The advertisement for LibertyControl touts it as being the product to control your PowerPoint presentations via Bluetooth. LibertyControl does that, and much more!

Setting up LibertyControl was easy. There are two components, one for your desktop and one for your Treo. You have to use a virtual port, but I didn’t have to change any settings, and LC worked flawlessly with the default settings the first time. Better yet, it runs from the sd card without wasting valuable RAM real estate!

I got so excited over the general desktop interface that I didn’t even look at controlling PowerPoint right away. I had just opened LC, and was chatting on msn at the same time when I discovered the desktop control. Using the 5-way pad on your Treo controls your mouse, and the hard buttons correspond to the mouse buttons. You can also use the stylus on your Treo screen to simulate a tablet. Tapping on the desktop icon takes you to a keyboard, and by focusing on my msn chat window, I was able to continue my conversation while sitting back in my chair, and typing on a combination of the Treo keyboard, and the onscreen keyboard. Unfortunately, you still need both keyboards in order to backspace, or send data. This is almost like having a mini wireless keyboard!

Once I got over the novelty of chatting on my laptop from my Treo, I moved on to checking out PowerPoint. To start, you drop your PP presentation into the LC folder on your desktop and take it from there. The controls on your Treo take over and before you know it you’re in complete control from across the room. Walk around and make contact with your audience as you lecture. No more standing at the lectern in front of the group. You are far more effective as a facilitator than a presenter!

I like the fact that I can run multiple presentations from LC without ever returning to or touching my computer, as long as the presentation is in my LC folder. Not only does my Treo act as a remote control for my presentation, but it feeds me all the presentation notes as well! You need to remember to keep your notes short and to the point, because the screen is still small (even in full screen mode), and there is no scroll capability when viewing notes.

In many ways I have more control over my presentation using LC than if I were sitting at my computer. For example, by the touch of an icon I can blank the computer screen to see if my audience is actually paying attention. I can quickly start over, or even switch to another presentation. Navigating backwards and forwards between slides was never easier. LC even times your presentation for you. Using LC to control your presentation is like having an assistant.

Do you have multiple playlists set up in WMP? You can choose your playlist from LC, as well as adjust the volume, start, stop, and pause. Skip to the next song, or go back to one you want to hear again – all without touching your computer. I love the ability to sit in the living room and be able to pull up a specific song on my computer without leaving the comfort of the sofa. Yes, the song title shows up on your Treo as if by magic.

While I don’t use IE, LC also controls this traditional web browser. Type in a url, scroll up or down a page, click hyperlinks…anything you can do from your keyboard, you can do using LC. There are even shortcuts available so that you don’t have to type out http://, “www,” “.com,” or “.net.”

The pdf manual seemed to answer all the questions I had concerning this product, and includes plenty of screenshots. I can’t imagine needing support for LibertyControl, but a key company rep is a regular contributor to the mtdn forums, so if you have any questions, you can be assured they will be answered.

With the power LC has put into my Treo, I’m actually looking forward to the start of the next semester!

Related Links

Download LibertyControl.

Filed under: Software reviews