I have been trying out with some Android Apps recently as I have just got my hands on HTC Desire Z, running on Android 2.2, Froyo (a happy consumer indeed). Some applications that I have tried out include presenters for android, which come handy for those who are unwilling to buy a presenter which can be costly depending on the brand you are looking at. With the right keywords, you should be able to find many presenter applications out on the Android Market. Several are not free and may be tagged with a price not exceeding $10. However, we are going for free apps and I will be recommending you one great presenter for your android phone – Gmote 2.0.
So what is Gmote? Gmote is basically an application that allows you to turn your android phone into a remote control for your computer. It is simple to setup and serve as a reliable tool for your presentation. To get Gmote 2.0 working, you will first need to enter the Android market from your phone and search for Gmote. Install the Gmote client application and once you are done, head over to your computer or laptop. Go to Gmote’s official site and download Gmote Server installer (works for Windows 7 even though it is not listed there). Install the server application on your computer or laptop, and then set the password of your preference.
Now, to link your Android to your computer or laptop, you will need to have both of these device connected to the same (wireless) network. This is also how most of the presenter applications work. Thus if you are not in a wireless workspace, using your Android phone may not be possible. To do so, launch Gmote from your Android and bring up the menu options. Go to Find Server and select your computer or laptop. Once you get them connected, go to the menu options again. This time, bring up Gmote Touch by selecting Touchpad. Moving around the empty space on your screen will allow you to your cursor while tapping will serve as a left click command.
To use it as a presenter, simply open up your presentation and start the slide show. As mentioned earlier, the basic advance key would be to tap on your Android screen. If you are looking for more functions, bring up the virtual keyboard by selecting the keyboard icon on the top left of Gmote Touch. You can then tap on the backspace key to go back to your previous slide, or enter a number followed by enter key to proceed to a specific slide. In short, all the PowerPoint slide show navigation shortcuts should work as they are supposed to.
The only downside is the lack of timer if you are interested to keep track of your time. Understand though, that this is a multipurpose remote control rather than a designated presenter for Android which in fact, works a lot better (and of course, free) than many of the presenters for Android on the market. If you are interested, do give Gmote a try. Happy tapping!
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