The last thing most people think about when preparing to give a PowerPoint presentation is the little controller they hold to progress through slides or highlight areas of the screen with a laser pointer. But they may have to start caring about it if Logitech's new Spotlight remote is being used.
Logitech is attempting to enhance the presentation pointer with a complete redesign and addition of functionality using an app. On the remote itself, Spotlight has just three buttons for pointer control, next and back navigation. There's also gesture control offered through a built-in accelerometer and gyroscope.
As for the app, it replaces the need for a laser pointer to draw attention to an area of the screen. Instead, Spotlight uses a highlight feature which renders a circle over your presentation and adjusts the lighting of the entire screen to focus your audience on that area. That same highlighted area can also be magnified.
Spotlight also doubles as an on-screen mouse when pressing the pointer button, allowing you to easily play and pause video, interact with any software you care to run, and avoid having to create videos of, for example, a game being played as you can just play it live instead.
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The presentation remote is made of aluminum, measures 5.2 by 1.1 by 0.5 inches and weighs 1.7 ounces (49.2 grams) including the battery. It relies on a proprietary wireless USB receiver or Bluetooth Smart to link to your laptop and boasts a range of 100 feet (30 meters). Charging takes 60 minutes, but you can get 3 hours of presenting from a one minute charge. Logitech says compatibility extends to Windows 7, 8, and 10, macOS X 10.10 or later, Linux, Chrome OS, and Android 5.0 or later.
Spotlight is not cheap. Logitech expects you to pay $129.99 for the remote, proprietary USB receiver, 5.5-inch USB-C charging cable, and a carrying pouch. Whether it's worth the price depends on how regularly you do presentations and whether the new features will genuinely enhance them for your audience.
Logitech Spotlight is available from today in Gold, Slate, Silver, or Slate for Business colors