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best presentation remote for PB

andiwm2003

andiwm2003

macrumors 601
Original poster
Mar 29, 2004
4,471
615
Boston, MA
Hi,

I'm looking for a good reliable presentation remote for my PB. It should if possible use the built in bluetooth, have min. 30ft range, a laserpointer would be nice, compatible to powerpoint, apple works, keynote. am i asking too much for?
i heard the targus, keyspan remotes for 50 to 70 bucks are not reliable. i'd rather go for a more expensive but reliable one.

thanks for any helpful input.

andi
 
jsw said:
Just curious: do you own a BT cellphone? if so, Salling Clicker might be just the ticket for you.
Click to expand...

my cellphone isn't bt ready. i also want to be able to hand the remote to someone else, so it has to be easy to use. a cellphone wouldn't be easy to handle.
 
andiwm2003 said:
my cellphone isn't bt ready. i also want to be able to hand the remote to someone else, so it has to be easy to use. a cellphone wouldn't be easy to handle.
Click to expand...


come on guys,

somebody has to know a good presentation remote for the powerbooks. they are made for presentations and the $40-$60 price range remotes seem to be not very reliable.
I askee one of the geeks at the apple store and even he couldn't recommend anything good. he said the windows remotes should work for the mac as well, but he had no experience with them either.

there must be many people in this forum who give lots of mac presentations.

help me out here!


thanks, ANDI
 
No answers to this question??

I'm also looking for a Bluetooth presentation remote. Even one as ugly as the Logitech Cordless Presenter would be (barely) fine, but that one I understand refuses to pair with any Bluetooth interface other than the one it comes with. Worse, the drivers for the interface it comes with are Windows-only.
 
Definately avoid the Logitech Presenter device for your mac.

While it can be paired with your built-in bluetooth (you don't need to use the supplied logitech bluetooth usb module), it can only move powerpoint slides forward, the back button will not work.

I've tried to contact Logitech about this and no reply so far. Their OS X software does not work with the Presenter device as well.

You can do a search in this forum for Logitech Presenter to read all the details of my experiences with it.

I'd love to find a good presentation remote with built-in laser-pointer. For now I may try to use my cell phone (Sony Ericsson T610).

thanks
mark
 
what does steve use? i remember someone at wwdc saying "we don't make these remotes" when it ran out of batteries or something so someone must? unless--no, never...never...
 
I use a keyspan

I'm a trainer so I give quite a few presentations and I've been using the keyspan model without a hitch on a iBook for over a year.
The module is not bluetooth ready but there is an integrated laser pointer.

The trick is to use the "jog-like" switch on the side to mimick the mouse clicks. You go up to go back in the presentation and down to go forward (you could reverse the order but that's the one that feels most comfortable/natural to me)

I'd definetely recommend it for the price. Besides, the only other model I know of is the logitech which costs around 300$ CDN !! :eek: (I got the keyspan for 75$ CDN)

Battery consumption is harsher is you use the laser a lot but the office only had to replace the battery once in ~1,5 years (not too shaby !) :cool:
 
Any more suggestions

I've looked into the presentation remotes and was wondering if anyone has had any luck with newer presentation remotes since this thread was posted last (11/04)

I'm looking for something not to expensive but has good functionality and a laser that works with keynote. I've looked at the iWand anyone used this yet? It's a little expensive though for what I need it for.

Thanks,

Nuc
 
ATI Remote Wonder 2
This looks like it can do everything... and it's only $39. It's RF so no line of sight is needed, and it can be programmed for any application in OS X. It even has a ball-like controller for the cursor movement control.

Here Is an excellent in-depth review on the remote. Towards the end they talk specifically about the OS X drivers for it, and why the mac version is actually better than the windows version :)
 
A little to big.

This remote is a little large especially if your giving a presentation. I'm looking for a presenter remote with a laser that fits into the palm of your hand.

Thanks,

Nuc
 
Steve Jobs presenter

Does anyone know who makes the blue remote presenter that steve jobs uses for his keynote presentations. I've seen him use it on many occasions and was wondering if this was something made especially for him or what??

Nuc
 
Had great luck with the

Kensington Wireless Presenter

at my last job. The Kensington site lists it at $70, but I'm sure you can get it for less. No problems with reliability and good battery life.

