After having both of the X-mini models in my home to play around with over the Holiday vacation, I'll give you my thoughts and review of these diminutive speakers. Just so you know, I have mainly used them with my iPhone 3G but these speakers will work with any audio device featuring a normal headphone jack.

Quick Conclusion:

The X-mini speakers do indeed play very loudly for their size and the sound quality surprised me. The tiny speakers certainly don't "boom" by any means, but the sound is clear and reasonably full for the size. Only at the highest volume levels did I experience any distortion. For music on-the-go, the X-mini speakers will get the job done when you don't want to use headphones.

Now, for the full details. Note that I'm covering both the X-mini II and the X-mini MAX II in this review.

Packaging:

Both models of the X-mini come in a similarly styled box that is not much larger than a normal CD case in width and length. The boxes are easy to open and thankfully, there is none of that annoying packaging that is sealed shut and cuts your hands trying to open. Unpacking either model of the X-mini from the box is a 30 second process and doesn't produce a huge pile of waste.

What's In the Box:

The X-Mini II includes:

• The single speaker X-mini II unit
• Cloth carrying bag
• Audio/charging cable w/velcro tie
• User's guide

The X-mini MAX II includes:

• The X-mini MAX II pair of speakers
• Cloth carrying bag
• Audio/charging cable w/velcro tie
• Audio adapter cable for single speaker use
• User's guide

Assembly / Setup / Design:

The single-speaker X-mini II is exceptionally easy to set-up. The speaker unit is self-contained and has the audio cable built-in and snapped into a convenient holding slot in the bottom. You simply un-snap the cord, plug it into your player, expand the bellows, turn it on, and you're set. The design is clean and simple. The fact that the X-mini II is self-contained really makes it easy to carry and quick to use.

The X-mini II controls are simple and consist of a volume knob and an on/off switch. There is a bright blue LED that indicates when the unit is powered-on. For charging, you connect the included USB cord and the LED glows red. The charging cord also has a headphone jack on it should you want a longer cord than the built-in three inch cord to connect with your audio source.

The dual-speaker X-mini MAX II is a bit more complex. While each speaker has a built-in battery, just like the regular X-mini II, there is not a self-contained cord. Instead, you have to use the (included) audio/USB cord to connect to both speaker's mini-USB connectors, which also double as the audio input, and then attach that to your audio player. The resulting setup does give you two speakers instead of one, but at the cost of having a cord chaining chaining everything together and getting in the way.

Each of the MAX speakers has a blue LED when powered-on which changes to red when charging from the USB port. Each speaker has its own on/off switch, but curiously, there is no volume control on the MAX so you're limited to using your audio player to adjust the loudness.

One nifty feature of the MAX speakers is that they "stick" together when not being used thanks to some magnets built into the bottom of each unit. This makes them easy to separate and connect and there's no latches or hooks to break.

Both the X-mini II and the X-mini MAX II speakers have an interesting feature: you twist the top and bottom about 1/4 of an inch and the top and bottom pops apart to expose a plastic expanding bellow. This gives the tiny speakers a larger air volume to work with when listening, and when you're done, you simply press the halves back together and twist to lock.

The new series II in both X-mini lines has what they call a "buddy port". This is a 1/8" headphone jack that can be used to connect more X-minis together to get additional volume. For example, I took the MAX pair and connected the single Mini to it and made a three-speaker setup. It's an interesting setup and lets you hook many, many series II speakers together.

One potential concern if you're planning to keep the speakers in a bag is to ensure that pencils or other similarly shaped items don't poke the speaker cones. Both models of X-mini have the cones somewhat exposed and a pen could easily end-up making contact with the speaker cone. The included cloth carrying cases will help prevent this, but it would still be possible to cause damage to the speakers even inside the bag.

Build Quality:

Both models of X-mini are built of solid, matte black plastic. The plastic has an almost rubbery feel and the matte finish is far classier than the cheap looking shiny plastic you often find inexpensive devices these days. Holding the speakers in your hand gives you the impression that they are well-built. There is no creaking nor does the plastic flex when you press on it.

When you expand the bellows in each speaker pod, the quality feel remains. I was expecting a flimsy feel when the speaker is "open" but the bellows appear to be made of a thicker plastic which keeps them sturdy.

