CaveatsOverall I'd rate the Showmate highly, despite the strange step-by-step backwards reveals. The software can't do all the fancy things Powerpoint can, but then again - how often are they really needed? And the joys of travelling without a laptop are more than worth it (or at least not having to unpack the laptop!). I do have a few miscellaneous notes to share regarding the Showmate, such as...
Figure 4: The one end of the Showmate, with the VGA input and USB power in. The flip side has a USB A female port embedded for Blackberry users.The device does not come with any sort of carrying case, which would have been a nice addition. The VGA port on it juts out a bit, however, as it is a female port I doubt too much damage would come to it if it were twisted. Still, I feel better slipping it into a protective case while it travels in my bag.
The client software (installed on your computer) is written in Java. I've never been a big Java fan and the software seems to run a bit slow for my taste. It doesn't support Drag and Drop on the screen or as a command-line switch.
The device software (that runs on your Pocket PC) is very minimalist. While it allows you to jump around your slide deck and to view notes attached to each slide, it doesn't do much more than that. Larger on-screen buttons that I could tap to quickly take me to the next slide, go to the previous, blank the screen, etc.. would have been nice. The software is also advertised to only work with the Microsoft Bluetooth stack. If you've got a Widcomm-stack device (such as the iPAQ 6915) you may want to check with Impatica prior to purchase.
It probably goes without saying but I will mention it anyway - the device software does not allow you to change your slides on the go like Powerpoint would (i.e. when using Powerpoint Presenter view). This isn't a problem unless you have whiney students who like to point out your typos and want them corrected immediately. Still, it is worth remembering that this tool can replace a laptop with Powerpoint in most cases, not all. So if you need fancy transitions or the ability to edit on the fly, you probably won't like using the Showmate
Conclusions
Overall I was very pleased with the Impatica Showmate. Despite the small bug I encountered, and the pairing issues, I was amazed at how fast it worked, how seamless my presentation could be (I wasn't fiddling with too-complicated software or waiting for my slides to move), and how easy my setup was. The fact that the device uses standard USB for power was a great plus, although a battery would have been nicer. If you've got the money and you give a lot of presentations, you won't be let down with the Showmate!
Jon Westfall gives lectures to bored undergraduates and subsequently looks for anything that makes that process easier. He lives in Marblehead, Ohio, with his wife and cat. Check out all he has to offer at JonWestfall.Com
