During the recent .NET University, I had my first iPhone envy. Leon Gersing was giving a presentation on the basics of OOP (which was excellent), and I noticed that he was carrying around his iPhone while he talked.
On closer inspection, he was actually using his iPhone as his presentation clicker. He was able to move forward and backward in his presentation, and his phone was actually displaying his speaker notes in his hand! How cool is that?
Frustrated, I was convinced that there must be a way to do this on a Windows Mobile phone. I have given plenty of presentations that sing the praises of my WM6 phone, and have even compiled a list of the things I have used it for in a specific week.
So, you’ll notice that “Run a Powerpoint presentation” is not on my list. But today, I have to edit that slide. Here’s how you can do it too:
1) Download Windows SideShow for Windows Mobile
Get the files here. This is the first piece of all of this. Windows SideShow is a new technology that delivers information from your PC to a secondary display on two kinds of devices: those that are integrated into a computer, such as a small color display in a laptop lid; and those that are separate from a computer, such as a remote control or mobile phone. With this additional display you can view important information whether your laptop is on, off, or in sleep mode.
2) Install the .CAB file on your phone.
There is an excellent help file in the files you just downloaded, and I will leave it to you to make sure that you get this software installed on your phone. If you’re still running Windows Mobile 5, make sure that you get the .NET Compact Framework installed on your phone as well (the installer is also included, for your convenience.)
3) Create a Bluetooth connection to your phone from your Vista PC.
Yes, if I didn’t mention it, SideShow is a feature of Windows Vista. This will not work in Windows XP. My apologies. To create the Bluetooth connection, here’s the steps:
- On your PC, go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Bluetooth devices > Set up a Bluetooth enabled device
- On your phone, open your Start menu, choose Bluetooth, and then choose Bluetooth Manager.
- Make sure the status is set to “Bluetooth ON”, that you have a name for your device that you like (mine is blankenq for my Motorola Q9c), and that the checkbox reading “Allow other Bluetooth devices to see this phone” is checked.
- Back on your PC, click the “Add…” button on the Devices tab.
- Check the box that reads “My device is set up and ready to be found.”, and click Next.
- It will search for available Bluetooth devices, and eventually show you a list. Choose the device that has the name you used when you set up your phone, and click Next.
- Next, it will ask you “Do you need a passkey to access your device?” The answer is YES. Yes, you do. I prefer using the choice: “Let me choose my own passkey.” Then enter a passkey from 8-16 digits long. Remember what you typed, and then click Next.
- Look at your phone. It should now be asking you to enter that passkey again. Enter it in the box, and click Accept.
- Your PC will then install some device drivers, and you’re off and running. Your phone is now paired with your PC!
- Click Finish, and you can exit your way though the rest of the Control Panel.
4) Install the Office PowerPoint Remote Gadget
Get the files here.This is the actual “gadget” that you can run in Windows SideShow. This is what you use to manipulate your Powerpoint presentations. To make your life easy, check the box that reads, “Open Windows SideShow in Control Panel when I click Finish.” If you forget the box, open the Control Panel, and choose Programs > Windows SideShow. In here, you should see 4 boxes available for checking. Your email, your calendar, Powerpoint, and Windows Media Player. The three that aren’t Powerpoint come with SideShow by default. This will allow you to see your email, view your calendar, control Windows Media Player, and run Powerpoint presentations from your PC, even if it is sleeping. Cool, huh? Check the boxes you want access to.
5) Take a look at your Home screen on your phone.
You should now see a new item in your Home screen. This is the Windows SideShow section, and it is how you get to the applications available to you in Windows SideShow. Fire up a PowerPoint presentation on your PC, and it will show up in the PowerPoint remote menu. You can start the slideshow, move from one slide to the next, and the speaker notes for each slide are even shown on your phone’s screen!
Eat that, Mr. Gersing. 🙂
JEFF BLANKENBURG 
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