The Old Joel on Software Forum: Part 3 (of 5)

Wireless Presentation aids

I have seen this USB mouse / laserpointer which works from up to 10m away at thinkGeek.

Is USB the way? What about Bluetooth in the newer laptops?

Any experiences? I teach 6h stints on a day -2h theory, 2 h tut, 2h workshop. I would love to be free not to have to walk back to keyboard to press pagedown every time...

Karel
Tuesday, January 27, 2004

I'm trying to setup the ATI Remote Wonder which is a RF remote control. That should do the trick.

christopher baus (www.baus.net)
Tuesday, January 27, 2004

I use this:
http://tinyurl.com/2jmpx (Sony Ericsson T610)

with this:
http://tinyurl.com/6euo

I can then use my phone to control just about anything - powerpoint, the dvd player, I can even have it pause the music when I go to the can. You can script it to do just about anything.

Rhys Keepence
Tuesday, January 27, 2004

http://www.targus.com/AU/product_details.asp?sku=PAUM35F

We have one of these and it seems to work really well once you get the hang of controlling the mouse with it.

Chris Ormerod
Tuesday, January 27, 2004

What range does Bluetooth give you then? Over USB+RF?

Anything for Windows XP?

Tx

Karel
Tuesday, January 27, 2004

You'll only get about 10 metres out of bluetooth, too.

Rhys Keepence
Tuesday, January 27, 2004

"Only" ten metres? You giving presentations at Wembley stadium?

veal
Tuesday, January 27, 2004

10 meters is the low-end for presentation remotes. Here's one with a 100 foot range (but I'm not sure if it's available in a European version): http://www.rppresenter.com/

Martha
Tuesday, January 27, 2004

Sure "ours go up to eleven," but really, unless you're presenting on a hundred-foot stage at the Detroit auto show or something, you're never that far from your computer. Who cares?

On a side note, the most clever "wireless presentation aid" I've seen so far is not a remote clicker. Linksys makes an 802.11b device with a VGA port to connect to the projector, so a roomful of laptoppers can quickly "pass the wall" to one another without shuffling seats to get to plug-in range. Unfortunately it requires a driver on the laptop, so it only serves one platform. I'm hoping other manufacturers will follow suite, and standardize an open IP protocol. Imagine presenting directly from your WiFi PDA. No need for a remote... you're holding the whole computer as you wander the room.

veal
Wednesday, January 28, 2004