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BlackBerry Presenter Does PowerPoint Without the PC
BlackBerry Presenter Does PowerPoint Without the PCBy Andrew Garcia
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BlackBerry Presenter
The BlackBerry Presenter lets users stream a PowerPoint slide deck from their BlackBerry to an external display or projector via Bluetooth.
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Connectors
The Presenter supports VGA and S-Video output, although the maximum resolution possible varies by connection. There is also a PAL/NTSC standard toggle switch beneath the USB connector.
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Projector
We tested the Presenter with both an external monitor and projector (shown here).
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Software Installation
Presenter software must be installed on the BlackBerry smartphone. It can be installed via a PC, a direct download or through a BlackBerry Enterprise Server.
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Presenter Software
The Presenter Software works on any BlackBerry running OS 4.6 or higher, except the Curve 8300 and Pearl Flip 8200 series.
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Opening Files
Consumer BlackBerry users can only display PowerPoints saved to the local device storage or removeable storage card.
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E-Mail Attachments
Corporate users running device OS 5.0, with access to a BES 5.0 SP1 server, can also present files attached to e-mails.
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Calendar Attachments
Corporate users can also present slideshows attached to calendar entries, again assuming the correct device OS and background resources.
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Present via Bluetooth
When starting a presentation from the smartphone, the software enables the device's Bluetooth radio and searches out nearby Presenter appliances.
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Loading Takes Awhile
Users should consider preloading slide decks to the appliance, as transfer over Bluetooth can take a long time. While the presentation can commence while the transfer is still in progress, performance becomes quite sluggish.
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Onscreen Navigation
Using the BlackBerry as a remote control, presenters can move forward and back within the slide deck, or go straight to a specific slide. Users can also view speaker notes on the device, while the projector shows the real slide.
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Presenter Manager 1
From the Windows-based management application, I could change the name of the appliance.
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Presenter Manager 2
The Manager software can also update or reload the appliance firmware.
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