Logitech Wireless Presenter R400

• Intuitive touch-keys for easy slideshow control
• Bright red laser pointer - easy to see against most backgrounds
• Up to 50-foot wireless range for freedom to move around the room
• 2.4 GHz wireless USB receiver for plug-and-play simplicity with any computer
• Built-in docking bay stores receiver for easy pack up and portability

Anyone looking for a solid, easy to use wireless presenter will be more than pleased with the R400.

From an ergonomics perspective I think it is, as Goldilocks would say. "just right". Some of the smaller presenters often require a lot of fidgeting. At the same time, you do not want to be holding a brick in your hand when standing in front of an audience. This unit is large enough to be easy to use, small enough to be discrete. The rubberized surface helps ensure it will not go flying due to an over-zealous hand gesture.

Set up is very easy, plug the dongle into a laptop and you are ready to go. I have used this on a variety of laptops and it has always worked flawlessly.

If you are a facilitator or do a lot of presentations, you should consider the upgrade to the R800. Once you adopt the practice of using a vibrating timer, you will never want to be without this feature. Likewise, the more powerful laser on the R800 makes a big difference in large or bright rooms. The R400 is a good choice for 75% of presenters, but at least look at the 800 before making your final choice. You can not go wrong with either.

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First off, you don't really get a feel for the size of thing from the picture or even the video. As noted in the product dimensions, it's 4.5" by 1.5", so draw that to see what it's like. It's small and very comfortable to hold, with a rubbery surface that makes it very unlikely you'll drop it even with a light grip.

I especially like that the USB dongle stores inside the unit, so the two pieces are much less likely to get separated. It comes with a nice protective zipper case, though I don't use it. I just throw the thing in my laptop bag without the case.

I use this on a Mac and it works, mostly. With a little customizing, it works completely.

The first time I plugged it in, a "Keyboard Assistant" ran since the Mac didn't recognize the "keyboard". I simply quit the assistant, and there was no problem. The forward, back, and black screen buttons work fine on both Powerpoint and Keynote. However out of the box, the "play" button works on neither. With some fiddling, I was able to get the play button to work on both.

To configure Powerpoint for the play button, go to the Keyboard system preference and pick Keyboard Shortcuts. Then hit the + key to add a shortcut. Pick Microsoft Powerpoint for the application (you may need to hit Other... to find it, since it's in a subdirectory in Applications). For Menu Title type in, exactly, "Slide Show" (without the quotes). Then in the Keyboard Shortcut, simply press the play button on the remote. That sets the shortcut to F5, which is what the remote sends with you press play. Now the play button works for Powerpoint. You can do the same for Keynote, with the menu title "Play Slideshow".

Then all the buttons on the remote work on the Mac.

The red laser is not very bright, but passable. I would have preferred a brighter green laser. The wireless range is more than good enough for any room I've been in.

Notably missing is any ability to move the mouse arrow or click. Moving forward and back is not really enough if you have movies or links in your presentation. In that case, you'll want a more capable remote.

The bottom line is that the R400 provides the minimum functionality, even on a Mac, with a really nicely designed form with a great feel. However the functions are only minimal, one of the functions doesn't work on a Mac out of the box, and in the end, it is a little overpriced. There are better choices, e.g. the Keyspan Presentation Remote Pro. Though I wish the better choices felt as good to hold as this one.

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I obtained both the R400 and R800 Professional units and thought it would be worth comparing them. I use wireless remotes with Powerpoint often, and have two different Kensington models as comparisons.

Both the R400 and R800 use standard AAA batteries. This is important when traveling. One of my Kensington models uses watch batteries, which are hard to find on the road. With the Logitech models, this is especially important because the remotes have an "on-off" switch. It seems likely--at least for me--that I will forget to turn the switch off at some point or, when traveling, the switch could slide to on, draining the power. When replacing batteries in an emergency, having standard-sized batteries is something you'll be thankful for.

The units have little pouches for travel, and the pouches would prevent the accidental switch to on, but the pouches are bulky. I doubt I will use the pouches. The R400 is smaller than the R800, so if you travel a lot, the R400 may be best. Both units have a hot button to allow the presentation screen to go dark, which is a great way to draw attention from the slide to the presenter. Another button brings up the presentation again.

Both units set up in a snap--at least in Windows XP. I just inserted the USB bar and after about 30 seconds, I was able to advance an open Powerpoint presentation. I haven't tested this on Vista or on Mac yet.

The R800 has more range, which is useful if your laptop is in the back of the room. The R800 has a timer, which is great in today's watch-less world. Set the timer for the length of the presentation and it will actually vibrate with reminders. The green laser, as opposed to the red for the R400, seems to have about the same range and it's debatable whether or not green is easier to see than red. But, the green laser projects a little bigger on the screen and that definitely is better.

For the money, either units are good, but they are priced a little higher than the Kensington. They're easy to use (whenever I had my Kensington to someone to use they need a primer on its use and I don't see that being the case with these). If you're already making the financial leap, it's probably worth the major leap to the R800. If you travel and space is the prime concern, go with the R400.

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Right off the clip, the R400 has a few nice touches:

Ships with two Duracell batteries.

USB transmitter inserts into the presenter itself; doesn't need to be carried separately.

Includes a nice neoprene-like case.

No software! (this is a GOOD thing, the less clutter on my PC, the better)

Even though OS X isn't listed as compatible with this presenter, it works! Don't let the "Unknown keyboard" dialog on USB insert scare you; it works just fine.

Laser pointer works.

Next and previous buttons work.

"Black screen" button works.

"Launch slide show" button... I'm not sure what this does because all I can get it to do is to cancel the slideshow and show PowerPoint.

After using this, I'm not sure how I lived without it. Bringing to all of my presentations!

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Normally, logitech devices are easy to use and handy. This one is also easy to use, small and portable. But one thing it doesn't have that disappointed me was the click button. One cannot play a video or music from a distance with this one. Since I'm a musician my presentations are highly relied upon this feature. So, if you think you don't need a click and just need to show your slides, this is a perfect fit for you, but otherwise, I don't recommend it.