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.

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.

Background: I'm a public school teacher. I was super excited about this product! I use a smartboard in my classroom, which is great... but I'm still actually quite tied to the front of the room. I was hoping that this device would help me be able to circulate more (which it does), while still being able to utilize some basic mark-up actions like highlighting and underlining vocab words on the smartboard due to the cursor function and customize-able buttons (which it does not). The overall verdict: This is a really helpful device, but not currently worth the price--I've used a number of MUCH cheaper remotes that do almost the same things. With the app, there is probably a lot of potential for expansion of this remotes abilities to make the OUTSTANDING cursor function more mouse-like (drag and drop/hold down left-click, right click), which would make this remote much more useful. Probably less likely with a software update, but important for presenters--the ability to save settings to the remote from a computer with the app for use on a computer WITHOUT the app... for traveling presenters using different computers, this function would make the Spotlight a homerun. The Good: - Beautiful design. I love the look and feel. The buttons all work well, the weight is good and the surface is sleek, but not slippery. - Surprisingly accurate cursor on the screen, even when the remote is not actually directly pointed at the screen. The sensor seems to detect relative movement. The cursor also works outside of presentation apps... rudimentary single and double-clicks work on any program, just like a mouse. This is by far the best thing about this remote--the cursor function, once you get used to the speed and relative motion, can be just as accurate as using a mouse pointer. Other mouse functions do not work (see "the bad.") - Fast charging, no changing batteries. USB-C connector is recessed into the remote, inside of the dongle bay. Neat design! - Strong connection to computer via USB dongle. Forward and back functions work well on apps with approved compatibility /especially Powerpoint). And for apps without "approved compatibility," the cursor function can work well just like a mouse as an improvised alternative--this worked well in my classroom for Nearpod presentations instead of touching the Smartboard. - I love that the USB dongle docks snugly into the remote for transport. And the protective slip case is a nice touch. - The option to use bluetooth or the USB dongle to connect to your device is really handy, especially if your computer/tablet lacks an open or standard USB port. The Meh: - The app was incredibly underwhelming. I like there are some options for customizing the buttons, but there are just so FEW options. Logitech thought of the basics, like holding down a button to black out the screen and holding it down to bring it back. There is also an option to enter a custom keystroke... but this one is a big question mark for me. You can only type in a literal key as the custom keystroke... it apparently can't be a mouse function. What a missed opportunity! Hold down a button as a right click? Why not? It would make this remote so much more useful. I could also see combinations of button presses being used for certain rare functions. There is so much potential in the app, and being able to customize the remote--but it's just not there right now. Very, very basic. - Many functions do not work on a computer without the app. For example, due to security on my school network, I was not able to download and install the app onto the computer that connects directly to the smartboard. When using the remote on this Windows 7 desktop with no app, only the cursor, forward and back basic functions work. When I installed the app on my Surface 3 (Windows 10) and projected a presentation via WiDi, even without having changed any settings in the app, I suddenly had highlighting too. Having the app vs. not having the app makes a difference in the features you're able to use out of the box. The Bad: - If you want to use your customizations, you need to have the app and the customizations set on the computer you're presenting on--they do not save to the remote. I realize that most pro presenters probably have their own laptops that they connect to whatever presentation equipment is in the room nowadays, in many buildings, that might not be the case. If you're in a situation where you have to present using different computers, but you love your customized settings, you'll have to download the app and redo your settings on any computer you present with. - The price is too high for what it is right now. With some expansion of capabilities to make the, again, really awesome and accurate cursor function the centerpiece of this tool to make it a functional distance-mouse with more practical use, I would consider it a more worthwhile investment. The bottom line: I waffled between three and four stars on this. The potential of this product and what I expect can come down the line in functionality thanks to having the app and the truly outstanding tracking of the cursor function made me want to give it a four... but the high price and half-baked mouse functionality (honestly, it made me almost angry to be able to click on things in my presentations, but not be able to move marker arrows in Powerpoint or use any other mouse functionality, even though every other element of this remote worked PERFECTLY as a mouse! It was actually frustrating!) led me to a three. The question I had to ask myself was... would I recommend to a teacher colleague to spend full price on this product as it is now? Sadly, the answer was no... hopefully some future updates will come down the line to improve the product's functionality (there is so much potential!) that would change that answer!

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.

Initially, I would've rated this remote a 3-star item. As a corporate speaker and facilitator, it's my job to be on stage, in front of people giving lectures, hosting seminars, and training. The reason for the initial "meh" response was due to the fact that without the companion software from Logitech, there's no difference here than a $30 Targus presenter from your local Best Buy. This is especially problematic since I had to jump through numerous hoops to get the Logitech software installed on my work laptop. Working in the financial services industry, security when installing new apps is paramount, I understood it, but it was a freaking headache. From a design aspect, it's a brushed aluminum body that's very reminiscent of Apple's products - probably one reason why it's available in black, silver and gold. With the construction of the body not being plastic, the remote feels very solid in your hand and your thumb comes to rest very naturally on the "Next" button that's the largest of the three. The remote can be paired with Bluetooth or via the USB dongle that's housed in the based of the remote. Since Bluetooth pairing is disabled by a group policy setting on my laptop, I used the dongle and found no issue - the reach was awesome. Not once during my workshop did the remote fail to respond, even as I walked all around the room. The 4-star review comes after my experience using the remote with the Logitech software - holy cow! I don't think I'd ever go back to a basic presenter remote again. You can customize aspects of the highlighter to go wide or narrow.You can also add some secondary functions to the "Next" and "Previous" buttons that I used to control the audio levels when I played videos I had embedded in the presentation. Pros ------ * Sturdy / attractive design * Wide range reach * USB-C connection allows rapid charging * Logitech Software unlocks more customization possibilities Cons ------ *Price - at $120, this is a presenter remote best geared towards professional speakers * Logitech Software needs corporate approval before being installed on machine * Air Mouse function can be a bit spotty depending on the app your using Bottom Line ---------------- If you're a professional public speaker or facilitator who regularly delivers seminars, workshops and executive presentations, this remote can really help up the wow factor in what you're delivering. If you're a junior facilitator or someone who doesn't give presentations regularly or doesn't have admin rights to install the Logitech software, then this remote is overkill. I was happy enough with it once I got it up and running that it's become my go-to presenter remote and I have no regrets there.

