Griffin 1100-PWRMTS PowerMate USB Multimedia Controller and Input Device

The quintessential volume knob for all USB computers (instant mute for phone calls) and much more! Comes with presets for a wide range of applications. Programmable to control practically any Mac or PC application.

Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
The PowerMate is mechanically excellent. It feels and looks great. The included software is basic, but OK. I only give two stars, though, because they've really messed the USB interface up. If you try to use it with other macro software, it doesn't work. Even if you write your own code, it doesn't work. The problem is that the PowerMate's internal configuration information claims that its wheel is an "absolute" device, sending a value that's a number for the position of the wheel, but what it really sends is _how_ _far_ the wheel has turned since the last time. That makes it a "relative" device, sending relative information. It seems like a small difference, but on Windows, MacOS X and the Linux varients I've checked, that means that it basically won't work right with any software other than Griffin's because the system suppresses redundant readings. If it really was absolute, a second reading with the same value would just be saying the wheel is sitting in the same place, but since it's sending _movement_ values, the system is suppressing info about the wheel _moving_ at a constant speed. A program can't even keep track of the position manually. It's really too bad; it could have been a great product. If you want to use it for _exactly_ what the included software does, it probably still is a pretty good product. But if you're a power user or have some other package for handling inputs and automating operation, this is not the device for you.