You can create a PowerPoint presentation on your laptop or on a desktop
before you head out on the road, but the problems come when it’s time to
share:If it’s just you and a client (or your boss), you can sit alongside each
other and let the show go on. You may need to wedge yourself in close
enough to reach the pointing device or an attached mouse in order to
pause the presentation or back up to review a page.
If you’ve got a small crowd, you may be able to gather them around the
laptop, but the wider the group, the more likely that some of the people
in the room will be at or beyond the useable viewing angle of the LCD
screen on your laptop. And you’ve still got to find a way to get your finger
in there somewhere if you want to exercise manual control of the show.If the crowd is more than a few or the room is large, you may be able to
output the presentation from your laptop to a large monitor (using a
VGA output) or use an LCD projector to put the show up on the big
screen in a boardroom or an auditorium. So far, so good, but until you
make other arrangements you’re still stuck within an arm’s length of the
laptop to control the show.My favorite solution, and a regular addition to my kit bag any time I need to
make a presentation, is a wireless remote control. Among the best is Keyspan’s
Presentation Remote. (Consult http://www.keyspan.comfor details.) This little
device, about half the size of your basic television remote control, communi-
cates by radio frequency signal to a small receiver that plugs in to a USB port
on the laptop. The remote control includes all the functions of a two-button
mouse; it comes ready to use for PowerPoint, but you can also download a
free software utility from the Keyspan web site that allows you to program
the remote for use with any application.The remote works from anywhere within 40 feet of your laptop, allowing you
to wander the room like a television talk show host. And even niftier, the
small remote also includes a laser pointer that allows you to emphasize your
words and pictures.Keyspan also sells another device that would be of value to road warriors
who make presentations based on DVDs, CDs, MP3s, and can also be pro-
grammed for use with PowerPoint. The Keyspan Digital Media Remote uses
an infrared transmitter with a full set of VCR-like buttons and a receiver that
attaches to a USB port.Surge Protector and Power Strip ...............................................................
For some reason, even the most business-friendly hotels in the world still
have not done the math: Almost invariably, when I turn up with a laptop, a330 Part VI: The Part of Tens