Presenter-to-Go - Dec/Jan '02

Presenter-to-Go

Margi Systems has devised a way to present PowerPoint presentations directly from any Handspring Visor handheld with Presenter-to-Go. Unfortunately, Palm-brand owners are out of luck because this program is based solely on the Handspring Springboard form factor at this time.

The Presenter-to-Go allows you to connect your Visor to a projector or monitor. It generates static 256 color slides in high resolution (1024-by-768), even if your Visor only has a monochrome display (think of it as a separate video card). There is even a handy credit card-sized infrared remote, so you can advance the slides while standing 6 to 8 feet away from the Visor’s infrared port.

The Presenter-to-Go is a combination of hardware and software. The hardware consists of a Springboard with a special connector for the 12-inch Video Graphics Adapter (VGA) cable and a tiny AC adapter for powering the module. The Visor’s own power source is not sufficient to generate the video signal. A gender adapter plug is included to fit both monitors and projectors. I connected everything and was projecting slides within two minutes — try doing that with a laptop.

After installation, the desktop software adds a toolbar button within PowerPoint 97/2000/XP for Windows and PowerPoint 98/2001 for Mac. A pseudo-printer driver is added for capturing and adding content from other Windows programs. These tools convert desktop media to a Palm-compatible format (.PDB). You can append new slides to previously converted presentations.

The resulting slideshow gets hot synced over to the Visor. It can then be run from either the Visor’s live memory or from within the Presenter-to-Go’s diminutive 2MB of flash memory, using the included “Move” feature.

The desktop file compression is optimized for graphs, charts and text — not photographic images. Graphically heavy slides (including backgrounds) make for rather large files on the Visor. For example, a 3MB PowerPoint file containing 29 slides with text, a graphical background and 34 photos occupies 4MB on the Palm.

The Springboard contains the Palm software for running the slideshow, and allows you to rearrange or skip slides. A free update on the Margi Web site allows you to view the text on the slides’ from the Visor as you go. The projected presentations look surprisingly good, considering they are displayed using only 256 colors. The secret is: Each slide’s color palette is individually optimized, so photos and other graphics display well.

Margi Systems provides another program, Mirror, as a free download. This handy program lets you to project your regular Visor display, which is perfect for giving in-house Palm training sessions, presentations and other situations where you need to share what is on your handheld’s display.

As might be expected, there are a number of limitations.

In addition to the file compression issues, the converted slides become static “snapshots,” meaning no transitions, animations, sounds or movies carry over to the handheld. One trick is to add simple “flip-book animation” by turning one slide into multiple static slides. Accordingly, this also increases the overall file size on the Visor. Likewise, you can’t physically modify a slide once it’s on the Visor.

When you display a slide from the Visor, there is a short delay while the next slide is uncompressed in memory. This generally takes between two and eight seconds depending on the slide’s graphic complexity. In the normal course of events, you will probably be talking at least that long for each slide. To skip ahead, you can tap on the Visor’s slide list or use the infrared remote’s number pad if you know the slide number. Since you will not have a laptop display in front of you, having a numbered printout can be quite useful. By default, there is a tiny clock icon in the bottom corner of the Visor screen, so you will know when it’s ready for advancement. You also can set it to kiosk mode, where the slideshow advances and repeats automatically.

The Margi desktop conversion software is supported on Windows 98/Me/2000/NT. Support for Windows NT was added in October with the release of Version 1.5, which can be downloaded from the Margi Web site. Mac OS 8.5 and above, excluding OS X, is also supported.

I enjoyed using Presenter-to-Go and continue to use it. Coupled with the MemPlug SmartMedia or CompactFlash Springboard from Portable Innovation Technology (reviewed on Page 44), you can bring many presentations with you and leave the laptop behind. If you don’t already have a laptop, the Presenter-to-Go’s price is attractive in comparison, but if you do, then one must balance the additional cost.

However, hands down, this is absolutely the best part: Watching mouths drop as you do the formerly impossible with any Palm-based handheld. This product is perfect for wowing almost any audience.

Margi Systems
(570) 657-4435
www.presenter-to-go.com

Price: $299

Any Handspring Visor running Palm OS 3.1 or higher; Windows 98/2000/Me/NT or Mac OS 8.5 or higher (includes OS X)

Reviewed by Jeffrey J. Beard, Legal Technologist with Quarles & Brady, Milwaukee.

Dec/Jan '02 Issue

PROS
Good desktop integration with PowerPoint; convenient remote control and onscreen readiness indicators; easy to set up.

CONS
Small Springboard memory requires larger presentation files to be stored and run on the Visor; heavy graphics take longer to advance; static slides only; can’t modify slides on the Visor. Fairly expensive Springboard.

VERDICT
Surprisingly good slide quality. Best for presentations not requiring multimedia elements or on-the-fly editing, impresses your audience while leaving the laptop behind.