Logitech Performance Mouse M950

Modern office desks come constructed in many different materials in this day and age but desks made of glass or with high-gloss veneers pose a real problem when it comes to mouse tracking. Optical mice just don’t work on them without a mouse-pad.

I hate mouse-pads. They’re ugly things that I always end up fiddling with, peeling or picking at. For that reason I haven’t used one in years.

Logitech has been the leading innovator in mouse technology for many years and have yet again broken new ground with their Performance Mouse M950 and its Darkfield Laser Tracking technology.

Regular laser tracking technology relies on the ability of the mouse’s sensor to detect the textural derails of the surface. The more irregularities a surface exhibits, the easier it is for the sensor to identify reference points that it can use to accurately measure motion. However, because high-gloss surfaces such as glass are almost completely flat, there are not enough details for a typical laser mouse’s sensor to detect.

To track on glass (that’s at least 4mm thick), Logitech Darkfield uses dark field microscopy to detect microscopic particles and micro-scratches on these surfaces., rather than tracking the surface itself. Similar to the way our eye sees the clear night sky, the mouse’s sensor sees the clean areas of the glass as a dark background with bright dots – the dust. Then, the sensor interprets the movement of these dots to track exactly where you’ve moved the mouse.

The sculpted, right handed shape of the M950 gives you the comfort you need while four customisable thumb buttons put your most important controls – like application switching, opening a favourite folder and zooming at your fingertips. Force-sensitive side-to-side scrolling (software enabled), which is a first in any Logitech mouse, lets you quickly navigate around webpages.

The supplied rechargeable AA battery can be charged either by plugging the mouse into the mains cable or using the USB cable and plugging it directly into your computer. You can then carry on using the mouse as it charges. Three green lights on the mouse itself indicate the charge level and begin flashing when your charge gets low.

I use the M950 for 8 hours a day in my graphic design job and find myself recharging the mouse once a week – and can stretch that out to a week and a half if I turn the mouse off overnight using the on/off switch on the under side.

The wireless mouse speaks to the tiny USB dongle called the Logitech Unifying receiver. This is small enough to safely stay in your computer or notebook and can receive up to five other compatible Logitech keyboards and mice simultaneously.

I’ve been using the Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 for a couple of years and with its natural ‘handshake’ shape, it has become a natural extension of my right hand. I absolutely love it, despite some of the gel thumb padding having leaked its liquid filling. So when the Logitech Performance Mouse M950 arrived on my desk I was scoffing at how it would have to be something very special to knock my favourite off its perch.

It did, and almost immediately at that. My old Microsoft Wireless has been banished to the drawer ever since, and it would take an unexpected hardware malfunction on behalf of the Logitech for me to pull it out again.

Using the M950 and a stylish glass mouse pad I’ve found the mouse to be incredibly precise and flawlessly smooth to move. All the buttons and features are perfectly placed and fully customisable which increases my productivity by having frequently used tasks at my fingertips.

At $199.90, the M950 is what you would call a premium product on the office peripheral scene and I personally wouldn’t have given it a second glance after seeing the price tag, but having used it for several weeks now, I have no doubt that the M950 is worth every cent.

For laptop users, Logitech have also released the Anywhere Mouse M905 which is more compact and uses the same dongle and Darkfield technology for the cheaper price of $149.95.

Belkin PureAV HDMI Interface 3 to 1 Video Switch

RRP $249.95

Luckily, TV manufacturers are beginning to compensate for the growing number of High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) appliances, by including 2, 3 or more HDMI ports on their product. I have a fairly recent TV (about a year old) which only has 1 HDMI port, but my PS3, Xbox 360 and laptop all use HDMI. Sure, I don’t use them all at once, but having to swap the cords over all the time proved a real pain in the proverbial.

The answer? An HDMI switching unit with 3 inputs and 1 output. Forget those cheap HDMI splitter adaptors that degrade quality and defeat the purpose, Belkin have provided the perfect answer with their HDMI Interface 3 to 1 Video Switch.

This small (19cm x 8cm x 3cm) but surprisingly solid and heavy unit slots anywhere in your entertainment setup and comes complete with a high quality PureAV HDMI cable, which weighs quite a bit by itself. You can switch between inputs using the solitary button on the front of the unit or using the accompanying remote control (yes, yet another remote control for the collection!) But for some bizarre reason, the unit doesn’t have a power on/off switch – meaning it’s always on, unless you physically pull the power cord out. In these times of hardship and power saving, this feature (or lack of) left me scratching my head.

