This is one nice looking case. You could hide your computer in here, as it looks like the type of briefcase in which your average business person would lug around pie charts, cigars and those fruity breakfast bar things. The genuine cowhide leather is both strong and sharp looking, so it can just as easily serve as your standard briefcase when you're not lugging around your laptop (just don't pack your lunch in it).

With the PYRO A/V Link, analog to digital video conversion is handled in one step. The box converts the signal to DV automatically, so you can read the video directly in iMovie, Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Express, Avid Express DV and Adobe Premiere. In fact, if you wanted to, you could run from the camcorder through the PYRO A/V Link directly to the VCR or to another camera, bypassing the computer altogether.

Here, we have two different approaches toward protecting your precious lap from the heat of your PowerBook or iBook. Like an episode from Junkyard Wars, two different sets of engineers approached a valid problem from two different directions, each coming up with its own resolution. Fortunately, the two approaches are sufficiently different as to provide easy selection depending upon your needs.

I'm not sure who to point fingers at, but the standard mouse is one of the worst ergonomically designed devices around, and don't get me started on the hockey puck mouse. Fortunately, not everyone is likely to get mouse-wrist problems from using a standard mouse, but using the Contour Perfit Mouse Optical can (a) significantly reduce your chance of getting mouse-wrist, and (b) is very likely to reduce any current symptoms of mouse-wrist. But beyond that, is it any good?

Mini Review Update

Looks, feels, and works like a fine piece of high-end digital photographic equipment

A couple months back, I reviewed two products from Matias: the iPod Armor and the Laptop Armor. At the time, only the 12" to 15" model Laptop Armors were available, which left that increasingly large number of 17" TiBook owners naked and alone in the cold, cold night. Come back inside, my friends. Matias has released their models that support 17" computers, and they deserve another look.

Altec Lansing's VS4121 system is a great option for those seeking a speaker system that can handle just about any type of media run through it. The battle between the midrange and the subwoofer gets uneven when listening to audio CDs, but not so much that you'll in any way regret your purchase.

It's Two Scanners (Maybe More) In One

There once was a time when, it was thought, if your hands left the keyboard, you were wasting time. At least that what the DOS-heads felt when they saw the Macintosh mouse. Now, with the ShuttlePRO², your hands never even need to touch the keyboard. In fact, as long as your media software provides the necessary hooks for the ShuttlePRO², you will hardly ever have to reach for your mouse.

And thoughts in general on microphones for dictation software

For its price, the PrinTrio Photo 3150 is a great deal for the general consumer. Although the scanner and copier tools aren't the best, they get the job done. Printing is what really matters, though, and starting here, Lexmark has taken a big step towards covering their end of digital photography. If your prints aren't looking good enough to frame and put on your desk, you now have no one to blame but yourself.