Cider Press Review: Griffin PowerMate - It All Doesn't Matter Because .... It Glows!
by Russ Aaronson
3/30/04
For once, I’m going to get right to the point.
The Griffin PowerMate. It costs about forty bucks. It comes in silver or black. It spins left. It spins right. It’s also has a button. It glows. It connects to any USB port. It can handle keystroke functions in just about any program. It comes with a USB extension cable. It costs about forty bucks.
And it’s the coolest piece of hardware you’ll ever own. Here’s why.
1) It makes the Finder Fun!
Well, not really. Here’s my tip. Forget about using it as a volume knob (the function keys work better at this anyway). Program it to open new finder windows and to act as the arrow keys do. Now you’re flying through the Finder!
2) Scrub-a-dub-dub!
Use it to scrub through audio or video in iMovie, Final Cut, or even Garageband.
3) Browse yourself crazy!
Don’t have a scrollwheel mouse? Hate tabbing through links on webpages? Use the PowerMate to do these things and more! One click and you can open a new browser tab. Sure, you could buy a mouse that does these things, but now you’re talking one-trick ponies!
4) Make Presentations Hip Again!
As with the Finder tip, this is a lie. Most PowerPoint presentations totally stink, and even Keynote’s fancy QuickTime transitions can’t help The Boring Presenter From Hell! But with PowerMate and it’s friendly extension cord, you can click and scroll your way through even the most chronically misleading pie charts and bar graphs.
Of course, you could buy a wireless presenter remote to do all of this and more, but now you’re talking one-trick ponies again. And besides, do any of those remotes emit a hypnotic blue glow?
Thought not.
5) Win people and influence friends!
Sure, I got the quote wrong, but they’ll never know. Why? Because everyone’s hypnotized by the gently pulsing blue glow of the Griffin PowerMate. People constantly ask me “Hey, what’s that silver thing on your desk?” I say, “It’s a forty dollar knob!” They say, “Forty bucks for a knob? That’s stupid!” Then I say “But lookit! It has a calming blue glow!” Then they all want one for themselves. Ha!
6) It’s fully scriptable!
Have I created or used any scripts with the PowerMate? No. Will you? Probably not. Does any of this matter? Heck no, because some people will be impressed when you tell them it’s fully scriptable. (Note: If this doesn’t impress them, see number five).
7) It makes Macs even cooler!
People will see your PowerMate and think “Wow, what will those wacky Apple guys think of next?” But that’s where they’re wrong, because Griffin Technology makes the PowerMate. And they’ll never need to know that the PowerMate works on PC’s as well. Shhhhh!
8) It comes in black!
Actually, this is rather silly, unless you’re the proud owner of a WallStreet or Pismo PowerBook G3. Or maybe you have an old Mac TV that has a USB port soldered into it.
Did I mention the soothing blue glow?
9) It’s easy to install and use.
This is nice, but it isn’t really “cool” per se. I just had to mention that the PowerMate comes with software on a CD that installs itself into your System Preferences and allows you to easily set both global and application specific settings.
10) “You Know – For Kids!”
Kids just love shiny, glowing stuff, don’t they?
11) You can finally play Tempest and Pong!
That’s what it’s really all about, isn’t it? I mean, have you ever tried to play Tempest or Pong with arrow keys? It sucks! Now you can fire up MacMame and play those old paddle-controlled games the way they were meant to be played.
Customizable knob that spins and clicks.Can gently pulse with an alluring blue glow that makes people think your Mac is even cooler than it already is. Comes in stainless steel and black metal finishes.
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