Macally Keypoint USB Wireless (RF) Presentation and Multimedia Controller

by Mace

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000B3ALB
• Item model number: KEYPOINT
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #364,426 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 30, 2003

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Introducing KeyPoint, one of the most versatile multimedia and presentation RF remote controls for Mac. KeyPoint allows you to control your presentation up to 30 feet away. Whether you watch iDVD or listen to your iTune, KeyPoint would be your indispensable companion for home or office.

Features:

• Control your presentation or favorite media player such as iDVD, iTune, or QuickTime remotely up to 30 feet away
• No driver required to use with Microsoft PowerPoint
• Patent pending "Click and Lock" remote control and receiver attachment for easy storage
• 360-degree "3D swivel" USB plug allows you to access the most hard to reach USB ports
• Built-in laser pointer
• Integrated mouse pointer pad with two buttons
• Fully programmable buttons to support most applications
• Compact design, perfect for travelers
• Requires two "AAA" alkaline batteries (included)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars i can control itunes away from my ibook, January 23, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Macally Keypoint USB Wireless (RF) Presentation and Multimedia Controller (Personal Computers)

i got a ibook for christmas and when my dad finished installing software he made a mistake of letting me try out itunes with this remote -- oops, sorry dad, now u gotta go get another one! its cool the way i can control playing songs with this cool remote. i can sit on my bed without having to get up to go to the computer to change the song. it even works in the next room! beats the crap out of all the other remotes which you gotta be in front of the thing. the lazer pointer is kinda fun too. advice to adults: don't show this to your kid unless you want to buy 2.

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a cool product..., February 24, 2006

By 

Joel "tech saavy" (MI, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Macally Keypoint USB Wireless (RF) Presentation and Multimedia Controller (Personal Computers)

I've been looking a while to find some kind of wireless presenter for my computer and at the last minute came across this one. I was debating getting the Interlink Wireless Presentation Pilot Pro VP6450, but after discovering how the Macally Keypoint works with applications, I changed my mind.

The most cool thing about this presenter is that you can map any of the buttons on it to specific keystrokes or commands in any application you frequently use. This is way cool! With the other wireless presenter I was considering, the best I could do was go back and forth between slides and move a mouse. This one also has a laser pointer built in.

I use a Mac and a PC for my work. As far as the installation went for my Mac, the OS X software that came shipped on the CD was an older version. I discovered this the hard way when the Keypoint remote didn't work with Powerpoint.

So... point your web browser to the oddly designed and organized MacAlly site, and go to their downloads section. (Scroll down, the item you're looking for is REALLY there) You'll find that they have an updated installer version for OS X for the Mac (version 1.5) that fixes the Powerpoint problem I had immediately. After that the installation was seamless.

As for my windows XP installation, the install file on the CD was fine. It doesn't automatically load the program when you pop in the CD and you have to go to the "drivers" folder and double click the non-descript installer file. (Bizarre) Once through that however, it worked.

The second minor issue I had after completing the installation on my Mac was that when I used iTunes, (and some other app I can't remember) the mouse buttons were not mapped correctly. (Why? Who knows.) A quick change in the Keypoint menu fixed that problem immediately. In Windows XP, one downside was that I had to add many of the applications manually AND map all the keys correctly as well. That took a little time. The Windows installation was much less streamlined in this respect. (Thanks Microsoft!) Once everything was mapped however, it worked just as seamlessly as it already did on my Mac.

For those of you with Macs, I would also recommend putting a checkmark next to "close with "menu" button" under the option menu across the top tool bar. It allows you to open AND close the Keypoint configuration menu at the push of a button. Windows XP does this automatically.

The hardest thing unrelated to the Keypoint presenter on my Mac, was trying to figure out how to make my presentation go to a blank slide in Powerpoint. (Thanks again Microsoft!) And for those of you now wondering about mapping a key on the Keypoint to do this, the "comma" keystroke will make your Powerpoint presentation go to a white background and the "period" keystroke will make it go to a black background while you're in the middle of a presentation. I wasn't able to map this properly in the windows installation for some reason even though the key strokes are the same.

I also added my web browser as one of the applications to be used by the Keypoint remote, but discovered that you really need to map two of the frequently unsed keys to do the "page forward" and "page backward" commands. It just makes using a web browser with a remote control that much easier. It also seems to work better with with Firefox in this respect... (go figure, Microsoft again)

This product is really quite intuitively designed, and thankfully so as there was little help on setting it up. But in about a minute of playing around with it, I discovered that it was very easy to use and configure.

The one thing I can't understand, is for as cool and useful as this remote is, why are they so hard to find online? The place I just purchased mine from no longer lists it as a product for sale. For everything that it can do and it's ease of configuration, I still can't believe what I paid for it, and I believe it still blows competing products away.

Perhaps Macally quietly discontinued this item because they're rolling out a new version of this product that will work with the wireless USB standards coming later this year. That would be sweet if it was true...

5.0 out of 5 stars I've tried several remotes; this is the best!, January 21, 2006

By 

A. Deal Finder (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Macally Keypoint USB Wireless (RF) Presentation and Multimedia Controller (Personal Computers)

Plug in the USB receiver and you are on your way to wireless remote heaven! Out of the box it controlled Powerpoint and Keynote with no software installed. This was on a Mac (says it works for PC's, too). The laser pointer is nice and bright. I like how the receiver snaps into the remote so you won't loose it when you travel. Size is perfect -- not to big, not too small, fits great in your hand. I'm just starting to use it for multimedia. Love the iTunes control. If you had a Mac Mini or other Mac by your TV, this would be the best device to get to control DVD movies and the like. The mouse control works great, too. A+ product. Can't believe I got it for under $50!