Although there are only HDMI connections on this device, you can use an HDMI Interface-to DVI cable to connect and switch between DVI components if need be. The unit also supports 480i, 480p, 720i, 720p, 1080i, and 1080p resolutions.

The PureAV HDMI Interface 3 to 1 Switch has been a Godsend for me, eliminating the need for stretching my arms behind the TV and in small gaps between shelves and also reducing the chanced of scratching my entertainment unit with flailing cords.

Belkin Micro USB Auto Charger

RRP $24.95

If you’re on the road a lot, either with work, commuting or to and from the skifields, the last thing you need is for your phone or MP3 player to die on you. If you have a model which can be charged via USB then Belkin’s Micro USB Auto Charger is the perfect device to have handy in your glovebox. Whip it into your car’s cigarette lighter socket and charge up your iPhone, iPod, MP3 player, mobile phone or, if Xzibit has pimped your ride recently, even charge up your PS3 controllers.

• Low profile design
• Quick-charge USB port for fastest possible charge
• Input voltage 12V DC
• Output voltage 5V DC, 1Amp.
• 1Amp QuickCharge USB port is compatible the iPhone and will charge other USB devices twice as fast
• Compatible with most USB devices, including iPhone, iPod (all models) and mobile phones including BlackBerry
• Micro size leaves the adapter almost flush with the dash of your car
• 1 Year Warranty

I recently purchased some USB rechargeable AA batteries, which are great for keeping in the car when you need them for anything, and you always need AA batteries just when you think you’d never need them. Even these can be charged quickly using the USB charger. Honestly, when I received this product I thought I would never use it, but it’s come in very handy on more than one occasion – and at only $24.95 it’s cheap enough to warrant a purchase purely for the convenience of having it when you need it.

Dell Studio XPS 16 Laptop

$2599 from dell.co.nz

Dell have combined the power and versatility of their XPS series with the modern stylings of their Studio range and produced an absolute beast of a machine that will also turn heads. But the Studio XPS 16 isn’t made to plant on the table of your local WiFi Hotspot café, there’d be no room for your cappa and carrot cake. With its 16” screen and weight of just under 3kg, the XPS 16 is meant to be a fully features desktop replacement with the added bonus of portability.

The moment you take the XPS 16 out of the box, you know that you’re holding something with excellent build quality. The second you see your reflection in the glossy exterior, you feel an instant connection with the unit and the good impressions continue as you further explore the design characteristics. From the wedge-shaped profile, drop hinge, slot loading DVD-RW drive to the touch sensitive multimedia buttons, leather grip and brushed aluminium accents, it’s easy to see that the XPS 16 is meant to take pride of place on any desktop or entertainment setup.

A couple of small insignificant features which I like are the ringed lights on the outer hinges which glow white under normal usage but turn orange then red before flashing as your battery power gets lower. There is also a blue light on the power plug that connects to the laptop, which stays glowing for about 30 seconds even after disconnection from the mains. Silly I know – but sometimes it’s the little touches that mean a lot.

It’s when you start playing with the multimedia features of the XPS 16 when you discover the most redeeming feature of all – the stunning 16” 1080p full HD RGBLED screen is a joy to behold and even moreso when combined with the optional Blu-ray optical drive. Viewing angles are excellent and the only colour inversion noticed was when the screen was tilted back and you looked from a low angle – which you wouldn’t anyway. Reflections are a problem too if you are in brightly lit environments or outdoors. Bright sunlight makes it virtually impossible to see anything on screen – but this is a problem with many laptops, and if you’re in this situation then you’ve taken the XPS 16 away from its intended areas of use anyway.

With its high-performance ATI^TM graphics card, the Studio XPS 16 delivers true-to-life entertainment. And your graphics-intensive applications run like a charm. So you can easily create digital content – or just sit back to enjoy it with unbelievable realism. For extraordinary sound quality, the XPS 16 has premium speakers with an integrated subwoofer and 5.1 Dolby^® Digital outputs.

