Help me help someone else be the coolest guy at the meeting

January 5, 2007 8:18 AM

I'm in the market for the host high tech PDA for showing power point presentations.

I'm looking for a PDA or PDA/phone which has bluetooth and which can be used to cleanly display ppts. I've been looking at the Blackjack and the Dells, however I've very little experience with PDAs and have no where to try different models before I buy. I fairly certain I'd rather stick with Windows Mobile 5.0 as the OS, but will entertain other suggestions. Price is not an option and would like to hear the best of the best. I plan to pair the PDA with the iTech laser keyboard and iGo Pitch Duo for sending the display to a projector. Super bonus points if your recommendations mesh well with the above accessories. Thanks

posted by killyb to computers & internet (8 comments total)

I wouldn't task a PDA with displaying PowerPoint. Maybe it's just my fuddy-duddy thinking, but it sounds like a job for a proper PC. PDAs should be digital assistants, not computers.

Perhaps the Sony TX series? They're extremely cute, and as proper computers, have proper input (keyboard) and output (monitor/projector) hookups. They're pretty much designed to do exactly what you're asking.
posted by jellicle at 8:46 AM on January 5, 2007

I thought about the, "using a computer for a computer job" issue, however the "someone else" wanted a PDA for the project. Does anyone have experience using a PDA for ppts?
posted by killyb at 9:00 AM on January 5, 2007

I've looked into this with Palm models to no avail. I do know that if slides can be converted to jpegs, (i.e. no motion or sound), then a video/photo ipod can accomplish this, though not wirelessly. Sounds like a good way to get a boss to buy you an ipod, IMO.
posted by monkeymadness at 9:01 AM on January 5, 2007

Windows Mobile 5.0 can easily do PowerPoint. The BlackJack should be able to handle it with ease. The nice thing with Cingular and most phone companies you have a buyers remorse perid, so if you don't like the device you can return it.

You would need something like the iGo Pitch Duo which is $279 at their website.

It's a somewhat expensive solution, but if you don't want to carry a laptop it may be worth it.
posted by SupaDave at 9:16 AM on January 5, 2007

It can be a huge pain to move a PPT from Office to Mac Office, and vice versa. Although you probably can display PPTs from a PDA, it may not be worth the added frustration. The most common problems involve screen resolution issues and image offsets. This might sound trivial here on AskMe, but when you have spent days setting up a presentation only to find that everything is a little off on the big screen, it can really throw your rhythm off.

Consider ultralights like the Sony TX, or the PDA-sized UX.

If I were to move into a role that involved heavy presentation work I would pick a sony SZ as my primary "desktop" machine, and a TX for presentation only work. The TX would get a plain install of XP and Office and nothing else. That way, all the little annoying popups could be safely suppressed on the TX (windows update, antivirus, spyware from the stupid crap that your boss thinks is absolutely essential, etc.) and presentations would be simple and repeatable. I would also keep a set of WinXP and Office CDs handy for emergency reinstalls.
posted by b1tr0t at 9:18 AM on January 5, 2007

The Dell Axim x51v will show powerpoint presentations at regular VGA resolutions. You can't edit the slides, but you can show them by hooking a projector right to the PPC.
posted by maxpower at 10:05 AM on January 5, 2007

If you really want to WOW them, use your iPod nano for powerpoint presentations.
posted by blue_beetle at 10:07 AM on January 5, 2007

thanks for the input everyone...i'm leaning towards the...why use a pda when we have tons of laptops layin around....and using a new fancy toy to display ppt isn't really the time to show off new technology...intrinsically new technology is buggy/prone to problems...look at all the microsoft demos that end with bill looking like a fool on stage
posted by killyb at 12:38 PM on January 5, 2007