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Logitech Spotlight – 4 Years Later

By: Richard Mitchell

Four years later, I still really like the Logitech Spotlight and enjoy utilizing it during my presentations. When I do, I usually get at least one or two “How did you do that?” type comments. The Logitech Spotlight, a “laser pointer” without a laser, highlights information on a PowerPoint, Keynote, PDF, etc. in an elegant way by “spotlighting” the information (see above graphic) via software (note, you can also have the “spotlight” act as a magnifying glass or to act as a red “dot” similar to how a laser pointer would look on a display). In 2017, this was a bit of a novelty as most of my presentations were in person, and a traditional $19.95 laser pointer would have done most of what the Spotlight can do (if not more)… THEN… COVID-19 hit, and things changed a bit. Traditional laser pointers don’t work well with Zoom, WebEx, Teams, etc. and while a mouse works well in some of those situations, there are other (specifically hybrid teaching) environments where the faculty may not have easy access to the mouse. The Logitech Spotlight solves a specific issue where the in-room participants can see where the faculty member is pointing, but more importantly, the remote participants (via Zoom, WebEx, Teams, etc.) see the same highlight. Also, the in-room lecture capture system captures the information being highlighted. Best of all, it just works.

[Quick Logitech Spotlight video]

What’s changed over the years? Originally, the Logitech Spotlight software used to generate the highlights was a bit clunky and installation was a bit of a pain. Over time, as I’ve installed the software on a few devices, Logitech seems to have cleaned up that process a good bit (or, perhaps Apple has streamlined the peripherals platform access). You still need to enable a good number of OS-level security items, but it’s easier in 2021. Also, in 2017, I was a little perplexed as to why Logitech selected USB-C as the charging connector (I wanted my USB-A!). But, the USB-C port has proven to be useful now that just about everyone has a USB-C charger or open port to charge the device. Lastly, I still enjoy the flexibility of the device. The remote can communicate by either a dongle (that tucks away nicely in the base of the unit when not in use) or via Bluetooth. There are pros and cons to the two communication methods, but having flexibility is nice. Overall, the ROI of the Logitech Spotlight has been great, and I don’t see it losing space in my backpack anytime soon.

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