Blackberry Accessory Allows Wireless Display of PowerPoint Presentations
Research in Motion, marketer of the Blackberry brand of mobile devices, introduced the Blackberry Presenter this month, an accessory that allows wireless projection of presentations from Blackberry smartphones. The device is designed to allow presenters to deliver a PowerPoint lecture without having to lug along a laptop.
The Blackberry Presenter is a small (3.4" x 2.4" x 0.9") and light-weight (fewer than 5 ounces or 140g) device that plugs into a projector or monitor via a VGA cable or an S-Video cable. The connection between the Blackberry and the Blackberry Presenter is Bluetooth, allowing the presenter to roam up to 30 feet from the device.
BlackBerry Presenter also provides control of presentations. Users can navigate their presentations, view speaker notes, and loop presentation slides and reference information on one slide while displaying another. Presenters can also freeze a presentation to answer a question, focus on a point, or search through the deck on the Blackberry smartphone to locate a specific PowerPoint slide. It supports NTSC and PAL and supports up to XGA (1,-24 x 768) resolution.
BlackBerry Presenter will be priced at $199. A shipping date is yet to be announced.
About the Author
Denise Harrison is a freelance writer and editor specializing in technology, specifically in audiovisual and presentation. She also works as a consultant for Second Life projects and is involved with nonprofits and education within the 3D realm. She can be reached here.