There is an integrated webcam and dual-array microphones, so you can easily stay in touch with friends and interact with the online community. Why worry about forgetting your password? Facial recognition security software lets you log onto your laptop with a simple scan of your face. It automatically locks your laptop when you step away, and unlocks it upon your return.

Ok, it’s specs time – and what an impressive list of specs it is:

Processors

Up to Intel^® Core^TM 2 Duo Processor T9800 (2.93GHz, 6MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)

Operating System

Genuine Windows Vista^® Ultimate

Genuine Windows Vista^® Home Premium

Genuine Windows Vista^® Home Basic

Memory

Up to 4GB 1067MHz DDR3 SDRAM

Up to 8GB 1067MHz DDR3 SDRAM for 64-bit Operating Systems

Chipset

Intel^® PM45 with Centrino^® 2

Graphics

512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3670

LCD Display

Edge-to-edge Glossy 15.6 inch Full HD WLED LCD display (1080p)

Edge-to-edge Glossy 16 inch Full HD RGB-LED LCD display (1080p)

Audio and Speakers

7 Watt Integrated Stereo Speakers with Subwoofer

Hard Drives

Up to 500GB 5400RPM Hard Drive

Up to 320GB 7200RPM Hard Drive

Up to 128GB Solid State Hard Drive

Optical Drives

8X DVD+/-RW Slot-load Drive

4X Blu-ray Disc Slot-load Combo Drive (DVD/CD+/-RW + BD Read)

Power

6 cell 56 WHr Li-Ion Battery

9 cell 85 WHr Li-Ion Battery

Camera, Microphones

2.0MP Integrated Webcam

Dual Digital Array Microphones

Wi-Fi Options:

Intel^® 5100 Wireless N Half Mini-Card

Intel^® 5300 Wireless N Half Mini-Card

Bluetooth Options:

Bluetooth^® Internal (2.0) mini-card- Standard

Ports, Slots, Chassis

Externally Accessible

(2) USB 2.0 compliant ports

(1) USB 2.0 compliant / e-SATA port with PowerShare

15-pin VGA video connector

IEEE compliant 1394a port

Integrated network connector 10/100/1000 LAN (RJ45)

54mm Express Card slot

Display Port

HDMI Port

AC adapter connector

Audio jacks (2 line-out, 1 Mic-in)

8-in-1 Media Card Reader

Dimensions & Weight

Width: 15.15″ (384.9mm)

Height: 0.95″ (24.1mm) front / 1.34″ (33.95mm) back

Depth: 10.02″ (254.6mm)

Weight: Starting weight of 6.4 lbs. (2.91 kg)(16″ WLED display, 6 cell battery). Weights will vary depending on configurations and manufacturing variability.

With hardware like that, especially the graphics card, the Studio XPS 16 does get quite hot, in fact it’s probably the worst I’ve encountered for self cooling. You need plenty of ventilation around the machine, and having it on a bed or the like is a definite no-no. Also, unless you’re like myself and have well and truly finished procreation, then you wouldn’t want to sit this portable sperm-boiler on your lap for too long either. Also, due to the nature of its workings, the battery life on the review unit I experienced was decidedly average – with a maximum of around 2 hours untethered. But if you’re replacing your old desktop computer anyway, then leaving the XPS 16 plugged in isn’t going to be an issue.

So whether it’s online communication, web surfing and word processing or graphic design, multimedia entertainment or graphics laden intensive gaming, then Dell’s Studio XPS 16 will rise up to meet your needs and then some. It’s a stunning machine and a processing powerhouse.

Sony Ericsson W705

(Telecom XT Network)

RRP $599

In all my years of reviewing mobile phones, surprisingly enough I had never reviewed or even used a Sony Ericsson handset until the W705 arrived on my desk. I have friends who have a love/hate relationship with the brand. One friend has had nothing but hardware problems with them and has had numerous replacement phones over the years – yet he still updates to the latest Sony Ericsson model when it’s released. So I figured they must have something going for them – and after a couple of weeks using the W705 I experienced both frustration and joy.

Frustrations were associated with texting and mainly the fact that ‘space’ has been mapped to the ‘hash’ key instead of the ‘0’ key like every other mobile phone I’ve used. Why? Just to be different? Well unless you’re used to Sony Ericssons then this one small difference proves to be one huge pain in the arse.

