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It's a nice concept, I originaly purchased this for 3D development before 3D mice were available. It seems like it would be a nice addition to your system, but frankly the software configuration is so draconian and weird that you'll have a hard time using it for anything other than some default functions. While the new driver for Leopard improves things a lot, it would have been better if this device was directly supported by certain of my 3D apps. Basically, it's just turned into a pretty iTunes/SecondLife controller.
"Easy setup"
2007-09-10
- Reviewed By User: A3K4BTS4FX5D7K
The powermate is very easy to setup and it works great, its very easy to get in and set up custom commands for different applications. The only issue I have with it is the push and turn commands seem to be harder to control than just turning.
I found msyelf hardly ever using it. It was mostly just cool to look at.
And if you upgrade to Windows Vista. It becomes a paperweight. Griffin (as of this writing) has yet to offer software for Vista, rendering my PowerMate absolutely useless (unless one needs a cool looking paperweight, that is).
"A great addition to my setup.. I just wish it was more reliable."
2007-03-24
- Reviewed By User: A2ARDVMUGDFED6
I've owned this item for about 6 months now and love it.
It's become an invaluable accessory for my PC Setup alongside a Wacom tablet.
The design looks much like the volume dial found on audio receivers but does much more.
I'll start off by saying that I use this on Windows XP (since people seem to have mixed reactions from different Operating Systems) and found it very easy to configure.
Once installing the included software you're able to assign program-specific functions to each 'button' on the device. At first glance it looks as if it just turns left or right but it actually has 3 additional input options: Click (pressing down the center of the device), Click and Left (Click the button down and (while holding it) rotate it left) and Click and Right. 5 Functions total which is a nice start for most programs.
As I said, you assign specific functions to each program meaning that in iTunes it can be a volume control (using left and right) and song control (Click + Left or Right), in IE it can be used to scroll up and down, in Windows photo viewer it can zoom in/out, in video editing applications it can be used as a jog dial, etc..
I use mine mainly as a volume control, jog dial and zoom tool for photoshop. I find that it helps greatly with these applications (more than you would actually assume) - being able to use this in one hand and a Wacom tablet in the other while working in Photoshop has greatly increased my productivity in the application. The volume control works great for me since my PC audio is connected to a surround sound system across the room and lets me adjust volume levels without switching back and forth between programs.
The blue light is very nice looking and can be customized (such as off when turned to the left (or the volume is off) and full brightness when turned all the way up - it can also be programmed to 'pulse' on and off. The design of the device is also very sleek for its selling price. I could see an apple version similar to this selling for 3-4 times the price easily.
With that said, there is a problem with it. For some reason, whenever I reboot my PC the device acts as if its not plugged in, causing me to unplug and reconnect it each time. I dont reboot often (maybe once a week) so the hassle isn't too bad - for people who reboot daily or multiple times per day, this can be a real deal breaker. Others seem to have the same problem and I havent found any fix for it yet.
With this issue aside, it works perfect for what I need it for. Even as just a volume knob for my uses would have been a nice investment - the fact it does so much more is just fantastic!
I won't even attempt to write as comprehensive a review as some have already, but I've been using the PowerMate for a while now on an iMac that boots in both Windows XP and Mac OS. While it's not perfect, it is very useful and it looks marvelous. I needed a volume control since my speakers' is out of reach, so that (and muting) is its only use for me. When it works, it works fine. A few of the more exotic functions are problematic, but volume control is reliable. Occasionally it is freaked out by me rebooting to a different OS and simply needs to be unplugged/replugged, then the glow resumes and all is well again. It looks cool anywhere, but especially so on the flat metal screen stand of the iMac, where it fits perfectly.
3 stars for function, 5 stars for appearance.
"Glowing is about it"
2007-01-05
- Reviewed By User: A1IOYJINYX9U6X
I think the other reviews have it nailed - on the Mac it is of minimal usefulness - even as a volume control for iTunes, it ONLY works if you have iTunes in the foreground - which is an unlikely situation - usually you'd want to adjust volume or mute iTunes playback (i.e. for a phone call) when you were working in another application. If you have to click on iTunes to bring it to the foreground, why not just click on the control to mute.
On XP, as other reviewers have noted, the driver is buggy and hasn't been updated since 2004. If you are lucky the PowerMate will work for a few minutes - usually it does nothing at all in any application (oh - except glowing and pulsing!). Completely useless.
The Keyspan digital media and iTunes remote controls ARE able to control iTunes in the background - on both Mac OS X and XP - and they are what I use now in place of the useless PowerMate.
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"Nice concept, falls down in execution"
"Easy setup"
"Glowing is about it"