Conduits Pocket Slides 2.0 in Beta

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.conduits.com/company_news.asp?nfti20040901.html' target='_blank'>http://www.conduits.com/company_new...ti20040901.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Pocket Slides 2.0 is in its final beta testing phase, and should be released very soon. Look out for these new and improved features: new editing shapes, layouts and color schemes, as well as support for backgrounds, hyperlinking, shadows, sound and music."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/pocketslides2.jpg" /><br /><br />We haven't heard much from Conduits lately, but it looks like they've been cooking up a new version of Pocket Slides - and it looks tasty! They're looking for beta testers for Pocket Slides 2, so if you've got some time to spare, check it out.

[daninnj]

The new version sounds awesome! Also from the link, it says that they are gonna release new versions of Pocket Player and Artist. I can't wait!

[Darius Wey]

I'd be interested to see if this supported wireless control of PowerPoint presentations off the laptop. I'd love to be able to have my laptop connected to a projector, and use my Pocket PC via Bluetooth to control PowerPoint presentations. :D

[T-Will]

Wow, it's amazing all the features they've packed into this "pocket" sized program.

[Jason Patterson]

Thanks, everyone, for the great compliments and feedback so far. We've gotten an excellent interest in the beta testing too, which certainly helps.

DJ Apod, Pocket Slides is a PowerPoint viewer/editor so that you can leave your laptop behind -- instead of your Pocket PC controlling your laptop, how about your Bluetooth phone controlling your Pocket PC? There are several (free?) solutions out there for controlling PowerPoint on a laptop -- I don't have any links unfortunately.

[onepieceman]

Does it allow me to edit and save a NATIVE PowerPoint file?
My scenario is the following;

I attend a meeting and I don't want to take my laptop.
At the meeting, I decide I want to make a small change to my presentation.
I then save the file to SD card, take the SD Card out of the PocketPC, put it in an SD Card reader (so now I effectively have a flash key), and walk over to the presentation computer where I can display the presentation through the computer onto the projector.

If I can't save in native PowerPoint format, I either have to carry my laptop with me (so what's the point of the PocketPC?), or I have to rely on the PC in the conference room being able to ActiveSync (what are the chances of that?)

I've tried all the slide viewing programs in the past, but they have all had this essential feature (to my mind) missing. To me it means I still have to carry my laptop into meetings. Shame.

[Jason Patterson]

We don't support native PowerPoint files just yet, but there's an easy workaround that would (likely) work in your scenario. We do support two-way conversion (convert to device, make edits, convert back), and with one extra step, you can accomplish what you asked for.

You can install/copy the Pocket Slides desktop conversion software to your SD card (essentially it's an EXE and some DLL files). Then, all you would need to do is before leaving your desktop, convert your PPT file into a CPT (Pocket Slides Presentation) file. Our conversion has a feature called "embedding" which bundles the PPT file into the CPT file (since some details are not carried over into the CPT file, the original PPT file is required for "reverse conversion").

With the CPT on your device, you can make presentations with it from your Pocket PC, and/or perform any edits.

Saving the CPT to the SD Card, and plugging it into a desktop reader, simply run the conversion software again to convert back from CPT back into PPT format. You'll have your PPT file intact, with all the changes you made to the presentation on the device, ready for presentation from the laptop. The laptop would not have to have Pocket Slides or ActiveSync installed on it, since you would have the conversion program on your SD Card.

Of course, you could present using Pocket Slides from the Pocket PC - is that not desirable? For version 2.0, we are supporting many more in-presentation features than our 1.X version (sound, save annotations, actions, post-animation effects).

[onepieceman]

Thanks for your reply. I think that might just do it, assuming that the conversion software doesn't need to be installed and can be run directly off the SD card. Am I right?

[Darius Wey]

Thanks, everyone, for the great compliments and feedback so far. We've gotten an excellent interest in the beta testing too, which certainly helps.

DJ Apod, Pocket Slides is a PowerPoint viewer/editor so that you can leave your laptop behind -- instead of your Pocket PC controlling your laptop, how about your Bluetooth phone controlling your Pocket PC? There are several (free?) solutions out there for controlling PowerPoint on a laptop -- I don't have any links unfortunately.

Thanks Jason. I'd still love to be able to use my Pocket PC for PowerPoint slides. I was just wondering whether Pocket Slides would also support wireless control of laptops. It's not a big deal. I have found a few links out there for software that performs the function I was looking for. A lot have not been updated though. However, you do a great job and thanks for the reply!

