Conduits Pocket Slides 2.01

With the proliferation of Windows Mobile devices over the past five years, the demands put on the devices have been ever increasing. Simple word processing or spreadsheets are no longer the norm.  Rather, complex work that was once relegated to the desktop has shifted over to the mobile platform. With this growth, so has the need for presentation applications.  While many have tried, it is clear that Conduits has taken the lead in this area with Pocket Slides.

Pocket Slides, now in version 2.01, is a Microsoft PowerPoint compatible presentation application for Windows Mobile devices. Beyond just a viewer, Pocket Slides allows users to create, edit and display presentations from their Pocket PCs.  If users have a VGA output option on their Pocket PC - via CF or SD card or built-in - they can display the presentation directly from the unit as well.  Further, presentations created in Pocket Slides can be converted to PowerPoint for viewing on a laptop or desktop computer as well.  This feature richness, backed by the outstanding support of Conduits, makes Pocket Slides the must-have application for Pocket PC users who need to create professional presentations quickly on their mobile devices.

The installation of Pocket Slides is done via ActiveSync and occupies approximately 3MB of storage space with all of its components and options installed. The application can be installed directly into the Pocket PCs Main Memory or can be installed on a Storage Card.  Conduits recommend installing the application into Main Memory for optimal performance but do support either installation mode.

In addition to the application, a conversion utility is installed on the desktop PC to allow easy conversion of Pocket Slide files to PowerPoint files and vise versa.  This conversion utility can be configured for various output sizes (Figure 1).  The conversion settings are particularly important for users who plan to display the presentation from their Pocket PC.  Once the conversion size is selected, the conversion utility is used by selecting the source file to convert (Figure 2) and clicking Convert.  The conversion process is fast although it is file size dependant.  The conversion of a 3MB PowerPoint presentation took approximately 30 seconds to convert to .CPT.  With the conversion complete, simply drag the newly created .CPT file to the ActiveSync folder and it will be placed on the Pocket PC.  Once the file is on the device, users can move the Pocket Slides file to the Storage Card to free up Main Memory if needed.

Figure 1:  Select the output size of a conversion to be done

Figure 2:  Converting a file is fast and easy with the included Conversion Tool

With Pocket Slides installed and started on the Pocket PC, users a first presented a File Explorer in which they can choose an existing presentation or select to create a new one (Figure 3).  Users can also select to display a detailed view as well.  This view allows users at-a-glace to see the name, size and viewing size of the presentation (Figure 4).  Once a file is open, users will find the interface strikingly similar to the PowerPoint interface used on desktop PCs (Figure 5).  This makes Pocket Slides easy and intuitive to use.

  
 Figure 5:  Pocket Slides presentation editor and viewer

When creating a new presentation, Pocket Slides is intuitive and requires little experience in desktop-based presentation applications.  From File Explorer in Pocket Slides, users tap the New button and are presented with several pre-defined slide layouts (Figure 6).  In all, there are 15 Auto Layouts available in Pocket Slides covering the majority of users needs.  Additionally, users can also choose to create a blank slide should they need to have a more customized layout.  From the Blank Slide tap, users can also choose to create a Master slide which dictates the layout, colors and design of all slides in the presentation.  Once a layout has been selected, users tap OK to begin editing the slide.  The new slide layout is presented to users so editing can begin (Figure 7).

With a slide layout selected, editing is simply a matter of tapping the areas of the layout and adding the desired text, object or image.  For example, when an area of the slide that is for text is tapped, Pocket Slides automatically opens a text editor (Figure 8).  The editor is fully functional, allowing users to change the font, the font size, character shape and color.  Users can also adjust the paragraph layout of the text area.  Likewise, users can also add images to a slide.  Pocket Slides can add images that are in .BMP, .JPG, .GIF or .PNG to slides and is done so via File Explorer when an image area of a slide is tapped (Figure 9).  With the slide created, users tap OK and the completed slide is presented (Figure 10).  From here, users can add new slides to the presentation by tapping the New menu and repeating the slide creation process.

Figure 10:  A completed slide in Pocket Slides

One of the key features of Pocket Slides is the ability for users to display their slide presentations directly from the Pocket PC device itself.  No longer is it required to convert and move the presentation to a desktop or laptop PC.  Once a presentation is created, users can either view it on their Pocket PCs display (Figure 11) or to an outside source via a Compact Flash video output card.  There are advantages of exporting the presentation to a desktop PC as users can control the output size of the presentation.  However, in emergency situations, this built-in ability can prove to be handy. 

Figure 11:  Full screen slide presentations are possible in Pocket Slides

Beyond this, Pocket Slides 2.01 builds upon the already excellent 1.8 version of the product.  This new version adds support for Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition landscape features, expanded WIFI and Bluetooth remote support, the addition of WMA, MP3 or Ogg Vorbis audio file support, Color Schemes and an updated User Interface.  Many more features have been added that are not mentioned in this review and it is recommended that users go to the Conduits website to get a complete list of features in version 2.01.  In addition to the feature additions, Conduits greatly increased the operational speed of Pocket Slides in this new version.  Users will find it to be faster in slide creation and slide show displays.

The ease-of-use of Pocket Slides makes the application a pleasure to work with and ultra convenient.  Beyond this, Pocket Slides is supported by the excellent support team of Conduits.  With both email and forum support for their products, Conduits is quick in responding to user issues and questions and provides accurate and understandable solutions.  Anonymous support related emails were sent to the Conduits support team and all three were responded to in less than 4 hours each time and all provided accurate answers. 

Conduits sell Pocket Slides 2.01 for $39.95 (US) through Conduits website.  For users have purchased the 1.x version of the product before April 1, 2004, they can purchase the updated for $19.95 (US).  Users who purchased the 1.x version after April 1, 2004 will receive a complementary upgrade to 2.0 by emailing Conduits directly with their five digit ID number.  More details on the upgrade process can be found on the Conduits website.  Conduits also offer a 30-day demonstration version of Pocket Slides.  You can try the latest version of Pocket Slides at the Clinton Fitch (Dot) Com! store by clicking here.

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