Test Drive--RemotePoint Navigator 2.4

Presentation Remote

By Jeffrey Hastings -- School Library Journal, 2/1/2005

Interlink Electronics, Inc., 546 Flynn Road, Camarillo, CA 93012 (805) 484-8855 www.interlinkelectronics.com. Windows 98 and up, Mac G3, G4 platforms OS 8.x and up. $149

PowerPoint abuse, or PPA, is an insidiously yawn-inducing affliction from which few in our profession have been spared—and it's time we put an end to it.

For me, PPA first reared its ugly head when an otherwise compelling literature professor decided he could magically hold the interest of a lecture hall full of antsy undergrads by simply using PowerPoint. Wrong-O. I watched this naïve strategy fail abysmally as the well-meaning instructor stood there, chained to his spacebar, slavishly advancing slides. Students grumbled, slept, drooled. Poor guy. He might have avoided PPA by using the RemotePoint Navigator 2.4.

While this nifty tool won't guarantee a dynamic lesson, the RemotePoint Navigator gives presenters the mobility that master educators like Madeline Hunter cited long ago as the key to focusing audience attention on educational objectives.

The RemotePoint Navigator 2.4 is a handy little remote that lets presenters control PowerPoint presentations from up to 50 feet away from their computers. The compact, polished metal unit feels great nestled in the sweaty palm of even the most timid presenter, providing, as they freely move about, the same sense of security that generations of public speakers were afforded by clinging to a lectern. Because the RemotePoint Navigator has only four large, raised icon controls, it can easily be used "weatherman style," advancing or reversing slides without drawing attention to itself. A third button hides the slide, which is a remarkably effective way to refocus attention on the presenter. The fourth button activates the built-in laser pointer. Since it uses a radio signal rather than an infrared beam, presenters needn't remain in the receiver's line of vision, which eliminates the need to awkwardly aim the remote.

Best of all, the RemotePoint Navigator 2.4 and its small USB receiver can be installed in minutes on most Windows or Mac platforms without messing around with software. That makes the device easy to share in multiple venues, giving them a good chance to become, once again, certifiable "PPA-Free Zones."