10-28-2002, 10:55 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Powerful Mobile Presentations
One of the most common requests I see from mobile professionals is �How can I leave my laptop behind more often?�. Laptops, even modern �super compact� models, are still too big, too heavy, and require too much preparation time for many people who do presentations daily. The lure of using a Pocket PC for presentations is a very strong one, so it�s not surprising that several companies have come up with innovative solutions. The Presenter-to-Go package from MARGI is a solid solution for anyone looking to go mobile with presentations.
Un-published PocketPC.com article originally written May 5th, 2002.
MARGI�s Presenter-to-Go solution is a excellent tool for mobile workers who want to leave their laptops behind for PowerPoint presentations.
Device Requirements
The MARGI Presenter-to-Go VGA out card is a Type 1 CompactFlash card that will work in any Pocket PC with a CompactFlash slot. The software version I was given was 2.02.1074. The software installed on the Pocket PC itself takes up 1.31 megabytes.
What�s Hot
The MARGI Presenter-to-Go solution is a superb solution for taking your presentations with you, and whether you�re presenting to someone sitting next to you in an office, or two an auditorium full of people, it�s fast, stable, and quick to set up and tear down.
Languages Supported
English
Where to Buy
The Margi Presenter-to-Go Type 1 CompactFlash card package can be purchased directly from Margi for $199 US.
Evolution of excellence
In 2001, MARGI released a PowerPoint solution for Handspring devices, and I emailed them several times eagerly requesting that they release a Pocket PC version of their product. There must have been many people like me asking for the same thing, because that same year they released their PCMCIA card product for the Pocket PC. It was an adequate product, but not extremely compelling to me personally � the PCMCIA form-factor limited it to iPAQ and @migo Pocket PCs, it only had 8-bit colour, and was limited to a resolution of 640 x 480. All good products evolve, and MARGI released a much improved CompactFlash Type II version later that year � and now they�ve tweaked their design one more time by releasing the unit I�m reviewing here: a Type I CompactFlash card that supports resolutions up to 1024 x 768 in 8-bit colour.
Figure 1: The MARGI Presenter-to-Go card and remote control
The package contains the CompactFlash card (Figure 1), an infrared remote control, two cables, and a CD-ROM with drivers and the MARGI Presenter-to-Go desktop and Pocket PC software. Installation was painless, and I was able to install the MARGI software to the HP Safe Store (Flash ROM) and run it without any problems.
Figure 2: The main connection cable and an extension cable
The MARGI bundle includes two cables: one to connect the card to a Pocket PC and a VGA port on the other, typically a projector. The other cable is for connecting to other VGA sources like a monitor, and functions like an extension cable � I used it to connect to a Sony G400 monitor for my tests.
Easy to use software
I found the MARGI software to be a delight to use. On the Pocket PC, it�s simple and offers a good series of options. It�s easiest to show this with a series of images from the application.
Figure 3: The MARGI Presenter-to-Go card and remote control
Figure 3 shows the list view of the slides. It�s easy to re-order the slides � you can drag and drop slides into new positions, or choose whether or not a slide will be shown. Being able to change whether or not slides are shown is a boon to any presenter � if you�re doing the same presentation multiple times, you can tweak your presentation as you go by omitting unneeded slides.
Figure 4: Support for speaker notes is included
Speaker notes are also supported as Figure 4 shows. I don�t personally ever use speaker notes, but they�re important for some people.
Figure 5: Presentation mode
Presentation mode allows you to view your slides on the device (Figure 5). With the included sample presentation, the text was too small to read. If you�re planning on giving presentations to others directly from the Pocket PC screen, make sure the text is nice and large!
Figure 6: Slide Show Preferences
Although there aren�t many presentation settings you can control, the important ones are here. You can use the timings from the slide show you converted, or you can override them and use your own settings (Figure 6). You can choose whether or not to display animations, and you can set it to loop continuously for kiosks and trade shows. They even have a preview option for left-handed users!
Video output with MARGI Mirror
Figure 7: Video output with MARGI Mirror
Slide shows are great, but can you use this card for other things? You bet! The MARGI Mirror software allows you to output anything you�re doing on the Pocket PC screen. This makes it excellent for product demonstrations and training. It allows you to zoom the display, making the Pocket PC screen fill a monitor or screen. Unlike some competing products on the market, the MARGI Mirror doesn�t slow the Pocket PC down while it�s running. I found the Pocket PC just as snappy and responsive, which is critical when you�re doing demos. Remember you can output anything - Figure 8 below shows me playing a video on the Pocket PC that is hooked up to a monitor. The frame rates on the video output are surprisingly good � around 10 frames per second. It�s choppy, but I was pleased it worked at all.
Figure 8: Playing a video with MARGI Mirror active
Desktop conversions are simple
One of the best things about this bundle is how easy it is to export documents to the MARGI format. When you install the desktop software, it adds a �MARGI virtual printer� to your system � this means that any application that you can print from can create files for your Pocket PC. The possibilities are endless!
Beyond the obvious PowerPoint exports, you can create files from Word documents, photos from image editing applications, spreadsheets, etc. The powerful concept of video output can be leveraged in many creative ways. The desktop software worked flawlessly in every test I threw at it. Because it functions like a printer, you can output only specific �pages� from a presentation. This flexibility is impressive.