[Underwater Mike]

I tried Pocket Slides and was totally blown away by the functionality. The only reason I didn't buy it is that my X5 just doesn't seem to have the horsepower necessary to make PS run well. I think that if you're doing simple, or mainly text-based, presentations, the PPC can handle everything ok. Unfortunately, I use a lot of graphics, build effects, etc. For that, my PPC is just agonizingly slow.

Maybe between the upcoming X50 and the new version of PS, I'll be able to leave the notebook behind for presentations?

[Jason Patterson]

Thanks for your reply. I think that might just do it, assuming that the conversion software doesn't need to be installed and can be run directly off the SD card. Am I right?
That's correct -- with version 1.8, it wasn't possible, but for version 2.0, you will be able to run things from the card directly.

Thanks Jason. I'd still love to be able to use my Pocket PC for PowerPoint slides. I was just wondering whether Pocket Slides would also support wireless control of laptops. It's not a big deal. I have found a few links out there for software that performs the function I was looking for. A lot have not been updated though. However, you do a great job and thanks for the reply!
That's something Pocket Slides isn't really geared towards. Now there may be some possiblity of a future version being able to relay a PowerPoint presentation being done on a laptop into Pocket Slides; a richer client than a Remote Desktop session. As far as just a standard laptop remote though, we won't be supporting that.


Maybe between the upcoming X50 and the new version of PS, I'll be able to leave the notebook behind for presentations?
Perhaps! Each version of Pocket Slides brings with it new optimizations in many key areas, so things might work out better for you with our 2.0 release.

[GregParke]

A great program. I can't wait to see the 2.0 version. Hope they have more drivers for couple of the older PPC presenters. I f they cover all the presenters out, will definitely dominate the market.

[Jason Patterson]

Greg,

Thank you for the kind words of support. Pocket Slides is wrapping up the testing phase right now. We are certainly supporting the major VGA devices that are/were on the market. Was there a particular one you would like to know about?

Thanks again!

[Sven Johannsen]

Greg,

Thank you for the kind words of support. Pocket Slides is wrapping up the testing phase right now. We are certainly supporting the major VGA devices that are/were on the market. Was there a particular one you would like to know about?

Thanks again!

I'm not Greg, but how about a Colorgraphics Voyager in a Dell Axim X50?

[Jason Patterson]

That configuration is certainly supported. Furthermore, you'll be able to use various Bluetooth devices to remote control your Dell.

Also, we're fully VGA compliant - if you are using the X50v with the VGA screen, the slide view is quite detailed (http://www.conduits.com/news/pocketslides2-beta.png).

[Sven Johannsen]

various Bluetooth devices.

Like what? Other than keyboards (which there seems to be only one of actually available :? )

[Jason Patterson]

various Bluetooth devices.

Like what? Other than keyboards (which there seems to be only one of actually available :? )
We have added support for a lot of devices to control Pocket Slides. First, any other Bluetooth-enabled Windows Mobile Pocket PC or Smartphone can be connected to Pocket Slides, and fully control the presentation (back / next / slide navigator / notes).

We also support several Bluetooth-enabled phones. The Sony T68, T610/616, and any Nokia Series 60 or UIQ phones are all supported. All the details will be announced when the product launches, but they all support essentially the same commands.

That should basically encompass all the major devices available. If there's another one you would like support for, please let us know.

[Sven Johannsen]

That's an interesting option. So I could have my presentation on my BT capable PPC with a VGA out card connected to a projector, and manage the presentation from a BT smartphone? Hmm, sounds impressive.

[GregParke]

Hey Jason:

Thanks for the quick reply. How about Prolink and Pretec. I know they are a bit older, but still in use by many.

[Jason Patterson]

That's an interesting option. So I could have my presentation on my BT capable PPC with a VGA out card connected to a projector, and manage the presentation from a BT smartphone? Hmm, sounds impressive.
That's exactly right. Essentially we wrote an emulator that produces a menuing system just like the Sony T68/T610/T616 phones do, in response to commands sent and received over Bluetooth. Pocket Slides 2.0 has been released, and we will post that program to our download pages once the documentation for Bluetooth connecitivity is complete.

GregParke, unfortunately, Prolink and Pretec did not respond to our inquiries on supporting their cards. We would certainly like to support their cards, and given the documentation on how to do so, we could hook into their drivers; at this time the documentation to do so has not been made available. If we can add support, we can provide a small downloadable plugin for the cards, so that you won't have to perform a clean install.

Thanks again!