Logitech - Spotlight Presentation Remote - Slate

Logitech's newest Spotlight Advanced Presentation Remote let you click back and forth between slides without keeping your hand on a mouse, and some offer useful features like built-in laser pointers and even air mouse and trackball functionality. It is very sleek and most stylish one i have seen to date which allows you customize up to seven different functions, like scrolling through documents and volume control. The Spotlight is elegant simple. It is a rounded aluminum wand that measures 5.2 inches long and 1.2 inches wide, available in various colors like gold, gray, and silver finishes. It only has three buttons, a large Next button, and two smaller Spotlight buttons the same color as the remote's body. A flat rectangle of rubberized material on the underside helps ensure a firm grip. A wireless USB receiver fits into the bottom of the Spotlight and features a small rubber loop to easily pull it out. The receiver is standard USB and it plugs into your computer and connects to the Spotlight over a 2.4GHz wireless signal. A USB-C connector sits inside the recess for the receiver, letting you charge the Spotlight with the included 5.3-inch USB cable. Per Logitech, the remote can run for three hours after just one minute of charging, and can last for three months on a full charge. I have been using this remote for office presentations and battery lasted close to 2.5 hours. Spotlight comes with a leather carrying sleeve to protect the remote. Spotlight can also connect to your PC over Bluetooth. Logitech says the remote has a range of up to 100 feet using Bluetooth 4.0 or the USB receiver. I tried with Bluetooth option and it works without any issues. While the Spotlight has just three buttons, its motion-sensing air mouse function makes it a lot more flexible than a simple back/forward presentation remote. To use it as a mouse, just hold down the Spotlight button until the pointer appears on-screen, then wave the remote to move the pointer around. Release the Spotlight button to stop the pointer, then tap the button again to click. You can't right-click using the Spotlight, but you can configure several other useful features for presentations, including cursor-enhancing modes that can completely replace a laser or telescoping pointer. Highlight darkens the screen except for a circle around the mouse pointer; Magnify magnifies the area of the screen around the pointer; and Circle simply draws a white circle around the pointer. These modes can be individually enabled or disabled when multiple modes are turned on, you can switch between them by double-tapping the Spotlight button. The Logitech Spotlight feels very comfortable in hand, and the three-button design simplifies interacting with your computer during your presentation. The pointer enhancements are a fantastic and outstanding feature, with Magnify and Highlight really helpful in drawing the eye to what you want your audience to look at. I have given some of the key features below. Advanced Pointer System : Impress your audience and keep their attention with rich on-screen interaction available for the first time. Highlight and Magnify : Draw more attention to important points. Simply point Spotlight and press a button to highlight or magnify any text or visual content on the screen. On-Screen Cursor : Use it to play and pause videos or open links without missing a beat. Universal compatibility : Spotlight works right out of the box with most devices, operating systems and presentation software - Windows, Mac OS, Powerpoint, Keynote, PDF, Google slides and Prezi. 100 ft. Wireless Range : Move freely and present with confidence even in the largest rooms. Connect via included USB receiver or Bluetooth Smart. Logitech Presentation App : Download it a www.logitech.com/spotlight to quickly customize your remote with up to seven different functions. Spotlight remote is an elegant device built for a very specific purpose. It's one of the most intuitive and powerful presentation remotes available in the market. However, $130 price tag is on higher side. If you give a lot of presentations, it is definitely worth to consider.