The only fault I could find in the software is that it wasn�t always the most thrifty when it came to file size. I converted a 77-slide presentation that was all photos � on the desktop it was 4.3 megs, while the MARGI file was 20.2 megabytes! PowerPoint XP uses file compression, so I can understand the small file size on the desktop, but a single JPEG image sized for a Pocket PC is around 25 KB. 77 images at 25 KB should be less than 2 megabytes � which makes me wonder what the other 18 megabytes are in the MARGI file.
A word on quality
Figure 9: HP Jornada 565 displaying the MARGI output
A question any mobile warrior will ask is �How does the presentation look?�. Trust me, no one will be able to tell you�re not using your laptop unless they happen to notice you don�t enter the room carrying one. The output quality of the MARGI card is superb � text is crisp and sharp, and images look great. One of the things I was initially concerned about was that Presenter-to-Go uses a per-image fixed palette - that means that it looks at each image and picks the best 256 colors to represent that image. On paper, 8-bit colour seems to be a significant disadvantage when compared to competing products with 16-bit colour, but I could find no flaws in the 8-bit colour on the MARGI Presenter-to-Go. My photos looked excellent, and while true 16-bit colour would be nice to have, you won�t remember your images are displaying in 8-bit colour when you look at them.
Want even more options?
If you want to do even more with your presentations, you can purchase other third-party presentation applications like Pocket Slides from Conduits and Pocket SlideShow from CNetX. Both applications support the MARGI Presenter-to-Go card and offer powerful features like animation.
Gotchas
The remote control is a nice touch, but having used it in a live presentation before, it�s a bit problematic. In my tests, it continued to work up to twelve feet away � but the further away I got, the more button-presses it would miss. The problem isn�t a matter of range � it�s the fact that the infrared sensor on the Pocket PC is so small. If you�re a few degrees off a direct line of sight, the remote control becomes far less effective. While I was presenting I found myself constantly having to take a step towards the Pocket PC and deliberately aim the remote, which broke the flow of my presentation. Take my word for it and don�t rely on the remote while presenting � stick close to your Pocket PC.
Conclusion
If you�re a mobile professional who gives even a few PowerPoint presentations a month, buy this product and leave your laptop behind. It�s easy to use, affordable, and very flexible. I don�t give that many PowerPoint presentations, but this is a tool I�ll always keep handy for the times when I do � it�s truly a best-of-breed solution that I strongly recommend.
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10-28-2002, 11:39 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 14
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No doubt - this is it!
Ok, I HAVE been waiting for just this! I give about 2-3 Powerpoints a month, and usually could get away with not taking the laptop - so truly what I need. With my 568, I'll be ready to go! 
PS: Jason, you know that - regardless of what your review says, I'll be using that remote for the first presentation that I give! :twisted: It just has too much sizzle not to (well, until I run into the same problem that you did anyway  ops: ).
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10-28-2002, 11:43 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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The remote is very cool, and it's fairly well as long as you stay close to the device. If you're using it with the HP, make sure you close your cover, since when open it will partially block the IR port. :-)
Enjoy, and let us know how you like it!
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10-29-2002, 01:30 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 112
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Great output and software, horrible remote
I have been using Margi's CF product for six months now, and I love the software and the video output functions. However, the remote is completely unusable! Please, can't somebody come out with a bluetooth remote for PPC? This IR thing doesn't work for large room presentations (I give 2-3 seminars per week).
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10-29-2002, 01:35 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 24
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I used the Margi product at my former job and it was VERY useful. I made cross country trips once every two months to NYC. Previously, I would drag my laptop from meeting to meeting. With the Margi solution I would set-up my latptop in the hotel and move around the city with my PDA. I cannot completely give up my laptop due to the access requirements of my job, but not having to lug it across the city made a huge improvement to my week-long trips.
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10-29-2002, 02:12 AM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Re: Great output and software, horrible remote
Quote:
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Originally Posted by EricMCarson
Please, can't somebody come out with a bluetooth remote for PPC? This IR thing doesn't work for large room presentations (I give 2-3 seminars per week).
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What a great idea! I'll ask Margi if they've been thinking about this.
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10-29-2002, 07:23 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 693
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A me too: I have used it for my lectures since it came out on a hp-568 (or 548) and it is very good. The remote control is useless.
Margi's software is good; however, it takes ages to convert from PowerPoint to Margi format and the resulting files are huge (I keep a number of lectures on the machine). I therefore use the Clearvue (http://www.westtek.com/clearvue.htm) viewer: no conversion, small files.
But try the software on your slides. There are a few hitches here and there.
Jorgen
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10-29-2002, 10:24 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 21
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watch out whcih version you buy when you have Ipaq 39xx
The Margi Presenter comes in CF I and II flavors. The CF II card did not work on my IPaq 3970, the CF I is wonderful! I use it to present interactive courses for my group (8) of general practitioners, simply on a computer monitor in the office. As Margi gives no refund on the shipping charges I payed a lot more than $199 for it :?
For me too the IR remote is completely worthless.
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11-01-2002, 07:35 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 40
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Any plans for other than VGA output?
I do many presentations at places that don't use projectors so I do them on a TV. Are there any plans from Margi about other video output options?
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11-01-2003, 10:18 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 15
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Where do you get presenter to go cables?
I've noticed several of these Presenter to Go cards on eBay have sold for really great prices. The catch is that it is the card only, no software or cables. Does anyone know a good place to buy the cables?
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Linear Mode
