Digital Presentations - Remote or wireless mouse?

[tanguay'sstillgood]

Hi all.
I am curious to get the thoughts of people who spend a lot of time doing presentations at work, etc. I don't have a computer remote or a cordless mouse, so I am often stuck beside the computer when I would rather be able to move around the room. My original idea was to find a remote that would control slide shows (mostly, but I would also like to do some SMART Board activities with it), but then I also thought maybe a wireless mouse would be better because it would allow me to do a lot more and still carry it around as I move.

Right now I would like to hear what others think, especially if your job involves a lot of this type of work. So...mouse vs. remote? Specific recommendations or suggestions? (keep in mind the budget is not unlimited and I would be looking for something simple to set up in different Laptops and gives me about 30 foot range).

[Kybosh]

My set up is pretty simple but I've found that my bluetooth Apple mouse works pretty well for controlling the slides and I hold a cheap laser point in the other hand. I seem to recall that those fancy remotes are a little on the pricey side.

[silentsim]

With my Macbook pro i use the apple remote, it works amazing with Keynote. Also have used a bluetooth mouse before, but I just like the elegance of the small remote

[iggypop]

Originally Posted by silentsim

With my Macbook pro i use the apple remote, it works amazing with Keynote. Also have used a bluetooth mouse before, but I just like the elegance of the small remote

Yeah, I use the remote too, works good with PP as well.
3 mac guys in a row? Weird.

Assuming your not using a mac, I've heard a couple profs talk about picking up wireless remotes and mouses online for real cheap. Actually have one prof who has a wireless mouse, that has a built in laser point and a few other features like a remote. He raves about it. Sorry I don't know the name though.

[calculoso]

If you're going to use a wireless mouse, make sure that you don't blind your audience with the laser coming out of the bottom... very distracting.

[tanguay'sstillgood]

Ya, I'll be using a PC, not a Mac. I never thought about the laser coming out of the mouse before...thanks for the tip.

Appreciate the advice so far.

[Jimmy Stang]

It sounds like you'd like to have the ability to move the cursor around (or maybe I assumed that!), so in that case, I think that a wireless mouse would be best.

If you are just going through a presentation, then I would recommend something like this:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...6013&CatId=627

Of course, it looks like they discontinued it. But something similar would do the trick. We have a few of these bad boys kicking around at work. Basic forward, back, laser, blank screen functions. It also has a timer that we never use, but you can have it count down and vibrate at certain intervals to keep you on track.

[I_H8_Crawford]

I use a remote for all of my presentations, I actually use a HP Pavillion laptop and they come with a handy media remote that works just fine with powerpoint.

[FanIn80]

I use my iPhone to control presentations.

Every once in a while, I'll even use the thing as a phone too.

[The Yen Man]

I like using a remote, becuase all my presentations are through slides. I find wireless mice a bit fumbly. Plus, I'm usually a little nervous up there, so it doesn't look that good when my hand is shaking and I'm trying to use a wireless mouse to show something. If I want to show my audience something that needs a mouse, I just go to my laptop and use a regular mouse. I find that I'm much more comfortable this way.

[sclitheroe]

I always thought this bad boy was a good idea: http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/Pr...s.aspx?pid=085