Seriously, you might think that the title of this review is overkill, but as someone who gives presentations to students and educators several times a week, I can tell you that it is not. I've been giving presentations with PowerPoint and such since I was a wee Cadet in the Air Force and I remember the days of not having the choice of staying next to the computer to flip slides or having to have a colleague flip them for you in an awkward exchange of nods or exclamations of 'next slide!'. Heck, sometimes I think it was easier doing presentations with ACTUAL SLIDES in a carousel and a 'remote' with a really long cord (actually did several of those too - Air Force tech in the 90's wasn't always up to snuff especially overseas). Recent remotes have done a decent job of flipping back and forth and giving you a pointer, and I've been pretty happy with it, though I always have to go back to the computer to click a link or alt-tab to another program. NO MORE! First off, let me just say that this is one sexy remote. I got the gunmetal gray version and it is nice, nondescript, sleek, and feels good in the hand. Button layout is perfect and it is easy to tell which of the three buttons you are on without looking down. Charging is super simple, you pull out the USB fob that you plug into your computer and then you can use the USB-C cable that comes with the device to plug it in to any USB charger or your computer. Charging is simple and fast. You get three hours of operation from one minute of charging. I did a full charge out of the box and it took less than an hour though I'm sure it had some charge already on it. Ok, let's get down to set-up and use. Set-up is easy. Download the software from Logitech and install. The configuration of the device is very intuitive and gives you some really good options for what you want the forward-back buttons to do in their 'alternative' press and hold mode. You have everything from fast forwarding through your slides, to bringing up a blank screen, to controlling the volume, to doing a custom button press. I opted to not set up an alternate press for the main button out of fear of accidentally setting it off (not an expected fault of the remote but of mine). For the back button I set up a programed button press of Alt-Tab so that I can switch programs, and that combined with the on-screen pointer that works through magic to move on the screen, I can switch programs and start all kinds of additional programs that I can't embed in my PowerPoint. For the 'pointer', you have all kinds of options from darkening the screen with a window of light that you want people to focus on, to magnification, or just a plain Circle which I consider to be the basic-laser pointer alternative. I really like the Highlight feature. It does a much better job of focusing viewers on what you want than any pointer could ever do. You get two options though and so I have Highlight as my main option with a double click just bringing up the Circle. Either way you also have option of enabling a cursor which allows clicking on on-screen items and such. You also get an option on how big you want the circles to be, which is nice. The way it works for highlighting is that once you press the button it brings up the highlight in the center and then seems to use a gyroscopic function to move it around from there. The great thing is that you don't have to point the remote at the screen, you can keep you hand down if you want and just move your wrist there and the cursor still moves. It's magic! Some other options that are also embedded in the remote is a vibration warning when you are down to 5 minutes left in your established presentation time (which you set through the menu), as well as a notification when time is up. You can turn this feature off through the advanced settings. Some other advanced settings for the Spotlight remote allow you to control pointer speed, alert intensity, battery alert, and the ability to change from the USB receiver to Bluetooth if you so desire. I'm sticking with the USB receiver since it seems to have incredible range and is easy. I don't know what more I can say about the Logitech Spotlight. This does everything I could want when I'm out there giving presentations and is going to make my life A LOT easier and I think it will make my presentations better. Yes, it may be a it on the pricey side but I have already dropped a ton of money on fancy laser pointers that don't give me a quarter of the functionality of this thing. I know my boss is going to be insanely jealous of this thing and I'm going to have to guard it with my life! If you give presentations on a routine basis, the Spotlight will be an awesome addition to your presentation toolset.

I've always loved Logitech's products. I've used their keyboards, mice, remotes, etc. for years. They always seem to have a nice mix of quality and price. That being said, this is a bit pricey for what it is. But, it performs beautifully and does it well. Setup was a breeze. Just download the software and it will walk you through the entire setup. After the setup it gives you a brief tutorial that shows you exactly how to use the remote. The big forward and back buttons are self explanatory but the feature that I love is the select and hold button on top. It will actually highlight (like a flashlight) the section you point out. This is a very handy feature for presentations and looks much more professional and modern than a laser pointer in my opinion. Overall, I'm very pleased with the product and despite the price I'm still going to give it a full five stars. The setup, usefulness, and design is top notch and I think anyone would enjoy using it in a presentation.

Right out of the box, I was impressed with how neat the packaging was. I know it doesn't do much for the product, but it felt stylish, which was foreshadowing for the product. I used to create presentations and run the PowerPoint slides for attorneys in court, and if they had this tool, they wouldn't need to pay thousands of dollars for a person to click the next button, or pull up documents. Instead they would have been able to use this clicker and breeze through things like they knew what they were doing, pulling up weblinks, zoom in on signatures of signed documents, highlight important parts of the slide, etc. It really is a really cool tool. SUPER COOL PROS: - Zoom feature on the fly (PowerPoint 2013+ lets you zoom in to areas, but a keyboard and mouse is required, where this uses tilting sensors to detect where you are pointing to move the curser like a mouse) - Highlight areas of the screen (useful for pointing out key areas, while presenting, and not using a tiny red dot from a laser pointer, where people in the back cant see the smallest dot ever) - Tilt sensing curser movement (This allows you to move the curser on the screen and even select and click things, like the play button on a video, even if you don't have an animation to play automatically, or clicking a link you have on the slide). - Forgot to charge the battery??? Have no fear, 1 minute charging will get you through the presentation. If you have not used the remote in a long time, and you get that big moment to shine....and find out that your battery is dead, simply plug it in and introduce yourself, and by the time you actually start your presentation, the battery has enough juice to get you through the entire presentation. That is awesome. No need for AA's or anything, this is a built-in battery that charges with USB. The cord is included, and is super short, but hey, I cant complain about 1 minute charging. PROS - Vibration for keeping you on time, when you don't have a slide presenter screen to see. If you tend to talk a lot, this is a good way to politely tell you to get on with your point, or you are losing them. No matter how many times you practice your slide timing, this will keep you on track, sparing you the embarrassing moment when someone nods off in the front row. - Clearly marked forwards and back buttons. How many times do you hear presenters ask, which button makes it go to the next slide? Not any more. - Programmable options for the forward and backwards buttons. Simply assign a keystroke or option for holding the button down, vs clicking. I have not found a use for it, but it is good to know that it is an option, should I find one in the future. CONS: - Biggest problem I see (actually small), is that the carrying case has no room for the charging cable that is needed with the remote. It fits the remote snugly, so trying to jam the 6" charging cable in there too is quite a task. I can only imagine that after a few times of trying to jam it in the case, it would bend easily, and no longer be stiff enough to push the cable down all the way into the case. The cord needs to stay with the remote, so where would i put it, if not in the case??? That seems like a big design flaw to me. The packaging box was so great, but the little leather case just let me down a bit. - It was not quite plug & play for me. I plugged it in, and it said the device driver was installed, but it wasn't, or at least nothing happened. I had to go to the Logitech website to download the software for the Logitech Spotlight, THEN it worked. It was a little hard for me to figure out all the options, and wish it would have walked me through the setup in a video. Instead, the videos just show you a computerized animation of what it can do....but left me wondering HOW to actually do it. There were no instructions printed on how to use it or set it up, which I thought was odd. - The software disappears when you click off the settings window. The only way to get it back is to open the software again, which seems kind of odd to me. CONCLUSION: I really like this wireless remote. It is pretty spendy, but I felt pretty cool using it for the 1st time, and people commented on how I highlighted the screen and zoomed in without switching programs. It sort of felt like I was giving a TED talk presentation. So far, no glitches that I have encountered. I will feel quite confident when I give presentations, and present like a PRO.

