Customer Reviews

Satechi SP800 Smart-Pointer (Black) 2.4Ghz RF Wireless Presenter with Mouse Function and Green Laser Pointer

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This is the greatest gift I have got so far. It has a very nice design, actually looks much better than the pictures. So many functions are packed into this device, I will write them down one by one:

Setup:
I have Windows 7 in my PC, once I plugged the thumb drive to my PC, it took less than a minute to recognize Sp800. I have tried all the buttons with MS PowerPoint, and every button works fine.

Power:
Sp800 work with 2 AAA batteries. I used it for about 2 weeks, no problems yet. I keep extra batteries in the pouch, in case batteries die out.

Green Laser:
Sp800 has a green laser pointer which in my opinion projects better than red lasers. Also, it makes a nice difference for your presentations.

Range:
The longest range I tried Sp800 for was about 50 feet, and I was able to operate it with no lagging what so ever. Spectacular!

Functions:
The position of forward and backward slide buttons are perfect for control. You can start and end presentations with a button. In order to pause the presentation, there is a blank screen button. My favorite is the Alt-tab button. It makes it so convenient to switch through different presentations.

Mouse:
There is a switch on the right side to select the mouse mode. It is useful to play embedded videos in my presentation. It is not smooth as a regular mouse of course, but I believe I can operate it better once my thumb gets used to it.

Conclusion:
Overall, I strongly recommend Sp800 if you frequently make PowerPoint presentations. It makes your presentation professional and cool at the same time.

I was looking for a presentation remote that:
1. could flip through my slides
2. was compatible with my MacBook Pro
3. had a responsive, bright, green laser
4. had a good arrangement of controls (I'll explain what this means below)
5. was supported by the maker (Satechi)

Short answer: The SP800 met all these criteria, and I am very happy with it.

Long answers:

1. could flip through my slides:
I was not looking for much. I don't do anything fancy, so all I needed was something to advance each of my animations and slide transitions with a simple button click. This pointer has clearly marked "Prev" and "Next" buttons, which correspond (respectively) to the "up" and "down" keys on my Mac. I never have to worry about accidentally starting a movie or triggering a menu during a presentation.

2. was compatible with my MacBook Pro (2009):
I am running Leopard on a 2009 MacBook Pro. The remote communicates wirelessly to a small USB receiver. I plugged it in, and my Mac initially thought it was keyboard. It asked if I wanted to identify the keyboard (by pressing specific keys) and I *skipped* this step. Afterward it allowed me to specify a keyboard, and I chose the U.S. option. After that it just works every time I plug it in.

3. had a responsive, bright, green laser:
Integrated with the pointer is a Class II green laser emitting at 532 nm. It is just the right brightness, not too much or too little (some pointers are so bright, it hurts to look at the spot). It also turns on immediately. (Some pointers seem to have a lag between pressing the button and emitting the light.) One neat feature is that the laser automatically shuts off if you hold it down for more than 20 sec -- this prevents you from accidentally draining the battery while traveling.

4. had a good arrangement of controls:
The Prev, Laser, and Next buttons are arranged, in that order, in a horizontal row across the remote, about where my thumb rests. I like this arrangement, because I never confuse Laser with Next, and yet they are both close to where my thumb is. Above this row are four buttons that can be used to control multimedia files or the mouse, depending on what mode you are in.

5. was supported by the maker (Satechi)
I was impressed with the attentiveness of Satechi customer support. Immediately when the pointer arrived, customer support sent an email asking how the pointer was, and if it worked. It also came with batteries, so I could install them and immediately test it out -- nice touch.

Looks and feels much better in your hand than the cheaper remotes.

No setup required. Plugged in the dongle and I was advancing slides 30 seconds later. No additional software needed.

Range is great. No delay when pressing buttons even from a the back of my presentation room (~30-40 ft).

Green laser is a nice change of pace style-wise and is very bright even in a sunlit room. Highly recommend.

I give it 4/5 instead of 5/5 because of button configuration. If you're not looking, it's easy to click the right arrow button instead of the the next slidebutton, which unfortunately takes you out of "presentation mode" on PowerPoint. Pressing it again starts your presentation on slide #1. Happened to me twice in first meeting with the new remote. Not ideal, but also not a deal breaker. You'll just need to be careful.

After using a Kensington wireless mouse product for almost a year with intermittent results (sometimes good signal, sometimes non-existent), it was a relief to purchase this pointer and have it work so easily right out of the box.

Signal is strong and set-up is fast and easy. It really is just plug and go.

I work with many non-computer friendly people and even they have no problem operating this device.

I plugged it in and it started working fine on my ppt. I had a problem, the laser didn't work. I called customer service,(858) 268-1800, and they sent me a replacement via expedited shipping and paid for return postage! This is the kind of customer service that makes a person loyal to a company.

I don't have time to write as much as the other reviews(2), but everrything they said is true and more. This device is fantastic, great in the hand and easy to use.
Green is much better than red for the laser.
Moving the cursor with the mouse option can be a little slow at times, it is very exact and serves it's purpose well. It is great to be able to change from video clips to PPT and back.
Better than I expected!
A Happy User!

This smart pointer is absolutely terrific. I'm using it in my sixth grade classroom. The handy zippered case is a great "home" so it doesn't get lost amid the chaos of 30 kids.

I am an older teacher and I love all the new technology. The smart pointer is one of those rare technologies that makes my Smart Board easier to use rather than another gimmick to complicate the classroom. It helps to make teaching much more relevant for the kids (and they help me out with any tech problems, too. Ha!)

Am returning this today, as I have only had it for two weeks and in a presentation Friday, the laser got "stuck". I had to remove the batteries to get the light to go off. When I put the batteries back in, the laser came back on too. Now today, nothing works. I have replaced the batteries and still nothing. Maybe mine is faulty.. but I was disappointed. Now I have to get another before class on Tuesday

Worked as expected, as a USB mouse under ubuntu linux with no problem. Green laser pointer was plenty bright and worked even in a large lecture hall. Only complaint is that the clicking doesn't seem to talk to the computer until some magical combination of things is done; not clear what the issue is, but likely a linux-only issue. Usually I can get it to work fine by button-mashing a bit until it responds.

This product is nice. The green laser is super bright and I have no worries about anyone not seeing it when I use it for a presentation. However, this unit is so light that I'm afraid that if I dropped it, it might not withstand the impact very well. As such, I've been extra careful to protect it. Perhaps I'll put some special cushioning tape around it...