[Cooper]

Hi all,

Some questions I have about the BB Presenter.

Is this thing just a piece of junk?

We bought one at work because some non-technical higher-up wanted one and I just dont see it working.

First off, the goal is to do things like board reports, etc which are usually 35-50MB ppt files that contain somewhere around 50 slides.

So far in testing it took over 15 minutes to transfer the presentation and once that completed the presentation didn't even come up through the presenter.

Does anyone have some fairly in-depth experience with this thing? Can you name limitations you've faced, and things to consider when using this device?

I've heard from RIM employees that it's such a piece of garbage, they don't even use them there!

One of the bosses here is good friends with Mike L, and he recently bought one himself... he's good with technology, but I fear he's going to be quite upset when trying to use this device.


Oh and a side note, the software for the BB contains a version for OS 6.0 so are we lookng at a September release?

[juwaack68]

I have one, but haven't used it much.

When I did use it, it did take quite a bit of time to just load a 2-3 slide presentation, with only text.

[pyro451]

I have a presenter and have found very limited use for it.

It works fine for a 15-20 slide department overview if I have to deliver it in a pinch.

It does take a few minutes to load the presentation (I wish it had persistent RAM in the device). In fact, the manual says it clears internal memory every time the power is attached. The only way I have been able to overcome this is with a portable power solution (I use the gum Pro). That allows me to load the presentation to the presenter in advance and keep it in presenter memory. This is NOT an elegant solution.

Each update of the presenter software (on the device, not the berry) has improved the responsiveness. However, it is still not acceptable for a large 50MB+ powerpoint.

Also, not all the transitions and animations are supported and there is no list of the supported features. So you have to use trial and error if you have slide transitions and animations in your presentation.

It is so unfortunate the implementation is terrible. This device had the potential of eliminating my need for a laptop on about 80% of my trips.

I am still hopeful many of the shortcomings can be remedied by software/firmware updates. But I can not recommend this as a purchase...yet.