BlackBerry Presenter Does PowerPoint Without the PC
BlackBerry Presenter Does PowerPoint Without the PCBy Andrew Garcia
BlackBerry Presenter
The BlackBerry Presenter lets users stream a PowerPoint slide deck from their BlackBerry to an external display or projector via Bluetooth.
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.
Projector
We tested the Presenter with both an external monitor and projector (shown here).
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.
Presenter Software
The Presenter Software works on any BlackBerry running OS 4.6 or higher, except the Curve 8300 and Pearl Flip 8200 series.
Opening Files
Consumer BlackBerry users can only display PowerPoints saved to the local device storage or removeable storage card.
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.
Calendar Attachments
Corporate users can also present slideshows attached to calendar entries, again assuming the correct device OS and background resources.
Present via Bluetooth
When starting a presentation from the smartphone, the software enables the device’s Bluetooth radio and searches out nearby Presenter appliances.
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.
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.
Presenter Manager 1
From the Windows-based management application, I could change the name of the appliance.
Presenter Manager 2
The Manager software can also update or reload the appliance firmware.
