Customer Reviews

Kensington 33062 Wireless Presentation Remote Control with Laser Pointer (PC/Mac)

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This unit provides 4 basic PowerPoint functions: Next Slide, Previous Slide, Hide Slide (which blanks the screen) and a laser pointer. It is simple, intuitive, and works well. One nice feature is that the remote receiver stores in the hand-held remote unit itself; and, once stored, it prevents the laser pointer from being activated. So, no problem with the battery being rundown while the unit is packed in a briefcase.

On the downside, you do need to use a small phillips screwdriver to change the battery. The CR2032 battery is sometimes hard to find, so carry a spare.

As a college instructor, this unit really helps in the classroom. I would recommend it to anyone that needs a simple PowerPoint remote.

Amazing! I've never used one of these things, but I just plugged the remote unit into the USB port and it worked like a charm. I can now wander around the room while showing PowerPoint presentations, and the built-in laser pointer is a big plus.

It has four buttons: One for forward, one for reverse, one to blank the screen, and one is for the laser. It fits well in your hand, and one of the nicest features is the fact that the USB plug stores in the hand unit and turns it off so you can't accidently drain the battery -- great design.

Very intuative. Very cool. Can't believe I've gone this long without one of these things.

I've used 3 types of presentation remote controls, and this is the best for under $60US. I wouldn't have thought it would so difficult to design one, but here are the advantages of this brand over others such as the ones from Targus, Atek, or the inexpensive Interlink.

1. Size. This is compact, which makes it better for travelling.
2. The USB receiver stores in the pointer -- and when it's inside, it turns off the control so that battery lasts longer. Nice.
3. The USB receiver has indicator lights to show you when the battery needs replacing, whether the receiver and control are communicating with each other, and whether the receiver is plugged in correctly.
4. The battery cover is screwed in. This is a bit of a hassle when it comes to changing the battery, but I have dropped my other controls repeatedly, and often the cover pops open, spilling the batteries. I prefer this design as you don't have to change batteries very often, whereas you have to handle a control very often.
5. Most importantly, this control is for PRESENTATIONS. Most of the other controls have made the foolish decision to try and add mouse-like behaviour to the remote as well, which is a terrible idea. It means that you can accidentally put yourself in the wrong mode in the middle of a presentation. In the case of the Targus control, it also means that you click on the left button to move forward one slide, and the right button to go back, which is moronic. This control covers the basic things you want to be able to do: move forward and backwards in the slide pack, and use a laser pointer.
6. The buttons have a nice, firm "click" feel, so you don't accidentally bounce forward 5 slides. The Targus is particularly bad for that accidental multiple-slide forward problem.

I agree with another poster that it would nice if had a couple of other presentation functions built in (say, going to the beginning, Esc, and Alt-Tab), but I haven't found a control at this price that didn't double as a mouse with any of those functions, either.

This remote is extremely easy to use. It has four buttons, forward, back, laser, and blank the screen. The laser is bright enough, reception is excellent, and no setup is required on a PC, apple, or Fedora linux machine. My one complaint is that the remote sends the signals pageup and pagedown to move through slides. If your presentation program uses these keys then this remote will work for you. Otherwise it won't. My own experience is that it works for PowerPoint, Acrobat, and Keynote, but not Impress(OpenOffice) or Preview.

As a professional speaker, I have tried just about every remote presentation device out there and I have to say this is the best one I have ever used. The design is comfortable for any size hand, the self storing usb is convenient and foolproof and the built in laser pointer is wonderful. The blackout key for the screen is great for crossing in front of your projector as well. With a ten dollar rebate, the $39 price on this is simply unbeatable.

Yeah, they claim this thing works with MS Powerpoint. But what they do not tell you is that it only works with PART of Powerpoint. It only works in Slide Mode. It does NOT work in Presentation View mode. Of course, most of my presentations are run in Presentation View mode.

SO the remote is useless. And they have no fix for it. They cannot even document that this is the case.

I am going to look for something else. Maybe the Microsoft Remote.

***UPDATE***

It's true, this presenter has problems with PowerPoint's Presenter View because in that mode PgUp and PgDown keys are used to scroll the notes. However, here's a neat trick I discovered that makes it work again:
- Start the presentation in Presenter View
- Pres "B" on your keyboard to show a blank screen
- Click the mouse (anywhere in the blank screen) once to resume the presentation and then AGAIN to advance to the next slide
- Magically, from this point on the presenter buttons work flawlessly.

I recently bought this from amazon. I just have one word for this device 'FABULOUS'. The pros:
1. It is extremely light
2. Simple 4 buttons - to go forward, back, stop and pointer button
3. The stop button makes the screen go blank. This can be useful sometimes.
4. The coolest feature is the docking faility of the usb receiver into the device.
5. It has a range of 50ft. I have tested it for sure upto 35ft. Beyond that I couldn't as the room in which I was trying was not that big.
6. Handy good pointer built-in.
7. Absolutely no need of any manual or software. Just plug and you are ready to go.
I am not sure of the battery life though. The instructions say it lasts for more than a year. Lets see what happens. The battery type is not AA/AAA. Its like wrist watch type,flat disc battery, just bigger in size.
All in all an excellent device of its kind.

We bought this controller last December for a series of presentations around the world. This puppy has worked perfectly fine, flawlessly for all of our presentations. It has the basiec buttons, operation is super straighforward and is top quality (it has survived the hands of my co-worker, who is a complete animal). Highly recommended!!

Combine simple, intuitive functions in an ergonomic, functional unit and what do you have? A slideshow remote I use about 150 times per year to "wow" the crowd.

Strongly recommend this item for those of you who like freedom from your computer when making a presentation. It hides comfortably in the palm of your hand, so it doesn't look like you are waving a club when making physical gestures.

The range allows you to walk amongst your audience, go to the back of the room, and generally take the measures needed to break down traditional communication barriers in groups.

Don't need it for a while? Slide it in your jacket or pants pocket! It is sleek enough to hide discreetly until needed... no cargo style pockets, or "where did I leave the remote?" furtive glances to creep out your audience. No danger in accidentally advancing the slides, or blanking the screen - the buttons have just the right sensitivity to prevent that.

As advertised, it has worked seamlessly with Mac or PC.

The self-storage concept for the "tail" (the RF transmitter) is fantastic.

The only improvement I would make is installation of a flash memory card within the RF "tail". It is USB, so why not combine two wonderful inventions into one USB port??? Having said that, I want ROYALTIES, Kensington!

I am on the road a lot and do a considerable amount of public speaking. PowerPoint is a good friend. Over the last few years I have been presenting long lectures, sometimes spending as long as a full day in front of an audience. For a day, my presentations sometimes include more than 300 slides. There is no way I want to be standing in front of my laptop for a whole day, searching my laptop for a single button all day, and pushing that same "next slide" button time, after time, after time, after time. I decided to try the Kensington pointer and several others to give me a lot more flexibility on the podium. I would rate this pointer as "the best" for a variety of reasons. Excellent range, buttons easy to figure out and use, two piece unit stores as one, very lightweight; long lasting batteries easy to find and replace. For anyone who regularly does PowerPoint presentations this is a must have item.