After over 10 years of texting using the ‘0’ key for spaces, retraining my brain and the muscle memory of my thumb was impossible in the 3 weeks I had the W705. The sheer amount of text messages I sent with ‘+’ between words was embarrassing.

My other issue was that it seemed just too long-winded to send a new text message to a recipient in your contacts. Perhaps one click too many for what should be a very streamlined and convenient feature – considering it would easily be the most utilised feature on any mobile handset.

The sliding action of the W705 felt a little too fragile for my liking as it doesn’t have the clicky nature of the comparable Nokia models. There was also nothing substantial for the thumb to get a purchase on to slide the top up. I either ended up inadvertently pressing a button or plastering thumbprints all over the screen.

That aside, the W705 is jam-packed with great little applications, features and utilities. First and foremost is the fact that it’s a fully featured Sony Walkman with Clear Stereo, Clear Bass and premium headphones to deliver sound in its purest form. The clever, although somewhat gimmicky inclusion of Shake Control means that with a flick of the wrist, the phone will select the next or previous song or playlist. While quite clever, it’s a feature that I can’t see being used all that often. SensMe is a feature that might get more use. By labelling your music appropriately, you can quickly choose a “mood” of music to listen to. Feeling a little melancholy? Then your W705 will filter through your collection and play all your Alanis Morrisette, Creed and Enya tracks - just in case you were thinking about backing away from that cliff.

All the features you would expect from a modern phone are here, but a few of the more notable/interesting ones are:

Camera

3.2MP

3x Digital Zoom

Geo Tagging

Video & Picture blogging

Video light & Flash

Photo Fix

Entertainment

Radio

Walk Mate (built in pedometer)

YouTube viewing and upload

Motion gaming

3D gaming

Connectivity

WiFi

PictBridge

USB

PC Sync

Bluetooth

Google Maps

Access NetFront Web Browser

Music

Music tones (MP3’s as ringtones)

TrackID

Shake Control

SensMe

Bluetooth stereo

Album Art

Screen

2.4” 262.114 colour TFT

320×240 pixels

Memory

Memory Stick Micro up to 8GB (4GB included)

Phone Memory 120MB (approx)

Size/Weight

95×48x14.3 mm

98g

Ultimately, the Sony Ericsson W705 is a fun phone to play with and well worth a look if you don’t want to carry around a Walkman and a phone separately. Some of the inclusions seem a bit of a gimmick, but then there are others that make you want to show it off to anyone who will listen. Sony Ericsson fans will love it to bits, and given enough time I probably would have grown to love it too – but the fact that it was inconvenient to open properly and having the space button mapped somewhere else just left me scratching my head. For the reasonable price of $599 (cheaper if you commit to certain plans) you do get a lot of phone for your money.

Ultimate Ears 700 noise-isolating earphones

RRP $499

Logitech have released a new model in their highly popular Ultimate Ears range of professional noise-isolating earphones. They claim that the UE 700’s are used by 75% of professional musicians and sound professionals which I thought was a bold claim until a quick perusal of the product website provided a who’s who of celebrities, bands and solo musicians using Ultimate Ears. Whether Logitech bung a set in every celebrity goodie bag at Hollywood functions is something most of us will never know, but they have some high profile endorsements nonetheless.

To give you a cleaner, more precise audio experience, the Ultimate Ears 700 earphones use a custom-tuned dual-armature layout that separates the broad frequency response – 10 Hz to 16.5 kHz – into two high-fidelity channels per ear.

As small as a peanut, the micro-design provides a comfortably secure fit that allows you to wear it a long time without discomfort. Wear them with the cord hanging down for casual listening or over the ear while exercising or when more active.