My Logitech Spotlight Presentation Remote came with sheets giving the typical FCC warnings and instructions on how to remove the rechargeable batteries for appropriate disposal but came with NO information about setup or use - it even took a few minutes before I figured out how to charge it (and mine had to be charged before use - it wouldn’t even turn on out of the box!). Fortunately, though, it charges very quickly - just a minute or two of charging provides several hours of use. The unit fits comfortably and feels very natural in my hand - and I can’t vouch for the full 100 ft. operating distance but it worked perfectly at over 30 ft. from the my laptop. It has some haptic response features (on/off, some preset timers, etc.) and uses a blinking LED on the pointer end to indicate pairing status and low battery. There is no traditional mouse right-click functionality - but it uses three buttons to give the device much of the other functionality of a mouse , albeit a mouse that has been streamlined primarily for use in presentations. You could kinda use the presenter as an air mouse but I think that you would find that frustrating - it’s designed for presentations where its simplicity becomes a desirable feature. But to get the full functionality, you have to install the associated presentation software FROM Logitech. And that's where I ran into a couple problems: (1) the MacOS software isn’t available in the App Store - you have to download it directly from the Logitech site and install it the old fashioned way (that would have been a great thing to have stated in a quick start guide of some kind!), & (2) my Windows 10 installation stalled at 91% and never recovered so I was never able to test the extended presentation capabilities of the device using my Windows laptop. I was able to find one entry about the Windows problem on the Logitech user community forum where they have recognized (?) the problem (over a month ago?) but have not updated their download link. So if you like this wireless presenter (and I do!), you might only be able to use it fully on MacOS. Windows 10 problems aside, I would recommend looking through the information about the remote’s functionality on the Logitech site before attempting to use it - without even rudimentary setup instructions it took me a long time to get my (MacOS) installation right and to understand how the device worked in association with applications.

First, I'll address the price point which is admittedly steep at $129.99. How much could a clicker really be worth? Well, the Logitech Spotlight answers that question. For those that frequently find themselves presenting and wishing there were more functionality (other than forward and back) built into your clicker, the wait is over. The Logitech Spotlight provides circular highlighting (via sensors in the Spotlight--not a projection or laser), zooming, media interaction, and cursor control from your fingertips--which can be up to 100 ft away from the laptop! An added benefit is that this functionality doesn't come in the form of a NASA worthy control panel. Instead, it comes in a very stylishly simple aluminum metal remote that fits comfortably in your hand. It feels professional and of such quality that it won't break apart if accidentally dropped or smashed around in a laptop bag. A large part of public speaking is confidence and this should boost anyone's confidence with it's added functions as well as style. Installation is simple and easy. If you only want the basics (clicks forward/backward), it's as fast as plug and play. To take advantage of all the tricks the Spotlight can do, you'll need to install the free app from Logitech. I found this to be extremely easy and fast. The app was simple and intuitive allowing you to customize the function of the Spotlight's buttons. This is great so if you have no need to interact with media and instead care more about highlighting and magnifying, you can set the buttons to do exactly what you need. This makes interacting with your presentation a breeze and intuitive without having to think or search in a haystack of buttons while providing your full attention to the presentation itself. Forgot to charge your Spotlight and are about to present? No problem. A 1 minute charge via USB will last for 3 hours. A full charge will last up to 3 months! As you can tell, I can be a bit long winded. This isn't a great thing when you have limited time to present. The spotlight has an answer for that as well. A vibrating alert can be configured through the Spotlight's app to mark milestones (10 min, 30 min, etc) in your presentation. This can help keep people like me on track. In addition, you can use the app to have a timer included on the screen for more real-time monitoring. In conclusion, I really enjoyed presenting with the Spotlight. The customizable functions come in REALLY handy as sometimes the needs of your presentation change. You may need more media interaction in one while only need zooming and highlighting in another. No matter what, you'll only have 3 buttons to contend with allowing you to maintain focus on dazzling your audience. Call me superficial, but the look and feel of the Spotlight made me feel more confident. It's stylish, quality, and clearly costs more than your average remote. It just says "Pro" to anyone who sees you wielding it. Your fellow presenters will be envious and immediately feel slightly inadequate with their plastic laser pointers on steroids. Pros: Look & Feel (Stylish) Build Quality Customizable Functions Wireless (Bluetooth or included dongle) Battery/Charge Life/Time Included Carrying Case Distance Cons: Price* *Any pro presenter should have the Logitech Spotlight. If you don't present frequently (or do extremely important presentations where style, flare, and seamless interaction matter), the Spotlight is still something that could revolutionize your presentations. Whether it's worth the price for the amateur/occasional presenter is up to you. I still think it's a neat gadget that will have your audience/co-presenters inquiring about your Spotlight.