Pros

• Easy to hold
• USB Receiver stores inside pointer

Cons

• Some incompatibility with Keynote

We’ve been big fans of the Logitech Cordless 2.4-GHz Presenter. So, we were more than a little curious to see how Logitech would improve on that device. And improve it did.

The new Logitech Wireless Presenter R400 feels great. Its narrow, pear-shaped design fits in most palms, and its rubberized coating gives it a secure grip. The buttons are simple and well placed. Right under one’s thumb are the three important buttons (laser pointer, Page Up/Page Down). There are also two labeled buttons for starting a slideshow, and blanking the screen.

An unexpectedly stylish USB receiver stores inside the pointer. The storage dock for the USB receiver is easily visible, which means you’ll be more likely to notice when it’s missing after a presentation—and will be less likely to leave it behind.

On the left side of the pointer is a sliding on/off switch. And an LED on the top indicates when it’s low on battery power.

The R400 takes two AAA batteries, which seem to give it plenty of power. On our simple comparative distance tests, an early version of this device had the best range of any presentation pointer we tested. It worked well at 120 feet, and might have worked even further away if the hallway in which we were testing it in were longer.

Our lone complaint is a small one: Logitech does not list Mac compatibility as a feature, but it worked on our tests. Unfortunately, you can’t blank the screen with the remote; the Keynote presentation program uses the more common B key command to blank the screen.

With a three-year warranty, the new Logitech Wireless Presenter R400 costs $49.99, nearly $30 less than the Logitech Cordless 2.4-GHz Presenter, providing yet another reason to own it.

http://www.logitech.com