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Contour Design, Inc. Tuesday announced Mac OS X support for the ShuttlePRO, a USB device providing versatile control and increased productivity for video, audio and multimedia edit functions. The USB ShuttlePRO is a total system that can be used with virtually any application supporting Mac OS X.

The ShuttlePRO comprises three major components: the ergonomic hardware or device itself, the software drivers and control panel, and the application settings or pre-defined application support. The hardware has been designed and developed both for ergonomic integrity and for maximum productivity, allowing one-hand access to the thirteen fully programmable buttons and jog/shuttle knobs. Nine of the buttons have removable keycaps for easy labeling and referencing. The inner ring or "jog" rotates through 360 degrees and provides precision frame-by-frame control. The "shuttle," or outer black ring, is rubberized and spring-loaded, facilitating fast forward and rewind. You can also use the jog and shuttle for many other purposes such as scrolling, volume control, and sequencing for even greater user productivity.

"The ShuttlePRO is an established productivity enhancement tool and a favorite amongst Final Cut Pro users. With the addition of Mac OS X support, the Contour ShuttlePRO will continue to bring value to Apples Final Cut Pro users by increasing productivity through ease of use, speed and ergonomics. Support for Mac OS X is just another example of Contour's commitment to Apple and the Final Cut Pro Market Place," said Rick Muldoon, Contour's VP of World-Wide Sales and Marketing.

The driver software and support components are rich and robust and are continuously evolving as Contour Design, Inc. responds to feedback from users. The ShuttlePRO's software control panel and taskbar menu provide an easy and intuitive way to take advantage of the extensive potential of the ShuttlePRO system. Application sensitivity and multiple settings within the same application allow you to program it for how you use your application(s), not limiting its usability within or among applications. To take the programmability even further, the software gives you the ability to program virtual keys or keyboard keys that are not available on standard keyboards.

The application settings are also evolving both quantitatively and qualitatively, again based on Contour Design, Inc.'s own research and feedback from both users and application developers. Currently, the Contour ShuttlePRO has pre-defined support for Final Cut Pro 3.0, and most popular multimedia and personal productivity applications layered on Mac OS X.

The Contour ShuttlePRO and its associated drivers will be on display during the 2002 San Francisco Macworld January 8th through the 11th at booth no. 1549. The Mac OS X drivers are now available for download as a public beta.

The Contour ShuttlePRO jog and shuttle controller is currently available at an average street price of $99.95 through major retailers, catalog houses, or from a dealer near you. For more information, visit Contour Design's webiste or read the Applelinks review.

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