Targus Wireless Bluetooth Presenter Remote Control & Mouse Cursor for PC & MAC (not compatible with LION operating system) - A great device to make the perfect presentation

Given the good reputation Targus has in general, I was pleased to see such a bargain offer from them. I was keen to have a presentation tool / pointer that did not require an additional dongle, but that could make use of the laptop's built-in Bluetooth - dongles tend to get lost.

The product arrived promptly. On unpacking, I followed the manual's instructions to download the software from the UK site for Targus. The manual directs you to [...]. There is no such software at this link. Even more mysterious is that Targus list no such product as the part number BEU0564C. Rather than return an items costing less than £7, I soldiered on...

On my Windows 7 laptop, when Bluetooth connected with it (no mention of Windows 7 in the manual - only XP and Vista), it sees the model as a "Targus Presenter for MAC (AMP11)". I then loaded the software from the enclosed CD. Start this software (confusingly referred to as Mouse Settings), select the "Targus Bluetooth Presenter (AMP11) - Mouse mode" and select Default Settings. (No mention of the part number BEU0564C here either!). After a long pause and some fiddling with the switch on the device (I don't know if this had any effect?), the device worked, giving PowerPoint all the expected commands (in the device's presenter mode).

The BEU0564C / AMP11 unit automatically switches off after 60 minutes, according to the manual, or when you push the power switch for about 4 seconds. When it is powered on (also hold the power switch for about 4 seconds), the unit flashes a red light, to indicate it is not yet connected to the Bluetooth receiver. (The only mention in the manual of a flashing light is a battery low warning.) It auto-connected after about 3 minutes - just about OK if you know about this in advance, but a lifetime if you have a waiting audience and you are just looking at a flashing light! I found no way to shorten this re-connect time, in the software or through Device Manager in Windows 7. I cannot yet comment on general reliability, as I have just got the BEU0564C / AMP11 working today. I will add to the review if I encounter the reliability issues experienced by another reviewer.

Likely product history: This product appears to be an orphan - it originally sold as the AMP11 for the MAC in the USA at $42. Targus describe it as "the only wireless presenter dedicated to Mac users." On their own site, it was slated for not keeping up with the OS upgrades on the MAC to Lion 10.7. It appears to have been re-launched for the European market with a Windows driver and packaged as BEU0564C at this far lower price. I could find no Windows software / driver support for this product from Targus (or anywhere else) on the Internet - so don't lose your CD!! (There is no PDF manual on the CD, despite the label saying there is.)

Summary: For about £7, this is an inexpensive PowerPoint presentation tool which works with Windows 7 on my built-in Bluetooth receiver (Dell Wireless 355 Module in a XPS M1530). I like the lack of the need for another USB dongle. The range is very good. The deduction of stars is for the apparent lack of support on the Targus site, the effort it took to get it going initially and the three-minute wait, if for any reason you need to reconnect to the Bluetooth receiver.

Follow-up 5 days later: This product is just too un-reliable for me. It drops the link to the Bluetooth too often and takes too long to re-connect (around 3 minutes). I ended up buying a Kensington product Kensington Si600 Wireless Presenter with Laser Pointer - Presentation remote control - radio that is nearly 4 times the price (£22) and uses a seperate dongle - but it just WORKS! No software to install, no droped connections, no worries during your presentation. If you need a presenter at all, you need one in which you can have confidence.

Solid construction and visually pleasing - this gem is an absolute bargain. I have viewed other more expensive products and I can say that this is hands down the best value wireless presenter that I have seen. My Compaq Windows 7 Laptop located the device without any problems. Install the supplied software and you have a truly versatile presenter. In 'Mouse Mode' the cursor moves quite sharply across the screen but I soon got the hang of it. The right and left arrows act as the right and left mouse buttons and the small circular window in the middle acts as the touch pad. I booted up a presentation in Libre Office and switched to 'Presenter Mode' and the unit worked flawlessly - it even has a button to blank the screen which I have seen during other presentations and I think is a very useful feature.

It would be difficult to justify spending any more on a wireless presenter - and by the way it has a laser pointer as well for good measure.

I have found the Targus Presenter to be temperamental (using Windows 7). Not only was it slow and unreliable in making a Bluetooth connection with the computer, the connection often went down and was not easily reestablished. Hardly the kind of problem you want in the middle of a presentation given that it was designed for use with PowerPoint presentations this is a fault which makes the product all but useless.