PowerMate USB Multimedia Controller

The PowerMate is a snappy- looking controller knob made from machined aluminum that attaches to your PowerBook via USB. Mindful of the old Atari 2600 "Paddle" controllers, but updated for the new millenium, the PowerMate is a simple device -- the knob spins like a dial and can be pushed down like a button. Griffin touts the PowerMate as "the coolest volume knob your computer has ever seen -- and so much more." It's true -- the controller has a very pleasant heft to it, is finished in a lovely silver color, and when plugged in, its translucent plastic base lights up and glows a very nice, soft shade of neon blue. Even cooler, when I put my computer to sleep, the PowerMate's blue light pulses gently.

The PowerMate does, in fact, make a very cool volume control for iTunes or any other application. The included software -- which installs a new preference pane under OS X (and is OS 9 compatible) -- is programmed to interface the controller with Final Cut Pro and iMovie right out of the box, turning the knob into a Jog/Shuttle wheel for video editing purposes. I found this very handy for fine cutting of footage in FCP, as it's much easier to move frame-by-frame with the wheel than a standard mouse. The software is also fully customizable for use in most any application: scrolling through Word documents or Web pages, controlling/muting volume in Real Player, and playing that old school arcade hit "Tempest" come immediately to mind.

Personally I found the PowerMate to be a handy, functional addition to my video editing setup and something of a novelty beyond that. If you edit a lot of video, use your PowerBook as a home stereo, or just like the feel of cool aluminum under your hand, you may well find the uber-chic PowerMate's $45 price tag well worth the money.

USB Audio Hub
The USB Audio Hub is a four-port USB hub designed specifically for use with USB audio devices. The hub draws power either directly from your PowerBook's bus or via the supplied AC adaptor, and Griffin claims that it's "the first Hub designed with Audio recording and playback in mind." (capitals theirs) Specifically, the Griffin Website quotes the makers of a Macintosh speech recognition application who tout the Hub's ability to support microphones, claiming that with the Griffin Hub users don't have trouble with their system not recognizing mic's, as was the case with other hubs.

Well, I can't say that the Griffin Hub outperforms other hubs I've tried (I also have two mini hubs made by Elecom and Dr. Bott) in terms of Audio performance from my Mac, but I can say that it works. OS X has actually cured my USB hot swap problems more than the addition or removal of any hub, and my iMic audio adapter (also by Griffin) talks to my system and my $39 Altec Lansing speakers just fine with any of the hubs. One problem I do sometimes have is with mysterious humming and popping noises when recording audio through the iMic device. This seems to be an OS X compatibility issue with the iMic itself, and the USB Audio Hub does nothing to correct it.

At $39, the Griffin USB Audio Hub is roughly twice as expensive as other three- and four-port hubs on the market. As a PowerBook owner, I'd be more interested in buying a mini hub like the Dr. Bott T3 (which snaps right into the PB's USB port) than the bigger Griffin model (which connects via an included USB cable). But serious audiophiles with better audio equipment than I may notice an improvement in audio performance with this hub compared to cheaper models. Then again, they may not -- like I said, the hub works for me, but no better or worse than any other hub. Feel free to email me with your findings. The hub is black with a nice semi-clear top designed for stacking of additional hubs, and features four green indicator lights on the front. One would think they correspond to each of the four ports on the back, but on my model they all light up no matter how many of the ports are in use. No matter -- I keep the hub turned around backwards so I can get to the ports, anyway.