Project Super VGA with a PalmOS device
Written: Apr 18 '03 (Updated May 04 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: simple way to output Powerpoint or live Clie screens to super VGA
Cons: static slides, hotsync to update slides, low color res for live demos, uses system RAM
The Bottom Line: Best of breed. Not widely publicized or available retail, I'd snatch these devices up just in case they disappear from the market
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| gozumm's Full Review: Margi Systems Presenter-to-Go Video Card |
UPDATE: Unexplained error developed in Win98. Call to Tech Support states the PTG desktop has problems with Palm Desktop 4.1, however it worked previously. Its a terrible nuisance, but you can work around it by clicking PTG pdb files and use the Palm installer. I downgraded my recommendation from 5 to 4 stars.
This review refers to the Sony Memory Stick version of the Presenter to Go system. Interfaces vary, but the main hardware and software are similar to the Secure Digital Card, and this review should reflect on various PalmOS clones.
Margi System's $200 Presenter-to-go cost as much as most palmtops, and is clearly not meant for everyone. However, to be able to present, pitch or teach an audience through a large monitor or LCD projector has, until recently, been done via a laptop or a local PC. Stripped of most accessories, ultra light laptops remain hampered by high cost, hi-color requirements and recent technologies has done little to increase battery life nor reduce weight compared to palmtops. Road warriors can carry lighter laptops but are faced with packing docking stations, chargers or extra batteries, especially with the possibility of over 1 hour long presentations and no possibility for a quick charge in site.
Margi systems' "Presenter-to-go," PTG, is one of a few solutions for projecting 1024 x 768 16M color, Super VGA or sVGA resolution, from any palmtop, and for this review, a Clie. See Margi.com for the right interface for your PalmOS clone. The PTG system auto detects the maximum resolution, but I hadn't a chance to test it with older projectors. With Margi hardware connecting to the Clie memory stick, PalmOS software installed on the Clie, and conversion software residing on the hotsync PC, anything can go wrong in this triad. After 4 weeks with PTG, installation, projection and function has been flawless.
Packed in its travel bag, the entire PTG system is as big as a Pengiun pocket book but as light as the Clie itself. Its a softcase with much extra room, and it can be squeezed and packed between clothing on a carry-on bag.
After installing the CD, copies of PTG and Mirror software are hotsync'd to the Clie. Mirror is a program that allows live projection of the Clie screen onto sVGA. The desktop software notably supports moving presentations to memory stick on the expansion port or Clie RAM, and endless reloads of PTG or Mirror if you choose to delete it later.
To make a presentation, you copy the PTG presentation to Clie RAM if not already resident, remove the memory stick, attach the PTG box to the expansion port, attach a VGA cable to the PTG box and connect the VGA cable to the monitor or projector. Optionally, you may use Margi supplied external power to the PTG box and use their mini IR remote control.
I have rare use for the IR remote, but its convenient. PTG allows one to write on the slides live during presentations, and this requires being near the Clie.
Most versions of PTG use system RAM. Thus, in the ideal, the largest presentation cannot exceed PalmOS's common limit of 16 Meg [ recently broken] effectively 14 Megs on Clies [ 1 Meg used for PTG and 1 Meg used by Clie ROM.] However, in my over 10 years of presentations, few 2 hour talks have exceed 20Megs worth of slides, and Margi compression helps enormously. Judicious use of compressed JPGs over noncompressed GIF images can help further.
Stripped of multimedia elements, Powerpoint presentations reduced over 75%. My 4 megabyte presentation reduced to under 1M. Moving graphics and sound are tiresome and rarely used in formal gatherings, and are a pain to do properly. It isn't missed, nor used in my profession nor supported in the Margi conversion.
Often in rushes we have to make new slides on-the-fly, and without hotsync, its not possible to do so. However, I make do with Clie paint, or Memopad and can sometimes beam images from local machine to the Clie via IR. I then use Mirror to show appended slides not part of the PTG presentation.
PTG caches the next slide in a series, otherwise there is a 1-2 second delay in decoding images obvious when switching back from a previous slide. Its very tolerable but suggests the need for memory to buffer a cache for these slides.
EXCEEDING THE MEMORY LIMITS using Memory Sticks
First, store your presentations to Memory Stick, not RAM.
Second, free RAM for a presentation.
