Logitech Cordless Presenter: break away from ordinary presentations.You know the feeling. It's like Charlie Brown sitting in class listening to the teacher, but all you hear is "wah, wah, wah, wah." Is that the way your audience feels when you're making a presentation? Maybe it's time to change up your presentation style. Something as small as a remote control presentation device can make a big difference. Enter the Logitech Cordless Presenter. The first time I used this product in a lecture, an amazing thing happened. I untethered Unattached to any data or power source by wire or fiber; in other words: wireless. Contrast with tethered. myself from the podium and walked right out into the audience. No more standing next to the computer and hitting the space bar. Gone are the days of nodding and hand motions to signal your co-presenter to advance to the next slide. I've used remote control presentation devices before, but the range and coverage were always awful. This device is different because, rather than being controlled by infrared or proprietary 900MHz RF, it uses Bluetooth. Bluetooth increases your range to about 30 feet; but, more importantly, you don't need line of sight. But wait, there's more The Cordless Presenter has some other handy on board features. First, it has a built-in laser pointer. In the past, I'd used a "pointer stick" (an actual telescoping metal pointer), but with the laser I don't have to be standing in front of the screen. I can make my point comfortably from anywhere in the room. Second, the remote control device also doubles as a wireless mouse (yes, an optical mouse). The device has a three-position switch on the back: Off, Mouse mode, and Presentation mode. If you're on the road and you have to carry an extra device with you, it's nice that you can use it for multiple tasks and get the most functionality out of it as possible. I found the touch and feel of the device quite comfortable, and the response and accuracy of the mouse movement is excellent. The only issue I had with the device was with the drivers. To make the mouse work in presentation mode, the USB USB in full Universal Serial Bus Type of serial bus that allows peripheral devices (disks, modems, printers, digitizers, data gloves, etc.) to be easily connected to a computer. dongle The term was originally slang for a "hardware key." Today, the term is often used to refer to any small adapter that has a short cable with connectors at both ends. See hardware key and PC Card dongle. had to be in the laptop while I was booting. This meant I had to reboot after I mistakenly turned on the computer before I put in the USB dongle. (This made for a bit of panic when the device seemed to be broken with three minutes to go before my presentation.) On the other hand, I didn't experience this problem with the mouse functionality. UpShot At US$199, the Logitech Cordless Presenter is a bit pricey. However, public speaking is a tough task, and any tool that makes it easier will fall into the "must-have" category for some. With all the built-in features and new ways you can liven up your presentations, the Logitech Cordless Presenter might be well worth the extra expense. ADVISOR[R] EVAL[TM] BUSINESS BENEFITS This Bluetooth presenter will help you liven up presentations. (+) Bluetooth extends range and doesn't require line of sight (+) Doubles as a mouse (+) Built-in laser pointer (-) Price (-) Driver issues Logitech http://www.logitech.com Cordless Presenter US$199 RANGE: 30 feet APPLICATIONS: Compatible with most presentation applications POWER MANAGEMENT: Yes BATTERIES: Two AA batteries OS: Works with Windows XP/Me/2000/98 Lee Barken, CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) The award for successful completion of an examination in computer security administered by the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2. , CCNA See Cisco certification. , MCP (1) See Microsoft certification. (2) (MultiChip Package) A chip package that contains two or more chips. It is essentially a multichip module (MCM) that uses a laminated, printed-circuit-board-like substrate (MCM-L) rather than ceramic (MCM-C). , CPA (Computer Press Association, Landing, NJ) An earlier membership organization founded in 1983 that promoted excellence in computer journalism. Its annual awards honored outstanding examples in print, broadcast and electronic media. The CPA disbanded in 2000. has been in the IT industry since 1987. He has worked as an IT consultant and network security specialist for Ernst & Young's Information Technology Risk Management (ITRM ITRM Information Technology Resource Management ITRM Institutional Training Resource Model ITRM Infostructure Technology Reference Model ITRM It Risk Management ITRM It Resource Management ) practice and KPMG's Risk and Advisory Services (RAS (1) See network access server. (2) (Remote Access Service) A Windows NT/2000 Server feature that allows remote users access to the network from their Windows laptops or desktops via modem. See RRAS and network access server. ) practice. Lee is the co-founder of the San Diego Wireless Users Group (http://www.sdwug.org) and often writes and speaks on the topic of wireless LAN technology and security. He teaches the "WLAN See wireless LAN. WLAN - wireless local area network Deployment and Security" class for University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). at San Diego (UCSD) Extension and is writing a comprehensive book on wireless security. barken@mail.com. |
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