SmartDiskPowerPlay Pro Wireless Remote for Microsoft PowerPoint with 32 MB Flash Drive

Rating:
Summary: Great Gadget!
Review: If you give a lot of PowerPoint presentations this is a must have. Maybe the best investment in computer gadget I have ever made. Having the laser pointer and slide controller on one device is really convenient. Being able to easily go forward and backwards with the push of one button is fantastic. The remote control works extremely well and is very easy to use. It has five buttons. One controls the laser pointer. Two others advance or reverse the slides. One button changes powerpoint in and out of slide show and the other blanks and unblanks the screen. You can give really slick presentations with a single small device in your hands. Because it has RF it has great range and does not need to be pointed in any particular direction. Most members of your audience will not even know you have the device in your hand! I have not found a room it does not work in, the range seems much greater than the advertised 33 feet, but may depend on battery strength too. I own two (one for me and one for my wife) and we have had no problems whatsoever with them. In addition to being a presentation remote, this device is also a flashdrive with 32 Mb of memory. If you are using someone else's computer and projector, the only thing you need to bring is the powerplay with your presentation stored on it! You plug it in a USB port, it takes a minute to self install on a new computer, the directory of the flashdrive pops up automatically, double-click your presenation, take the remote and go! Amazing.

My only small complaints are:
1) There is no way to turn the remote off. I worry that the buttons will be pushed in my briefcase, wearing out the battery. Fortuntately, it is very easy to pop the battery cover and turn the battery over to prevent it wearing down.
2) Because there are two small devices you have to carry, it would be really nice if a small carrying case had been included.
3) You can never have too much memory. While 32 Mb is big enough for most presenations, I actually have some larger ones. More memory would have been nice.

These are minor quibbles with what otherwise is a great device. I am really glad I found this and highly recommend it to anyone who routinely gives PowerPoint presentations.