Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 48
 Exactly what I hoped for August 27, 2009
Trevor Burnham (Ann Arbor, MI)
19 out of 20 found this review helpful
I own a Kensington 33374, the predecessor to this product and one of the most popular wireless presenters on Amazon. As I wrote in my 4-star review of that device back in March of this year: "One way that Kensington could make their next model more useful would be for the USB adapter to double as a thumbdrive. Since you'll be plugging it into the host computer anyway, why not put your presentation on it?"
My prayers were answered.
This model is practically identical to its predecessor; why mess with a good design? (The 33374 currently has 152 customer reviews averaging 4.5 stars.) It lacks the heft, chrome and fancy features of high-end presenter models--there are no programmable buttons, no mousing capability--but has all of the basics down pat: Just plug the tiny USB dongle into the computer you want to use (there are no drivers needed on any recent version of Windows or Mac OS X), then use the left and right arrows to flip from slide to slide and the top arrow to point a bright red laser point. (The lower button toggles blackout mode in PowerPoint, which is nice if you want to focus your audience's attention on something other than the slides for a moment.) It's simple, comfortable--and now it has 1GB of storage, enough for hundreds of ordinary PowerPoint presentations. The design is also slightly improved by replacing the distracting flash of metal around the controls with a high-contrast black color.
Any downsides? The price point is significantly higher, so you should think about whether the convenience of the built-in memory is worth it. One of the great features of the device is that the USB dongle slides right in when it's not in use. Some people keep a USB thumbdrive on them at all times. If you do, and if the computers you're going to be presenting on are sure to have 2 open USB ports, then you could save yourself a few bucks with the older model. But if you enjoy having everything in one single, simple package, then the premium is well worth it.
 Good: Simple, elegant, ergonomic....Bad: Price August 31, 2009
Soar
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I love well designed products that have a clear functional target and meet it. This item does that. It is so hard sometimes for designers and marketers to keep from throwing extras that end up cluttering up the usefulness of something. This presentation tool is simple, elegant, and does what it needs to do very well.
Simple: When I am walking a group through a presentation, the last thing I want is to fumble finger some complicated remote. I've got my mind on a million other things and want SIMPLE technology that WORKS. From trying this with my laptop, the install was simple (plug in the USB receiver), the response is quick, and the buttons are obvious (other than the button that looks like a stop which is actually a black screen, but use this once and you got it). Simple.
Elegant: Each piece of functional design on this device is well done. Having on-board memory with the USB receiver is smart thinking. Storing the receiver in the device and at the same time, using that as a means to toggle the device on and off is clean, well thought out design. The tactile feel and heft just feels good.
Ergonomic: 4 buttons, each with a solid use to a presenter: forward, back, laser, and screen blank is all that is needed and is all that is present. Nice. As someone who does loads of presentations, that's all you need until you get into the realm of an air mouse Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse). I have large hands and don't want something the size of a car remote, this device feels comfortable in my hands without being too large and clunky.
The Bad:
So, why the 3 stars? There is just no getting around the price of this item. At the time of the review, the price is way too high. Price it around $35 (less than half the current price) and many people would be looking at this. A few more dollars over the current price and you have an air mouse, much more functionality. Heck, you can get a Kensington mouse with similar wireless functionality for presentations (no memory though) that is less than half the price... Kensington SlimBlade Presenter Mouse, Wireless Mouse and Presenter in One (Ice Blue) K72283US. Oh, and the manual is just horrible. Trying to put all the languages after each other is so bad, confusing, and useless that I am astounded that anyone at Kensington agreed to print it. Thankfully the manual is not a reflection of their product.
So, while I would like to shake the hands of the design team, either they put way too expensive components in this device or the pricing team for Kensington bumped their heads one too many times. No way does the current price point make sense.
