PowerMate takes over the mouse

New computer device is more than a cool looking volume knob

Upon first seeing this sleek glowing and pulsing PowerMate knob hooked up to a computer, my reaction was, "Oh Cool! Wow, what is it? What does it do?" The PowerMate was crafted by a jewelry designer from Japan named Takahiko Suzuki. In fact, it was his wife's constant nagging to turn down the music on his computer that led Suzuki to create and design the PowerMate, which sells through Griffin Technology, www.griffintechnology.com. The PowerMate hooks up to your computer via a USB port. Its basic functions are to control volume or mute the sound on your computer via a knob that turns left and right. It can also be pressed like a button. When the phone rings, and I can hear it over my music, I simply slap the PowerMate and it instantly mutes the volume.

After I hang up I slap it again and the music instantly blares away. But it's much, much more than just a volume-control device or a simple button. Many other computer applications also can harness the simple yet powerful features of the PowerMate.

Its ingenious software allows you to configure it with any application you like. For instance, while I edit video on my computer, I can use thePowerMate knob to scrub and move back and forth through video clips.

In Photoshop I can use it to adjust the size of brushes and/or zooming in and out of images. In a spreadsheet file I can scroll through large fields of data. You can even assign it to strafe left and right in your favorite first-person-shooter game.

Third-party software developers are starting to write specific applications for it, too. It can be programmed to communicate and interact with the user as well. With it's cool glowing and pulsating base I can interact with other programs such as my mail client.

I can set up the PowerMate to blink rapidly when I receive new mail. For the computer freak in me, I can also assign the rate of pulses to correspond with how hard my computer is working. The faster it pulses or blinks, the harder my CPU is working.

The PowerMate is built to take abuse too. You can pound on the thing and it'll keep doing what you programmed it to. It's made to take years of pounding abuse, unlike most other computer devices made out of cheap plastic.

If you listen to a lot of music, are into editing video or use other multimedia applications, I would get this device. For those into gadgets and computers this is a must check out.

The PowerMate looks totally cool and is simple to use, but it also can perform a multitude of useful functions and interact with a purpose.

WHAT I LIKED: First and foremost, I like the way it looks with its cool and sleek brushed-aluminum blue base that can pulsate. It's a universal controller which can interact and be programmed to almost any application. My mouse now has a cool looking sidekick to share the desktop with.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Nothing, it's the next best thing since cheese and crackers.

Reproduced with the permission of Inland Valley Daily Bulletin and Media NewsGroup, Inc. by NewsBank, Inc. (c) 2003 Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. All rights reserved.

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