Not sure about Apple Works compatibility, but I seem to remember it working for Web slide shows.
 
cwright said:
ATI Remote Wonder 2
This looks like it can do everything... and it's only $39. It's RF so no line of sight is needed, and it can be programmed for any application in OS X. It even has a ball-like controller for the cursor movement control.

Here Is an excellent in-depth review on the remote. Towards the end they talk specifically about the OS X drivers for it, and why the mac version is actually better than the windows version :)
Click to expand...

holy cow! did you see how complex that thing is. Look at all those buttons. The point of a presentation remote is simplicity - gotta be able to use it without even looking at it...
 
devman said:
holy cow! did you see how complex that thing is. Look at all those buttons. The point of a presentation remote is simplicity - gotta be able to use it without even looking at it...
Click to expand...
That's because it's not a presentation remote. It's a all in wonder. It does many, many things.
 
grapes911 said:
That's because it's not a presentation remote. It's a all in wonder. It does many, many things.
Click to expand...

Well, just got the ATI Remote Wonder (I), and I'm still wondering how to do so many things... :confused:

iTunes is controlled, but I can't let it open VLC, or use the mouse-like cursor, etc...
Got the last driver.
Anybody with the same problems ?
 
jsw said:
Just curious: do you own a BT cellphone? if so, Salling Clicker might be just the ticket for you.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but this is terrible advice.

If someone calls you during your presentation, the connection with your Mac gets dropped.

I like Salling Clicker, but it is more for casual use (read: fun)

Do not use it for live presentations.
 
BWhaler said:
Sorry, but this is terrible advice.

If someone calls you during your presentation, the connection with your Mac gets dropped.

I like Salling Clicker, but it is more for casual use (read: fun)

Do not use it for live presentations.
Click to expand...

I also understood it empties battery rather quickly.
 
Salling Clicker for Serious Presentations

Hey folks:

I, too, have been in the market for a wireless presentation remote and think Salling Clicker could actually be the best solution. I do a lot of presentations and so had a pretty clear sense of what I wanted. My criteria for a remote were as follows: as few pieces of hardware as possible (i.e. bluetooth remote better than RF remote with USB adapter), simple to control (i.e. not a media remote), omnidirectional (i.e. not an IR remote), reliable, and reasonably priced. While there appeared to be a few bluetooth devices that met this criteria, they all ran about $200 which I can easily afford but seemed overpriced, especially when a good, longer-range USB RF remote runs $70.

From an eariler post on this thread I saw the plug of Salling Clicker and have been playing with it for the last hour. I use a Treo 650 and find that not only does Salling Clicker meet all the above criteria (no new hardware, lowest price, etc.) it also has functions that far exceed any other presentation remote. Because the Salling Clicker software uses my Treo 650 as an intelligent device, on my phone screen I can see the current slide title, notes, overall presention time, use the phone touch screen as a touchpad to move the mouse cursor and so on. Simply having the ability to view my timing and notes (two things for which I could never find a simple, elegant solution in the past) is a huge leap forward for me.

A couple of earlier folks commented that you shouldn't use Salling Clicker for mission critical presentations because a phone call will interrupt the software. I typically turn off my phone for presentations so this is not an issue. Of course, until I've really used the software in a live presentation, all of my above enthusiasm is speculative but I'm very impressed with Salling Clicker (to say nothing of the wicked features for controlling iTunes etc.).

If nothing else, you owe it to yourself to play with the software just to experience the thrill of driving your mac with your phone.

Omar
 
grapes911 said:
Then how are you going to use it? :confused:
Click to expand...

The treo is a phone and a PDA. I'm guessing if he turns off the phone, the PDA is still on so the remote still works.

I just downloaded Salling Clicker and it's fantastic for my Palm E2. My Palm has tremendous battery life, unlike my cell phone, so I'm pretty confident it would last through many a presentation. Obviously no phone calls to interrupt my presenting, and several palms are cheaper than the remotes mentioned here.
 
Old topic, found it by googling myself for a high quality Mac presentation device so maybe someone else will stumble through here on his quest for the same information.

The most interesting device I have found so far is this:

http://www.interlinkelectronics.com/index.php?id=NzA2

GreenLaser_large.jpg


PC and Mac, green laser, 150' range, full mouse control, 4 programmable buttons.

Pricey, but I think I will get one of those.
 
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