Pros:
- simple, easy to use functionality that works
- well thought out design
- great heft and feel to it
- USB memory is nice
Neutral:
- laser is ok, but would be GREAT if it were the green ones out now
Cons:
- price
- terrible manual
- price
Good little remote control for your Windows Powerpoint Presentations August 26, 2009
The Music Man (United States)
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
When I received the Kensington Wireless Presenter, I was hoping it would help me with my Powerpoint Presentations which I give to my students. I'm an elementary school librarian, and often have to sit desk-bound behind the children while they watch the screen and instruct them while they are facing away from me. This "wireless presenter" (which is simply a combined remote control/laser pointer) is very handy in allowing me to stand in front of the children, by the screen and point and click my way through Powerpoint presentations without having to stand by the computer. Simply load the presentation onto the flash-drive which is included, start the presentation from the flash-drive, and then direct it forward or back using the remote. The cost for this presenter is the sticking point, $75 - my computer specialist here at school bought several wireless mouses (with laser pointers) for teachers at her other school for a mere $45, and it not only could do everything this remote could do, it also was a mouse for the computer. Cheaper, and more useful all around. The instructions included are next to useless (in eleven different languages!) but it's a simple device, and even computer novices should have little trouble in figuring it out.
 Simple. Decent range. Expensive. August 20, 2009
P. Nguyen (Los Angeles, CA)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Pros: I like this wireless presenter a whole lot. It works well with Vista and OSX 10.5.x, Keynote & Office, out of the box, has good wireless range (tested at 20+ ft). Having the built-in laser pointer is useful. Simple four-button design - start, forward, backward and stop - minimizes confusion. The pointer has a docking pod for the USB receiver, which conveniently deactivates laser pointer when the receiver is in place. Now, I don't have to carry a laser pointer, the Apple control, and a thumb drive.
Cons: For the price $75 on Amazon, it should have a nicer design and larger storage capacity, and function as a wireless air mouse.
Admittedly, I am biased toward the Apple brushed aluminum uniblock design. Hence, I feel that, for $75, this product should feel solid in my hand as a high-end item, not some cheap rubberized plasticky stuff. The size is also a little bulky for my taste. I know 1 GB is capacious for PPT presentations; but flash memory is cheap. This product should have 4+GB, preferentially 8+GB to minimize having to carry another thumb drive. The four functions / four buttons design may work well with old-school slides. For graphic / video intensive slides, the functional deficiency starts to show. If this is a $25-dollar item, that would be acceptable. However, for $75, air mouse functionality should be built-in. So you can control your embedded video from afar, instead of having to return to the podium; that would defeat the purpose of the purported 60 ft range.
Final recommendation: excellent purchase for $25. Not more than that. Kensington should improve design / capacity / functionality for next version.
Fantastic Presenter for Power Point or PDF Presentations January 21, 2010
mhnstr (Christchurch, New Zealand)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Kensington Wireless Presenter is a brilliant design that makes presenting a lot easier. I have been using the Kensington Wireless Presenter for several weeks and I am very pleased with it. I deliver presentations using Power Point or Adobe Acrobat at least once a week. Prior to receiving the Kensington Wireless Presenter, I would load my presentation files onto a general purpose memory stick or store them on my laptop and press keys on my laptop to advance the slides, all of which worked will enough. But, now that I am using the Kensington Wireless Presenter, delivering presentations is much easier because I can store presentations on the USB drive and I am no longer tied to a keyboard to advance the presentation slides.
The Kensington Wireless Presenter is plug and play with Windows and therefore setup on your computer is very easy. I use Windows XP Pro and my computers recognized the USB drive when I inserted it into a USB port and after a few seconds, the presenter was ready to be used. I also really like the way that the laser pointer only works if the USB drive is connected to your computer, reducing the risk of accidentally draining the batteries while the presenter is in your bag.
I use the Kensington Wireless Presenter both with Power Point and PDF files and it works well for both. A nice feature for Power Point is that there is a stop button on the presenter which causes the screen to go blank if you are using Power Point. Great if you want to have the slides ready but not showing before your presentation.
The presenter is comfortable to hold and easy to use. I highly recommend the Kensington Wireless Presenter if you make presentations and want an all-in-one device to make the delivery a lot easier.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 48
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