I think that there is some appeal to the device. Through the six actions the PowerMate allows you to do, plus the fact that it could support just about any application, I think the PowerMate could be useful to many people, especially those without any quick keys on their keyboard and whatnot, but it takes a little time to get used to having another input device.Ĭoncerned about long term use (mouse and keyboard are quick and easy) To add to the coolness factor, Griffin has included a LED light on the bottom of the device, which thanks to some clear plastic makes the knob look like its glowing from the bottom. The connection between the two cables is strong, and both seem very high quality. The stock, attached cable is very short, and will be fine for those using Apple computer’s that have USB hubs built in, but for us PC users, they have included an extension allowing me to plug it all the way in the back of my computer if I had to. No price difference for getting the black one, in case you were wondering. Later on, I learned that you can get it in black, but because I was too excited, I did not notice. I almost wish it was black, so that it would match the rest of my devices, but I am not going to complain about something as small as that, and because it looks so good, I have no problem having it stand out a bit. The Griffin PowerMate is lightweight, which would make you think that it is going to be cheap, and plastic, but when you take it out of the package and feel its sturdy metal finish, you can’t help but be impressed. There were a few steps on the CD, but it was the standard â?next, next, next, finishâ?. I plugged it into the front USB port on my computer after installing the software and two seconds later, I could rotate the knob to fast forward through video in Windows Media Player.

I almost laughed thinking my finicky Windows XP machine would never allow this device to work.

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