Kensington Wireless Presenter with Laser Pointer and 2 GB Built-in Memory (Black)
by Kensington
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List Price: Our Price: $47.04 You Save: $27.95 (37%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Kensington Wireless Presenter with Laser Pointer and 2 GB Built-in Memory (Black)
Customer Review: Great device though a bit short of memory for the price.
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
This is one of those occasions where I wish I could use half star ratings as the only reason I have docked any points for this device are based on the price verses built in memory equation. Overall, it is a cool little tool that is sure to fit perfectly well into an expense budget. However, those who must invest their own cash into their tools may find themselves wishing the price were a little lower or that they at least got a little bit more memory out of the deal.
Out of the box, this presenter/pointer feels good in the hand. Its non-slip coating and hourglass shape help ensure that it doesn't fly out of your hand during sweeping or embellished gestures. It's actually quite small and fits easily into a pocket. Its small size prompts me to wish that the designers had decided to invest a little more space and resources into more memory as a single GB doesn't really inspire price justification and really is a bit stingy given the current market for memory. The device was ready to use straight out of the box thanks to the included batteries.
USB Receiver/Storage Device: Conveniently stores in presenter body. Also acts as the on/off switch. If the receiver is in the presenter, the unit is powered off and not even the laser pointer will operate while it is docked. Otherwise, the unit is on. To save batteries, keep the receiver stored in the unit whenever not in use.
Device Recognition: Windows XP Pro Version 2002 with Service Pack 3 recognized the device and installed the needed drivers automatically.
Save presentation to Receiver/Storage: Saving as Copy/Paste or Drag-n-Drop work equally well.
Presentation Software Used: Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 (Open presentation and start slide show as usual.)
Presentation Control: The Previous and Next buttons work well. The Stop button is a nice feature. It blanks the screen to black immediately so that the presenter may effectively refocus audience attention elsewhere. Push any control button (Previous, Next, or Stop) and the same slide reappears. At the end of the slide show, the expected "End of Show" slide appears. If the Next button is pressed again, the presentation will appear in its design window (e. g. the PowerPoint window). Continue to press Next and the presentation will advance in design view. The Stop button does not black out the screen if the presentation is in design window.
Laser Pointer: Sharp, clear laser pointer. At approximately 40 ft, the light is still bright and easy to see. The spread at this distance is approximately 0.5 inches wide by 0.75 inches tall. It also passed the "cat" test (it makes a suitable, if excessively expensive cat toy).
Device Range: The presenter works well in an open area within its advertised 30 ft. range. I recommend maintaining a direct line-of-sight with the host computer (the machine with the receiver plugged into it). I got another 10 feet of range out of the presenter if I pointed the laser end 45 degrees to the left of the host computer. The closer one gets, the less one is required to point the device directly at the host.
Ergonomics: The presenter is comfortable to hold, use and maneuver. Its non-slip body and hour glass shape provide confidence in operation. I don't feel like I might drop it. It is a little small, though. It could be longer and a little wider. Overall, it is far more enjoyable and comfortable to use than the Microsoft "Pistol Grip" style mouse.
Customer Review: Good: Simple, elegant, ergonomic....Bad: Price
Summary: 3 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I love well designed products that have a clear functional target and meet it. This item does that. It is so hard sometimes for designers and marketers to keep from throwing extras that end up cluttering up the usefulness of something. This presentation tool is simple, elegant, and does what it needs to do very well.
Simple: When I am walking a group through a presentation, the last thing I want is to fumble finger some complicated remote. I've got my mind on a million other things and want SIMPLE technology that WORKS. From trying this with my laptop, the install was simple (plug in the USB receiver), the response is quick, and the buttons are obvious (other than the button that looks like a stop which is actually a black screen, but use this once and you got it). Simple.
Elegant: Each piece of functional design on this device is well done. Having on-board memory with the USB receiver is smart thinking. Storing the receiver in the device and at the same time, using that as a means to toggle the device on and off is clean, well thought out design. The tactile feel and heft just feels good.
Ergonomic: 4 buttons, each with a solid use to a presenter: forward, back, laser, and screen blank is all that is needed and is all that is present. Nice. As someone who does loads of presentations, that's all you need until you get into the realm of an air mouse Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse). I have large hands and don't want something the size of a car remote, this device feels comfortable in my hands without being too large and clunky.
The Bad:
So, why the 3 stars? There is just no getting around the price of this item. At the time of the review, the price is way too high. Price it around $35 (less than half the current price) and many people would be looking at this. A few more dollars over the current price and you have an air mouse, much more functionality. Heck, you can get a Kensington mouse with similar wireless functionality for presentations (no memory though) that is less than half the price... Kensington SlimBlade Presenter Mouse, Wireless Mouse and Presenter in One (Ice Blue) K72283US. Oh, and the manual is just horrible. Trying to put all the languages after each other is so bad, confusing, and useless that I am astounded that anyone at Kensington agreed to print it. Thankfully the manual is not a reflection of their product.
So, while I would like to shake the hands of the design team, either they put way too expensive components in this device or the pricing team for Kensington bumped their heads one too many times. No way does the current price point make sense.
Pros:
- simple, easy to use functionality that works
- well thought out design
- great heft and feel to it
- USB memory is nice
Neutral:
- laser is ok, but would be GREAT if it were the green ones out now
Cons:
- price
- terrible manual
- price
Customer Review: Handy laser pointer, controller and USB storage for your Powerpoint presentations
Summary: 3 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Kensington has come up with a small sized (but chunky), wireless controller with laser pointer for your Powerpoint presentations. It's a nicely sized device with a slot at the base of the device that lets you store the included USB receiver (that also happens to be a 1GB USB Flash Drive)
The "Presenter" had a nice tactile feel to it and it's ease of use will be appreciated. Forget about an on/switch. Instead, Kensington has thoughtfully integrated the on/off switch into the slot that stores the USB receiver. When you pop out the USB recevier, the unit is turned on. Reinserting the USB receiver into the slot turns it off. Simple and convenient.
