Add this to your list of cool products that will make your life a little easier: The BlackBerry Presenter. This smart little device uses Bluetooth® to connect up to your BlackBerry so that you can screen PowerPoint presentations without having to lug your laptop with you everywhere you go.
Connecting it up is simple: place the presenter in pairing mode and search with your BlackBerry smartphone. I connected in under 20 seconds; your device will remember the Presenter for future use, making this a one-time procedure. You will need to enter a passkey every time you present, but that number is visible on both the bottom of the Presenter, and on the splashscreen when you connect the Presenter to a projector.
Getting set up on your computer is simple, both the desktop software and the device software are available on the BlackBerry website. Once the software is installed on the device you'll need to plug the Presenter into power with the supplied AC adapter (your (competitor) adapter may work as well, if you have a new BlackBerry). Connect the Presenter to your projector or monitor with either S-video or VGA using the ports on the back of the device (you'll need your own cables). Connect to the Presenter with your BlackBerry; this is where you'll have to enter the passkey. After that simply open the presentation, hit the BlackBerry button on your device, and choose present. That's it, you're now ready to wow your audience.
The BlackBerry Presenter experience is good; the unit is fast and responsive, and image quality is good. Most of the transitions from Office 2003 and 2007 are functional, but some of the more graphic-intensive transitions don't make the cut. If you're going to be travelling light with the Presenter and your BlackBerry, keep the presentations straightforward. You'll also want to skip videos as they won't translate well into a BlackBerry-based presentation.
The Presenter comes with its own power adapter and a small case for holding the device. You can drastically reduce the amount of weight and bulk you're carrying with you by ditching the laptop and sticking with your smartphone. I also found that the Presenter passed a video signal reliably through to the projector, something that still gives people trouble to this day with windows.
It's not a perfect solution; the inability to integrate video is a bit of a shortcoming (then again, after troubleshooting presentation after presentation on PowerPoint where the end-user couldn't embed a QuickTime video, I'm not sure that it's a huge problem) and if you've got a newer projector that sports DVI you're going to need a VGA to DVI adapter. Other than that, the device works perfectly, as advertised.
One of the best parts of the Presenter is that it lets you step away from the projector. Wireless Bluetooth® gives you the ability to relate directly to your audience without having to worry about heading back to the laptop to advance your slides, or having to add another device to do that; everything is handled directly on your phone. It's a smarter way to present, and it'll offer an air of professionalism that you may not have had before.
The BlackBerry Presenter is available at Future Shop. Go check it out and see if it's the right accessory for your presentation style.