Three different-sized silicone ear-cushions and two sets of Comply™ foam ear cushions are included to find a “magic seal” against outside noise in your ears. Tapered silicone ear-cushions are designed to naturally fit into your ear-canal for a better seal. Also included is a pocket-ready hard case for storing your earphones and spare ear-cushions and a Sound Level Attenuator for lowering the overall volume levels of noisy sound sources. The UE 700’s are compatible with any hardware that has a 3.5mm headphone jack

The true test of an earphone that fits properly is from the amount of collateral noise, or how much others can hear what you’re listening to. There’s nothing worse than hearing every guitar riff coming from the earphones of the kid sitting down the other end of the bus. I put the UE 700’s though some vigorous testing in perhaps the most sensitive of situations – sitting in bed next to my wife who was trying to get to sleep. Firing up the laptop I plugged the UE 700’s and equipped the Comply™ foam ear-cushions. Tests were preformed at levels that my ears could handle without bleeding and the results* were as follows:

1. Public Enemy………….Pass
2. Slipknot…………………Pass
3. Mario Lanza……………Stirred slightly, but Pass
4. Cyndi Lauper…………..Pass
5. Quake III………………..Pass
6. Action movie…………..Pass

*It should be noted that the measure of success in these tests was NOT waking my lovely wife up.

In fact the only time I got told to shut up was from excessive keyboard tapping.

So the UE 700’s not only look and sound amazing, but they sound pretty good to everyone else around you too. After all, 75% of music industry professionals can’t be wrong.

Specs:

• Type: in-ear

• Frequency response: 10 Hz-16.5 kHz

• Impedance: 40 Ohms, 1 kHz

• Sensitivity: 113 dB SPL/mW at 1kHz

• Weight: 0.41 ounces (11.6 grams)

• Noise isolation: 26 dB

Connection

• Cable length: 46 inches (116.8 cm)

• Input connector: 1/8 inch (3.5 mm), gold plated

Vodafone Sonim XP3
RRP $799

In a world where mobile phones are as much of a fashion accessory and/or multimedia business tool or mini laptop, it’s a breath of fresh air to see a new mobile that features… well, bugger all really. Vodafone’s new XP3 handset (manufactured by Sonim) isn’t a phone designed for the office, shop or club. It’s not meant for the café, gym or for teenagers. No, the XP3 is purpose built for the outdoors, the tradesman, the construction site or the farm.

It won’t win any prizes for style, in fact most people would call it bloody ugly, but the XP3 was made for those who couldn’t give a rats-arse what it looks like. If you’re someone whose only requirement from your mobile is that it makes calls, sends SMS text messages and doesn’t crap itself if it falls out of your pocket, gets left out in the rain all night or falls into your jug of Waikato Draught, then the XP3 is the dependable working tool you’ve been looking for.

Heralded as the toughest mobile to date, the XP3 is designed to withstand the wear and tear of everyday life. It’s built to survive 30 minutes submerged to a depth of 1 metre, is certified against salt corrosion (making it the perfect mobile to slip inside your wetsuit if you’re a surfer), and be resistant to humidity, heat (-20C to +55C ideal for the beach or mountains) and shock. It can even survive a 2m drop onto concrete.

With a hardened rubber, non-porous exo-skeleton and antiglare, scratch resistant screen, the XP3 measures 119mm x 56mm x 24mm and weighs in at a hefty 140g. So comparatively, the XP3 is a brick. Hold it in your hand and you know that your holding something that’s built to last. It satisfies that primal feeling of holding something solid, something robust, something you could bludgeon a Sabre-tooth Tiger to death with.

The XP3 isn’t completely featureless, so let’s take a glancing look at what’s on offer:

• GSM.GPRS tri-band (900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
• Support for more than 20 languages
• Dedicated alarm button to send alarm messages to PoC server
• Bluetooth 1.2
• WAP, SMS and Polyphonic ringtone support
• 6 hrs talk time and 320 hrs standby time
• 2.5mm headset port and Mini USB for charging
• 128×160 resolution and 65,000 colours
• Opera Mini-Browser (Access to any webpage, landscape viewing, full screen rendering)
• Charger and belt-clip (car charger available)

Considering the nature of the XP3 and its intended target market, I’m surprised that the XP3 doesn’t have built in GPS or an FM radio. But other than that – everything a boatie, chippie, builder or outdoors lover would need in a mobile is right here.

So confident are Vodafone and Sonim in the construction of the XP3, that if you do manage to break it with everyday use in the first 3 years, they’ll replace it completely. How can you possibly lose?

Check out the NBR’s videos of the XP3 as they put the phone through some vigorous testing: http://www.youtube.com/user/ChrisKeall

Nokia XpressMusic 5800
RRP $899

Whether Nokia wants its XpressMusic 5800 to be compared directly to Apple’s iPhone or not, the fact that the main physical feature of both phones is the touch-screen and lack of a separate numeric keypad means that it’s hard not to.