BACKUP your working Clie to memory stick using MSBackup. Delete all non-essential programs for your presentation. Now, backup this skinny setup to memory stick. Now, whenever you give presentations, simply backup your Clie, and RESTORE the skinny setup. You now have free memory for presentations.
More skilled users can do this faster with FileZ or similar programs, to selectively copy PTG and Mirror to a dedicated directory. MSBACKUP your workaday Clie; do a hard reset. Copy FileZ and the PTG programs back to Memory using PalmOS copy function. You now have maximally freed memory for presentations.
To project slides over the 14 Meg limit in Clie, breakdown slides into smaller chunks, say 10Megs each to leave room for caching and whatnot. With PTG resident, remove the PTG box from the memory stick slot, insert your memory stick, and reload the next segment of your presentation using the presentation loading time to field questions from the audience.
With the above procedures, your presentations are limited solely by the size of the memory stick.
UNDOCUMENTED COMPATIBILITY
The Clie version is pitched by Margi.com to a defined set of Clie models, and for details you contact Margi.com directly to see if your Clie works. However, since they all use the same interface and software, in theory PTG can be used by any Clie with PalmOS 3.5 and up with Memory Stick slots.
MOVE MIRROR and PTG Application to Memory Stick
There are no critical configuration files that prevent one from deleting or storing these key programs to-from a memory stick. You can thus delete them when unused, and restore them when needed.
I keep a PTG folder on my Memory Stick, and keep the PTG presentations and programs there to field a presentation 24/7.
PTG and Mirror WORK on the Clie SL10
Not listed among compatible Clies, the low end SL10 is the entry level Clie in the SJ series. See my review of the SL10 same elsewhere on epinions.com. There is not enough battery voltage on an SL10 to work PTG without using the Margi accessory power supply or the Clie external power supply, otherwise the SL10 works quite fine. An added benefit appears that the power bus is shared, and the Margi power supply also supplies the SL10. With SL10 on Mirror, the projected screens are monochrome. The SL10 has about 6 Megs free for PTG slides, and has slower memory stick access that the LiON powered SJ series machines.
RESTORE BETWEEN different model SJs
MSBACKUP will not allow you to RESTORE a BACKUP from another Clie. As the files are copied in native formal, simply use FileZ to copy all the files in the MSBACKUP directory onto the new device, do a soft reset, and you're up and running. In a bind and should your Clie be damaged, you can buy a Clie from your nearest store, restore the setup and be up and running again.
I restored an SL10 BACKUP onto an SJ22 I was testing without issues, including so-called SL10 specific upgrade files.
FEATURE BEYOND PRESENTATION:
Working on small screen can be taxing, if not difficult for older folks with presbyopia. If VGA monitors are available, use Mirror in your hotel room to edit your Clies desktop in a largely magnified screen or purchase a small VGA to TV adapter to make this possible. Clie screen res is coarse enough to see well on TV when the RGB is reconfigured for TV signals NTSC or PAL, as you choose. In field locations with PCs, this is one way to use VGA monitors while working with a Clie.
FIELD USE:
While strictly not for field use, the Margi system is small enough to be packed in gear meant for rugged treatment. Whether in dry bags surrounded by towels or clothes, the light Margi device can travel as needed.
CONCLUSION:
Traveling to 2 separate locations by plane, its a joy not to be weighed down by a laptop nor risk its theft, know my presentation works ~ for many hours without recharging.
PTG uses its own or the Clie's supply for internal power, and being laptop free makes passing airport security easier in a post 9-11 era. On an SL10, I can quickly switch out AAA batteries to keep presentations going or use the Margi power supply, and get 6-7 hours of continuous use per AAA NiMH. On an SJ22, I had 4 hours per charge for presentation [ I have since returned the SJ22.]
Available discounted to $160, Margi.com PTG comes highly recommended and I hope they continue to make or improve this fine product.
Note, a fully configured PTG PalmOS device costs and wieghs under 70% less than a laptop. Consider SL10= $100, Memory Stick= $50, PTG = $160, NiMH charger + batteries = $30 Total = $340. A Basic laptop is about $1000 and ready to run Powerpoint and project to VGA. However, if you already have a memory expanded Palm, the cost to you is but $160.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
gozumm
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Reviews written: 49
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About Me:
Academic who used to build personal computers
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