The Presenter has exactly what you need and nothing else. It gives you a four-button control pad that you can easily use without even looking at it. The top button activates the laser pointer. I felt that the output of the laser was a bit weak but it was sufficient. The left and right buttons control moving forward and backward through your presentation. The bottom button is to stop your presentation and go to a black screen.
I used the Presenter with my Mac and it worked flawlessly.
This is a RF controller, not infrared, so it should be quite reliable and in my short time using it so far, it has been totally reliable. I've worked a room up to 20 feet away from the computer and it worked as advertised. Kensington says it should have a range of up to 30' which seems more than adequate for most uses.
The USB receiver is also a 1GB flash drive which is handy since it enables you to store your presentation on it if you wish. Of you could store whatever other files you wanted for that matter. 1GB isn't generous, but it's satisfactory given the intended use of this product.
I can't think of anything negative. The device is a bit chunky in size even though it is relatively small. People with very small hands might possibly find this a bit hard to handle but otherwise there's not much else to worry about.
As others have noted, the documentation provided with this unit is abysmal. But then again, there's not too much to really know. Put in the batteries, plug the USB receiver into your computer and start navigating your presentation using the buttons on the control panel. When you need to use the laser pointer, push the button. Could not be much easier to figure out regardless of the quality of the documentation.
Pros:
-Compact size
-Great tactile feel
-Simple and intuitive operation
-1GB flash drive is handy
Cons:
-Small hands may have a slightly more difficult time holding the device
-Laser output seems a little anemic
Customer Review: A basic Powerpoint presenter that gets the job done.
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
This is a wireless laser pointer for use in presentation, and an upgrade to the Kensington 33374 Wireless Presenter with Laser Pointer. The only differences I can tell between these two, is that this model comes with 1Gb of built in storage space on the USB stick, and is advertised as having a 30 foot range compared to 60 feet for the 33374. All of Kensington's wireless pointers come with a USB stick for communication with the computer, so it makes sense that it should also be able to double as storage for your actual presentation. This is really a feature that should have been on all of their pointers and it's about time they added it. My problem with it, is that I don't feel it justifies the increase in price over the 33374. I don't want to focus on price too much since that can always change and a review should be about the product, but before purchasing this model, the budget-conscious should consider whether it is worth it, or if they should just buy the Kensington 33374 Wireless Presenter with Laser Pointer (especially given how cheap USB drives are now).
As to the function of the pointer itself, I found it worked pretty well. I used it in a mock presentation and had no problems with it. Kensington's web site claims it operates up to 30 feet away. From my tests, I found it to work reliably up to 42 feet. Anything after that, and I would occasionally have stuttering in response time. I was able to get up to 60 feet away and still have it function, although with limited success. The 4 buttons work well and integrate nicely with Microsoft PowerPoint, which is the only program I tried it with. I didn't really care for the form factor of the pointer, but it does fit nicely in my hand and is not too heavy, so I didn't notice it while speaking. I love the way the USB receiver fits inside the actual remote, so you only have one object to carry with you and don't have to keep up with a small USB drive. It fits securely and does not feel like it will easily come out.
One of my main gripes about the presenter though is the size of the USB. 1Gb is way too small, and it should at least be 4GB. It is unlikely that many people's presentations will actually need more than 1 Gb, but it would be nice to at least have the option, given how cheap flash drives are now.
Customer Review: A Luxury Pointer with a Luxury Price
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The Kensington laser pointer definitely has the feel of quality about it. It's a weighty little device with an ergonomic design that makes it very comfortable to hold. My first problem was that you have to hold the laser button down constantly when using the laser which seems like a rather poor design decision. During a long presentation I can definitely imagine someone's thumb getting fatigued and for the life of my I can't imagine why it doesn't just feature a toggle switch.
Having a 1GB flash drive is a great idea that serves two purposes. You can store quite a few presentations and it allows you some limited control of your laptop. The flash drive docks neatly inside the device and springs out with a slight push. The left and right arrows on the pointer are mapped to your computers `Page Up' and `Page Down' buttons. I ran a PowerPoint Presentation with the laser pointer and you can use the left and right buttons to flip to the next or previous slide. What I don't understand is the "Black Screen" button. That is how it is labeled in the manual and it does indeed turn the screen black. I would think that a device with just four buttons could find something better to do with one of them than just make the screen black.
Now a 1 GB flash drive can be purchased for almost nothing so I'm not sure how Kensington came up with a price point of $75 but that definitely makes this a luxury pointer. My last gripe is with the instruction manual which is positively anemic. I only learned two things, the name of the "Black Button" (an explanation of its use was not included) and the fact that when the flash drive is docked the device is turned off. Actually it also made the claim that with normal usage the pointer should get 1 year of normal use from the batteries that come with the unit. We shall see. The manual may be lacking in detail but lord I've never seen one with such a complete set of language translations. There were languages I've never even heard of.
It's a slick looking device that looks and feels impressive but I think it's a bit more form and a bit less function. I do like the matte black finish. The only advantage I can see over a cheap pointer and a regular flash drive is the ability to flip through slides from a distance and that might or might not be enough. Presentations are often about impressing and for an executive a $75 pointer may be worth the price.