Like the other XpressMusic models, the 5800 is made with multimedia playback firmly in mind. The music playback is second to none when it comes to mobile phones. Included also is an FM radio and MP4/WMV (among others) video playback. To facilitate this, the phone comes with 81MB of built-in memory and an 8GB SD card (upgradable to 16GB).

The 5800 is a stylish black unit with a slick red highlight and weighs in at 109 grams which isn’t too light so to be fragile but heavy enough so that you certainly won’t forget it’s in your pocket. There are buttons on the 5800; three on the front (send/end and menu), an on/off at the top, camera and volume buttons plus a lock button at the side.

The 3.2” touch-screen (640 x 360 pixel, 16×9 ratio) is definitely the dominating feature as there’s no escaping its usage. Anything you want to do on the phone requires some touch-screen interaction. This could put many people off but Nokia has made using the touch-screen a breeze with a recessed stylus at the bottom right corner or an optional plectrum (guitar pick). SMS text messaging can be input by several methods – the traditional alpha/numeric keyboard (this is the best if you’re using your finger to input – although without raised keys, no-look texting is difficult), a mini-querty keyboard, full querty keyboard or by handwriting recognition. The latter three definitely require the stylus for input. I was skeptical of the handwriting recognition as a viable form of input but was pleasantly surprised at how well it picked up my writing and after a little bit of practice turned into one of the faster methods after the full querty option.

Using the phone’s accelerometer, changing the orientation of the phone also changes the screen to match. This works reliably most of the time but it does occasionally need to think about it if you are flicking through menus at the time.

The 5800 comes with a 3.2MP camera with obligatory Carl Zeiss lens (it should be noted here that the iPhone only sports a 2MP camera) and takes decent enough pictures with a good selection of photographic options to choose from.

Other notable features are an Internet browser and email capabilities – both simple to set up, a GPS receiver and Nokia’s free map service (you will be charged for data usage). Add to those all the standard inclusions like calculator, conversion tools, basic office apps and games (2 included + more available via download).

For a feature laden phone, I found the XpressMusic 5800 to have an excellent battery life which far exceeded the latest N-Series Nokias. In fact in terms of value for money and functionality I would take the 5800 over the N96 any day.

Apple’s iPhone still manages to keep its nose in front of the 5800 purely because of the sheer amount of 3rd party applications available, but Nokia’s entry into the touch-screen market runs a very, and I mean very close second.

Black and Decker Smart Select/Zone Range

As more and more New Zealanders choose to undertake minor home renovations themselves, the clever folk at Black and Decker have tailored a range of tools aimed at the consumer end of the market, which help turn you into a DIY expert. The range features a Zone Mouse Sander, Smart Select Cordless Drill and Smart Select Jigsaw.
I spent a morning sanding down an ornate rimu coffee table which had seen better days due to spillage, knocks and kids using the Zone Mouse Sander and a tedious, hand crippling, time consuming job was actually a great deal of fun. The mouse sander told me exactly how hard I needed to press and even sensed when I was working on more delicate parts (including curved edges), adjusting the pressure needed to perform the same job. I was well impressed and the Zone Mouse Sander made even myself look like a master tradesman.

The Black & Decker Smart Select Drill:
The 18V Smart-Select Cordless Drill makes drilling easy, with an application selector that allows the user to choose the desired application. The drill then automatically adjusts its speed and clutch settings for optimum performance.

• Hammer action for drilling into masonry and concrete
• Variable speed for controlled drilling and screw driving
• Single sleeve, metal, keyless chuck makes bit changing quick and simple
• Forward/reverse switch for added versatility
• Anti-slip soft grip for more comfort
• Easy, quick change of batteries due to new slide pack battery locking system
• 1.5hr battery for a longer run time per charge
• Battery level indicator lets you know how much battery charge remains at any time

The Black & Decker Smart Select Jigsaw:
The 650W Smart-Select Pendulum Jigsaw illustrates a variety of visual icons allowing the user to simply turn the dial to choose the desired application such as curved, straight or bevelled cuts in wood, plastic or metal.

