentary training for up to 15 DHS educators. The achievement of the two millionth install adds to a year of product and company milestones for SMART. 2011 marks the 20th anniversary of the sale of the world's first interactive whiteboard, and SMART recently recorded the five millionth registered user of version 10 of its SMART Notebook collaborative learning software. It took 17 years for the company to reach the one-million unit milestone and then less than three more years to reach two million units.

A photo accompanying this release is available at

In the 20 years since SMART introduced the world's first interactive whiteboard, the product has become the focal point of many technology-enabled learning environments around the world, helping teachers bring greater interactivity to lessons to increase student engagement and support all types of learners, including those with special needs. According to Futuresource Consulting, an independent global research company that has tracked interactive whiteboard shipments for more than nine years,approximately 8 percent of the world's classrooms have an interactive whiteboard, with adoption rates in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada at approximately 73, 36 and 26 percent, respectively. In North America, the number of interactive whiteboards sold to K–12 educators increased from approximately 256,000 in 2008 to approximately 331,000 in 2010.

"SMART Board interactive whiteboards are used throughout classrooms to support instruction and address a variety of student learning needs," says Cathy Faber, Chief Information Officer and Superintendent, Learning Innovation at the Calgary Board of Education (CBE). "The CBE is proud to work with SMART to provide enriched learning opportunities for our students."

"On behalf of everyone at SMART, I'm delighted to offer our two millionth SMART Board interactive whiteboard to Douglas Harkness School," says Nancy Knowlton, SMART's CEO. "This day marks a significant milestone for the company, and we look forward to many more achievements and milestones as we remain committed to transforming the way the world works and learns."

About SMART Board interactive whiteboards

Over the past two decades, SMART has developed a comprehensive range of easy-to-use, intuitive touch- and gesture-enabled solutions that facilitate effective learning and collaboration. Today, the company's extensive line of interactive whiteboards is assembled in Canada, Hungary and Mexico and includes the SMART Board 400, 600 and 800 series interactive whiteboards and the SMART Board 6052i and 8070i interactive displays. According to Futuresource Consulting, SMART continued to lead the global interactive whiteboard product category in 2010 with a 46.9 percent share globally. In North America, SMART's share was 63.8 percent, more than two-and-a-half times that of its nearest competitor. Of the two million SMART Board interactive whiteboards currently installed globally, approximately 1.6 million are used by educators to support teaching and learning for an estimated 40 million students worldwide.

About SMART

SMART Technologies Inc. is a leading provider of collaboration solutions that transform the way the world works and learns. We believe that collaboration and interaction should be easy. As the global leader in interactive whiteboards, we bring more than two decades of collaboration research and development to a broad range of easy-to-use, integrated solutions that free people from their desks and computer screens, so collaborating and learning with digital resources are more natural.

The SMART Technologies logo is available at

© 2011 SMART Technologies. SMART Board, SMART Notebook, smarttech and the SMART logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of SMART Technologies in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Please note that SMART is written in all capital letters.

The photo is also available at Newscom, , and via AP PhotoExpress.

CONTACT: Laurie Long Senior Public Relations Specialist SMART Technologies Inc. Phone +1.403.407.5085 E-mail LaurieLong@smarttech.com smarttech.com