Product Reviews

Input devices

Interlink RemotePoint RF [PC Pro]
COMPANY: Interlink Electronics	PRICE: Ł165 (Ł194 inc VAT)
RATING:	ISSUE: 71 DATE: Jul 00
LATEST PRICES: £59.95 (1 Retailers)

Verdict: A useful, if fairly expensive, tool for habitual presentation givers. The rest of us could probably do without any more technology or layers of software in our paths.

For most of us, giving presentations isn't the most enjoyable of experiences. Nine times out of ten the technology we use serves better to trip us up by crashing or failing to work than it does to make things go smoothly. But if you can handle the thought of having yet another microprocessor between you and your audience, the RemotePoint RF can, in the right hands, give your PowerPoint presentations a touch more flair.

It's basically a handheld wireless mouse-pointing device, using a radio link to the supplied base station, which attaches to either a standard PS/2 port or USB using the supplied adaptor. A gamepad-style thumb controller provides cursor control, and the primary mouse button falls trigger-style beneath the index finger underneath the unit. On top there are four numbered function buttons, forward and backward presentation slide buttons, and a button for a neat little feature - an integrated laser pointer. This gives a thin bright red beam that you can use in place of a conventional pointer on a large board.

Plugging the RemotePoint's base receiver into a PS/2 port lets you use it as a standard mouse straight away. A driver is supplied for the USB adaptor, and a utility disk lets you use the device to its full effect when you fire up PowerPoint.



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The software sits in the System Tray, and when you've got a PowerPoint presentation going, the two direction buttons automatically become forward and backward slide controls. Pressing one of the numbered buttons activates one of several programmable functions that work all the time, whether or not PowerPoint is loaded. By default, button one brings up a toolbar that gives you a steerable spotlight while the rest of the screen is darkened, a tickertape display that scrolls a message across the screen, or a Checkmark tool that lets you stamp little red ticks on the Very Important Facts in your slide. Button two gives you a Hide/Reveal tool, the digital equivalent of the piece of paper obscuring an OHP transparency: moving the mouse pointer down progressively reveals the screen beneath. Button three zooms the screen, while button four sends an Escape keystroke to close a presentation. The toolbar and buttons are fully programmable, and there are a dozen or so other similar widgets available, including the ability to launch the program of your choice or play a movie.

The manufacturer claims the RemotePoint will work from a distance of up to 100ft from the transmitter - we got up to about 30ft away, behind a couple of walls, and it still worked fine.

The RemotePoint is a great tool if you give presentations more than once every couple of months: use it any less frequently and it will probably be a hindrance rather than a help since you'll end up pressing the wrong buttons and getting in a fluster. If you don't require all the functionality on offer, you may find that the remote control bundled with your projector offers all you need. If you must have more control, spending the time to master the RemotePoint RF's functions smoothly without having to pause and remember which button does what will make you look a touch more professional.

By David Fearon

SPECIFICATIONS:
Wireless radio mouse pointer, range up to 100ft (30m), integrated sub-milliwatt laser pointer, receiver powered via PS/2 or USB connector, USB adaptor supplied, requires two AA batteries (supplied), typical power consumption 40mA in use, quoted battery life six months in normal use. Transmitter unit dimensions: 51x35x165mm (WxDxH). Weight: 142g with batteries.