• Smart Select technology automatically sets jigsaw to optimize any cutting application
• Variable Speed Dial provides 7 speed settings to match any cutting application
• Accu-Bevel Angle Adjustment provides accurate bevel adjustment with quick action lever & indicator window
• Tool-Free Blade Change provides fast, easy blade changing
• On Board Blade Storage holds up to 3 blades and has a see-through door
• Sightline Channel: open channel design for better cut line visibility

The Black & Decker Zone Mouse Sander:
The Zone Mouse Sander features an LED display which helps the user determine how much pressure to apply when sanding, ensuring the very best result every time. When the correct amount of pressure is applied green lights show on the LED display, and when the user is applying too much or too little pressure red warning lights appear.

• Zone Technology – using an LED display screen indicates if you need to increase / decrease the amount of pressure on the sander for optimal sanding efficiency
• Detail base is designed to give better results when sanding intricate areas
• Ideal for paint / varnish, cleaning glass, removing rust and sanding in tight spaces
• Fan cooled magnet motor for long lasting low vibration performance
• Hook and Loop paper fitment for quick and easy changing of accessories
• Dust sealed switch protects electrical parts from contamination
• Rotatable base allows user to rotate paper as it wears, extending the life of the sanding paper
• Contour attachments included for intricate sanding and polishing tasks
• Rubber grips for comfort and control

Last week at the 2009 Game Developers Conference, what has been widely reported as “the future of gaming” was revealed after seven years of stealth development at Rearden, the media and technology incubator behind MOVA, Ice Blink Studios and Moxi.

OnLive is a revolutionary, on demand video game platform delivering the latest and most advanced games instantly, on any TV via a sleek, inexpensive MicroConsole, or on almost any PC or Mac.

“OnLive is the most powerful game system in the world. No high-end hardware, no upgrades, no endless downloads, no discs, no recalls, no obsolescence,” said Steve Perlman, Founder and CEO of OnLive. “With OnLive, your video game experience is always state-of-the-art.”

Designed for gamers of all skills and ages, the OnLive Game Service is easy to use. The elegantly designed OnLive MicroConsole (about as small as a deck of cards) easily connects any TV and home broadband connection to the OnLive Game Service and is operated by an OnLive wireless controller. Gamers can enjoy the same experience on almost any Internet-connected PC or Mac via a small browser plug-in from OnLive.com – even entry-level computers will play the highest performance games.

“OnLive combines the successful components of video games, online distribution and social networking into one affordable, flexible platform that offers a new way for game fans to access and enjoy content,” said Mike McGarvey, COO of OnLive. “By substantially lowering the barriers between content and consumers, OnLive has created an environment that is highly beneficial for every facet of the video game ecosystem. With OnLive, gamers can play what they want, when they want, how they want. That level of freedom has never been possible until now.”

The OnLive Game Service supports a live community of unprecedented scale. A revolutionary user interface allows video game fans to watch thousands of live games in action, join in at any point, share their exploits with friends through social networking tools, or make Brag Clips™ that showcase their skills. With OnLive, gamers have immediate access to demos and can instantly try, buy and play top-tier games, whether playing solo or with friends.

“With OnLive we’ve cleared the last remaining hurdle for the video games industry: effective online distribution,” said Steve Perlman, Founder and CEO of OnLive. “By putting the value back into the games themselves and removing the reliance on expensive, short-lived hardware, we are dramatically shifting the economics of the industry. Delivering games instantly to the digital living room is the promise game fans have been waiting for and OnLive makes that promise a reality that’s affordable, flexible and focused on their individual needs.”

OnLive offers significant benefits to publishers and developers. It costs far less to develop a game for OnLive, and the economics are far more efficient than retail or download distribution models. It typically only takes a few weeks to extend an existing version of a game to work on the OnLive service, so there is little cost incurred by developers and publishers to support the OnLive platform.

Through a partnership with Epic Games, an industry leading developer of triple-A games and cross-platform game engine technology, the award-winning Unreal® Engine 3 is compatible with the OnLive platform. Games leveraging the cutting-edge technology and versatility of the Unreal Engine will easily run on the OnLive service.

OnLive is supported by many of the top names in the video games industry including Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive Software, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, THQ Inc., Epic Games, Eidos, Atari Interactive and Codemasters.