[PLUG] Wireless USB Remote Presentation Clicker

Keith Lofstrom keithl at gate.kl-ic.com
Fri Jan 27 03:01:31 UTC 2012


On Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 06:06:55PM -0800, John Jason Jordan wrote:
> I need one that will work with Windows computers at PSU using MS
> Powerpoint and with Linux using Libreoffice Impress. Beyond those
> requirements, cheap is a good thing. Also where to buy cheaply is a
> plus. (I already checked Free Geek, but they have none in stock.)
> 
> Recommendations? Makes/models known to work with Linux?

The USB clickers I'm familiar with act like they are keys on the
keyboard.  The same keys codes drive slides in both Powerpoint
and Impress.  So almost all clickers should work out of the
box.   The few that are weird will all work with Powerpoint,
while Impress may require some preference configuration.
Probably not, though.   Assume any remote is either completely
compatable, or compatable after 5 minutes of one-time tweaks
to Impress.

Far more important is range and ease of use.  More buttons
is not better.  You want to focus on your talk, not on your
fancy clicker, so forward/back is usually all you need. 
A built in laser can be handy, as long as you don't get it
confused with forward and back.

I have a fancy four button plus laser remote, since my own
presentation tool (http://server-sky.com/wydiwys) can do
hierarchical navigation with the third button.  But after
accidentally punching into nav mode too many times, It is
better to just use the laptop keyboard and mouse for that.  

You want a clicker that uses AAA batteries, not coin cells.
You should be able to buy replacement batteries at a 7-11.

There are probably bluetooth clickers by now.  Associating
bluetooth is too time consuming.  Stick with USB.  The
little USB dongle might get left behind, so small is not
as important as whether you can tie a flag with a "return
to John Jordan" message on it.

So, read the reviews, and worry about range and ergonomics,
not compatability so much.  If you can wait for it to arrive,
I'd see what people like at Newegg and buy there.  Newegg
tends to have smarter customer reviews than Amazon, and the
prices are often better.

Keith

-- 
Keith Lofstrom          keithl at keithl.com         Voice (503)-520-1993
KLIC --- Keith Lofstrom Integrated Circuits --- "Your Ideas in Silicon"
Design Contracting in Bipolar and CMOS - Analog, Digital, and Scan ICs



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