The setup for the Logitech Spotlight Presentation Remote was a breeze. After downloading the software from Logitech, the installer shows you how to remove the bluetooth adapter and insert the charging cable into the remote. It uses a USB C type plug that goes into the controller and a regular USB 2.0 on the other end. It wastes no time in showing you one of it’s greatest features: the 1 minute charge. The key feature of this presentation remote is to ability to charge in under a minute. Sure as it sounds, when you plug in the USB cable to the computer during the installation, it starts counting the one minute in front of you and tells you that the device is now charged for up to 3 hours of presentation. Very impressive start. Other features that this product excels in are the ability to point anywhere on the screen of your presentation with a simple click and a customizable timer. On top of that, the buttons can be customizable via the app that gets installed. A nice bonus touch included in the remote is that it can work via bluetooth. I didn’t even have to use the included receiver, as I use my Macbook Pro’s own bluetooth to have the remote work. The performance of this presentation remote is bar none. I am an educator that presents daily. After testing this product for a week, I was amazed at how less frequent I needed to be near my computer and was able to stand closer to my students for faster assistance when required. The focus feature allows me to click wherever I need. I customized the forward button to raise and lower the volume when I hold it. The way it works is that, after I hold the button, if I need to raise the volume, I just raise my hand. If I need to lower the volume, I lower my hand. I got a low of, “Ooo’s and Aww's,” from the students as soon as I used the feature the first time. There was no delay when I used it and a 1 minute charge (up to 3 hours of use) was more than enough to last me the entire week. The Logitech Spotlight Presentation Remote exceeds my expectations. I didn’t expect for this remote to be any different than other clicker remotes that are sold. However, after using this product, I fell in love with it. The price for the presentation remote is worth it’s value for the person who presents daily or very often. Educators can get great use out of this remote, especially with its customizable options. Non-educators, for example, traveling vendors or public speakers, can make great use of the magnification and spotlight options that the remote allows. I highly recommend this all public speakers who want to tether themselves from being next to the computer and want to make a more impactful presentation by being closer to the public and attend to their needs.

Tested this out and was pleasantly surprised by how well it works. It takes a little getting used to it but once you get a hang of it you wonder what you ever did before using it when doing presentations. I thought I would be annoyed having something in my hand the whole time but it is extremely light and compact so it feels comfortable in your hand.

This little presentation remote has some really great features. Setup is incredibly easy, and the software is very easy to use. It's charge time is ridiculously fast. You can even customize the buttons for additional control. I set the "back" button to the spacebar. That way it could be used to play and pause videos. It's highlighting feature is very useful, and it's controlled by an accelerometer, so you can point with the flick of the wrist. Pros: Incredibly fast charging, battery life, software, highlighting feature with accelerometer, super simple to use Cons: can't really find a fault with this remote. Maybe a bit pricey, but considering the features, it's well worth it.

Simple packaging and very easy and quick setup once you download the software. The pointer is extremely slim and lightweight...just what you need from a presentation pointer. Being able to charge up in a little over a minute to get 3 hours of use with the included USB C cable is wonderful. The pointer itself has very simplified interface, you have only three buttons at your disposal: a large "forward" in the middle; a smaller "back" arrow below it; and a third bullseye button that sits at the top of the slender wand. Customization is what make this pointer so powerful in my opinion. The functionality of these buttons isn't fixed; you customize the actions they execute using the companion app. So, for example, where a quick press on the main button might move you on to the next slide, a longer hold can be set to launch the magnification feature; a raised hand gesture can trigger changes in volume. A final neat touch is the haptic feedback, you can configure the Spotlight to vibrate at set times, which could be beneficial to pacing your presentation and your overall timing. It's compatible with most of the presentation software you're likely to encounter including PowerPoint, Google Slides, Prezi and Apple Keynote. I give it a solid 5 stars but the price needs to come down a bit for most users like myself to justify the premium price.