Griffin Technology PowerMate 1040-PMT USB Multimedia Controller and Input Device (Aluminum, PC/Mac) by Griffin Technologies
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List Price: Category: CE See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Griffin Technology PowerMate 1040-PMT USB Multimedia Controller and Input Device (Aluminum, PC/Mac)
Digital camera Review: Great device but....
Summary: 3 Stars
Had this for two years. Love the functionality ie playing music from my computer work station and being able to easily and quicky turn down the music when someone calls me on the phone.
HOWEVER.....
The device refuses to start up with the computer and I have to literally unplug and replug or reload the driver for it to work each morning. This is an enormous pain in the .... . The griffin website says that there is a solution but in the end they practically want you to reinstall the operating system because none of their easier solutions work.
Don't buy this device unless you are ready for this annoying behaviour.
Digital camera Review: Griffin Rocks!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This powermate is awesome the brushed aluminum look is really cool. I also like that when your computer goes to sleep the blue light pulses. It is a bit [costly] but its worth it. I use a Mac and boy is it made for a Mac. ... If you use a mac and you're looking for something a bit useful bt mostly just looks awesome with your imac or new G5. This is your product!!!Digital camera Review: Is "LOVE" too strong a word?
Summary: 5 Stars
This has got to be the coolest thing I have bought in the past year. Beautiful brushed aluminum knob that is just the right size for normal adult human hands. The bottom is a translucent rubberized plastic that does not slip across your work surface when you're turning the knob, but it is easy to move. It's well weighted and it feels sturdy, not like a flimsy piece of plastic.Two blue LEDs inside give the translucent base a beautiful Mac-esque glow. The Powermate is compatible with Mac OS 9, Mac OS X, Windows XP, Win 2000, Win ME & Win 98.
Great for multi-tasking - use one hand for your mouse, while the other hand spins the knob. The knob can also be 'clicked.'
The Powermate can be programmed (comes with a CD w/ software to program it) to perform varying functions in different programs... from adjusting the volume to scrolling up, down or left, right.
This is a fine piece of industrial art that's also functional. You'll feel like you've traveled forward in time - this is a cool space-age looking doo-dad and it is a very very handy input device.
Digital camera Review: Is the glowing enough?
Summary: 3 Stars
I really enjoy having this controller attached to my OS X iMac - the blue glow is very cool, and everyone who sees it says "Wow, what's that for?".However, it's not as useful as I hoped it would be. I like to use iMovie and Final Cut Pro a lot, and hoped that the Powermate would work as a jog-shuttle contoller for quickly selecting frames and edit points. Well, the Powermate control software does allow mapping of keys to the left/right movement of the Powermate, but it's not quite enough to make it super useful. You can't set edit points for example, and the frame advance and rewind isn't very fast or easy to use.
Yes, it does make a great volume control for iTunes. BUT the nature of the Powermate is that it controls either the entire system or a specific application depending on how you have set it up, so it's possible to get confused and start scrolling through a webpage rather than adjusting the volume as expected. And don't forget that iTunes and the computer as a whole have separate volume settings - which one are you adjusting?
After a month or so of use, I find I use the Powermate to do these things:
1. Wake up my iMac when it's in Sleep mode
2. Impress friends with it's pulsing blue glow.
3. Er, that's about it.
It's still cool, but if you want a shuttle controller for video work, buy a dedicated shuttle controller, not the Powermate. If you enjoy having a lump of machined metal that glows on your desk (like I do) the Powermate is still worth getting.
Note: the driver software for the Mac was recently updated to version 1.5, which addresses some issues I listed above. For example, it's possible to make the Powermate ONLY work as a volume control, and avoid some confusing behavior.
Digital camera Review: It's Glowing On Me
Summary: 4 Stars
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.