Registered: Aug 1999
Location: Inverness, FL
Posts: 428

<a href="http://www.margi.com">Margi Systems</a>, a leading provider of multimedia products for mobile systems, is going to announce on February 12th a module that transforms PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and HTML documents into slides that can be presented using the Visor via any VGA display.

The module, named <a target="_blank" href="http://www.presenter-to-go.com">Presenter-to-Go</a>, was spotted in in the March edition of Laptop magazine:

<i>Margi's Presenter-to-Go is a a Springboard module that allows Visor users to connect directly to a digital projector or other VGA displays and make high-resolution color presentation without a laptop.

The module comes with drivers that compress files from any printable Windows 98 or Me Compatible program into a format that can be transferred to a Visor handheld during a HotSynce.

Simply connect the module to a projector, tap the Presenter to Go icon on your Visor, and make a 1024 x 768 resolution presentation. The presentation can be run from anywhere in the room using the included IR remote control.

Once presentations are loaded into the Visor, you can rename slides, hide and "unhide" slides, view slide notes and more. An included 12-inch VGA cable connects the module to your display device.

It can be powered using the included AC Adapter, an optional battery pack, a Handspring power cable, or the cradle of the Visor Prism model.</i>

The module is estimated to cost $299, and the availability date is unknown. The Presenter-to-Go module sounds a lot like <a href="http://www.visorcentral.com/page/0-4-7-1-4.htm">Jeff Hawkin's "dream module."</a>

<i>"I would like to see a presentation style Springboard. Imagine �printing� your PowerPoint presentation to the Visor," Hawkins said. The presenter could then connect the projector, monitor or TV straight to the Springboard and control the presentation on the Visor. "You wouldn�t be able to edit the show, just display it," Hawkins added. </I>

Thanks to David Fanella for the tip.


[Edited by JHromadka on 02-05-2001 at 08:14 PM]

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<B>Marcus Adolfsson</B>
Editor

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: bright side of the moon.
Posts: 996

oh YA BABY!!!

Now THIS is what I call a 'useful' module. Can't wait to see it!!

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Stealth-Mod.

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Urbana, IL
Posts: 99

It would kick ass if you could run other programs w/ the VGA output...

Zap 2000 on the big screen!

Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 638

I have to admit that being able to play Zap2016 would be worth 30 dollars even if it couldn't translate the slides into a Palm format.

Wuick question for this would be weither or not a gray scale Visor would be able to present the slides in color on the projector or not. I would imagine that it could, but maybe not. Or maybe it's related to the OS, and 3.1 couldn't present color while 3.5 could.

BEN

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Indiana
Posts: 84

Reason #128 why I love the potential of the Visor....

Seriously, this is a fantastic application - one that I've been wishing for but not really expecting. I hope reality lives up to the description.

Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 89

This is good news!!

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: at work...
Posts: 736

YES!!! I've been waiting for this since day one! What a great module for mobile business users. I hope it will be able to display anything on the screen, not just the converted Word/PPT files.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: at work...
Posts: 736

quote:

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Originally posted by marcus

The module, named <a href="www.presenter-to-go.com">Presenter-to-Go</a>, was spotted in an advertisement in the March edition of Laptop magazine.

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Registered: Aug 1999
Location: Inverness, FL
Posts: 428

Just updated the news iteam with more text and an image.

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<B>Marcus Adolfsson</B>
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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Alive and well on VisorCentral.com
Posts: 861

By the looks of it, it's meant only for still images prepared ahead of time and not video games or to replace the visor's lcd output.. Still very interesting.. anything is possible given enough time & motivation.

Registered: May 2000
Location: Chicago
Posts: 15

This module would be a great benefit. Its a true laptop replacer. Lugging a 6 pound laptop and a 6 pound projector through Ohare? Throw away 1/2 the weight!

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 100

At $299, this is a pricey module. However since this would target the business traveler, I am all for it! Wow! This SERIOUSLY CHANGES THE BUSINESS TRAVEL LANDSCAPE!!!

Thank you so much for the heads-up, Marcus. This news will be met with cheers from both of my Web sites' readers.

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Midwest
Posts: 232

The idea of using a Visor for presentations is a nice one. But is it often that there is no other existing solution?

I give presentations occasionally using powerpoint. 99% of the time the destination has a VGA projector and PC already hooked together. I ask what format disk they can read, and usually the answer includes ZIP, CDR, DVD, and 3.5" Floppy. Of those, ZIP and CDR are the most common. I copy my presentation onto one of those two (sometimes both to be safe), and away I go.

Sticking my Zip disk into the destination's PC seems simpler than unplugging their PC from it's projector so I could plug my Visor in.

Now if a presentation room is going to be set up with just a Projector, then the ability to plug your Visor into it to drive the presentation is wonderful. Laptop users can still plug their laptops in. But YOU no longer have to carry at least a laptop to make a presentation.

I'm trying to convince my college faculty to each invest in their own Visors. If I could show that using Visors this way would reduce the need to have PCs at/with every projector then the savings to the college would be immense. The A/V center currently provides an expensive laptop with each projector checked out for a presentation. Imagine the savings if they didn't have to provide laptops. Faculty could download the presentation to their Visor, check out the projector, then PLAY the presentation from the Visor hooked to the projector.

My conclusion? Visors with this module could change institutions. It could allow considerable savings and simplicity in presentation IF a Visor and this presentation module were as standard as ZIP drives and disks. It may be "too late" for institutions who are already heavily invested in presentation technology including laptops and PCs with each projector.

Dave

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

The news item seems to have disappeared. How can one see the picture otherwise?

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan USA
Posts: 790

quote:

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Originally posted by Toby
The news item seems to have disappeared...

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Jeff