Satechi's X-Presenter Smart is a perfect stocking stuffer for your favorite businessperson
If you're looking for a stocking stuffer for that certain someone who gives a lot of presentations, I think I may have just the item for you. Satechi's new X-Presenter Smart (US$29.99) is an iOS app-enabled laser pointer, a stubby stylus, and a remote mouse all in one tiny little package.
That package is about .4" in diameter and about 2.2" long. Inside a silicone cover you'll find the removable laser pointer, which plugs into the headphone port on your iPhone. To use the laser pointer, you need to download the free X-Presenter Smart or X-Pointer Smart app. The former provides a way to control a Keynote or PowerPoint presentation running on a Mac or PC through a virtual mouse, while both apps give you the opportunity to blind the audience point at details on the screen.
The laser pointer is quite bright, even in well-lit rooms. During my testing, I was able to amuse my elderly cat Ruby for about a minute before she wandered off... But it's the wireless mouse and presentation control feature that's really cool.
The X-Presenter Smart comes with a small dongle for communicating with your Mac or PC. I'm not sure why Satechi chose to use this rather than just use the built-in Bluetooth of the device, but perhaps it's to add range so that presenters can wander around stage without being close to their laptops.
The app works great with both PowerPoint and Keynote. There's a button for starting your presentation, after which time you can jump into the mouse mode to advance through your bullet points and slides. If you're on a limited time schedule for your presentation, there's a handy countdown timer you can set and start once you've begun your talk. The mouse mode also has a tap and drag virtual laser pointer capability, but I believe that it might only work when connected to a projector as I couldn't see the "pointer" onscreen while watching my presentation on a MacBook screen.
There's a blackout button on the presentation tools, perfect for those situations where you may need to go to a black screen during your presentation before starting up again. Once you're done with your presentation, you can slide the laser pointer back into the silicone sleeve, where it provides rigidity for a nice little (albeit stubby) stylus.
Conclusion
This is the perfect accessory for anyone who gives presentations on a regular basis. The combination of a Bluetooth remote virtual mouse, the ability to start and progress through presentations, and the real laser pointer -- all for thirty bucks -- makes the Satechi X-Presenter Smart a no-brainer for a gift at any time.
Pros
Bright laser is perfect for pointing out details on presentation slides
X-Presenter Smart App is free and very powerful, providing capabilities that aren't available on some dedicated wireless remotes that cost much more
Works with both Keynote and PowerPoint on both Mac and PC
Cons
So small that the laser/stylus and dongle might be easily lost -- be sure to put them into a safe place between presentations
You may need to remove some cases prior to using the laser pointer
Who is it for?
Anyone who gives presentations for a living
