PowerPoint in Your Pocket

The editors' favorite innovations to help you do your job better - or at least have fun trying

Only the lightest of the light laptop computers tip the scales at under 3.5 pounds - most are significantly heavier. So folks may welcome a featherweight option for storing and running PowerPoint or other digital computer presentations. Enter AVerEPack, AVerMedia Technology's compact 6-inch by 4.33-inch unit, which, together with its remote control, weighs in at just three-quarters of a pound.

No, you can't check your e-mail, write a letter, or browse the Web, but if you can live without your laptop, this is a sleek little sidekick for your presentations. Using a CompactFlash card (not included), users transfer PowerPoint files or other images into the AVerEPack. (A 32 MB card can hold up to 300 slides.) The AVerEPack connects to any display device, including a TV monitor, VGA monitor, or LCD projector.

One of the beauties of PowerPoint is the ability to change a presentation on the fly, and that isn't lost with the AVerEPack: Users can sequence their slides, with cut, copy, paste, and delete functions. The unit has a 16-slide preview capability, four zoom functions, and three pointing tools to draw attention to on-screen material. Presenters run the show using either the buttons on top of the unit or a wireless remote.

The AVerEPack works with PowerPoint 2000 and is compatible with Windows 95 and 98. It retails for $299. Visit www.aver.com or call (800) 863-2332.