The cables included with each set include a velcro tie which is a very nice touch. Too often, manufacturers don't include any type of cable management and you end-up with tangled wires from carrying in your purse, backpack, or whatever. With these velcro ties, you can neatly bundle the cords so they are organized and less likely to snag and break on other things in your bag.

The controls and ports are solid and don't flex when inserting the plugs.

Overall, the build quality of the X-mini and X-mini MAX II sets are "above average" in my opinion. For the week and a half I've owned them as of writing this, I have no complaints about the build quality and the speakers seem to be holding-up well to normal use.

Audio Quality:

The packaging for both sets of these speakers claims they are "unbelievably loud". I did find this to be true. I've had quite a bit of experience with building speakers in the past and thus I understand that a small-cone speaker cannot physically play loud bass or other low frequencies. Thus, I had no expectation that either X-mini model would "wow" me in that regard.

However, I was surprised by the sound these little things actually do put-out. Don't get me wrong, you won't ever mistake these for your set of high-end home stereo speakers, but for speakers that are only a couple inches long and battery powered, the sound is impressive.

At first, when I was testing the single-speaker X-mini II, I didn't know about the expanding bellow. I was listening to music with the speaker "collapsed". Yeah, yeah, I should read the instructions, but you know how it goes. Anyway, once I expanded the speaker, the sound quality in the lower-end of the spectrum improved significantly.

Obviously, the higher-end treble frequencies are present in the X-minis as the tiny speakers very much resemble a tweeter. But, the mids and upper-end bass is relatively full as well thanks to the expanding bellows.

As I write this, I'm listening to the Avatar movie soundtrack which is largely orchestral. There are some drums playing and I can actually hear a bit of fullness in the sound of the drum. It's far less "tinny" sounding that I ever expected from a speaker of this size!

I also listened to some Aerosmith and Crystal Method to cover several styles of music. I figured that some orchestra (Avatar), rock (Aerosmith) and electronica (Crystal Method) should cover most of the range of sounds out there. On all types of music, the highs were very strong and the lower the frequency, the more it dropped-off. However, listening was fully acceptable and pleasing especially for a very small portable system that I can easily carry.

Note that I did also test the speakers with a mega bass album from Techmaster P.E.B., as I always do. I was not expecting the X-minis to be able to reproduce any of the low-end 20Hz bass simply to due physics, and I was right. There is no "boom" in the X-minis, so if you're looking for rumbling, powerful bass, you probably already know to look elsewhere.

The X-mini II and X-mini MAX II performed nearly identically with the exception that the MAX has two speakers so they can get louder and also provide stereo sound.

As for the "unbelievably loud" claim, yes both the X-mini II and X-mini MAX II speakers do get much louder than I expected. At maximum volume, there is some distortion and the small speaker size causes the treble to become rather shrill, but backing the volume down just a bit brought the speakers back into a listenable range that was still quite loud.

Conclusion:

As usual, here's the bullet list everyone is probably skimming for:

X-mini II:
Pros:

• Very compact.
• Self contained battery and audio input cable.
• Volume control.
• Surprisingly good sound for the size.

Cons:

• Small speaker means less bass.
• Mono sound.

X-mini MAX II:
Pros:

• Very compact for dual speakers.
• Can use just one speaker if desired (like X-mini II above).
• Self-contained rechargeable battery.
• Surprisingly good sound for the size.

Cons:

• Small speaker means less bass.
• Cable management for dual speakers is less convenient.

I must say that these tiny little speakers surprised me. I had not heard of the X-mini lineup before I was sent these evaluation units, so I had no idea what to expect. The sound exceeded my expectations for a 20mm speaker, thanks in large part to the unique expanding bellows design. The fact that they have batteries built-in means that you don't need to connect them to a USB power source except to charge.

Personally, I expect to use the X-mini II single speaker the most simply due to the convenience of the built-in cord and simplicity. The stereo MAX II set will probably appeal to more people looking for "hang out music" with their friends, however. Either set is well-built, and sounds surprisingly good - and yes they are unexpectedly loud too if that's your thing. The prices are pretty cheap, too.

If you need an occasional speaker for use with your iPod, iPhone, or other portable audio player, check-out the single speaker X-mini II or the dual speaker X-mini MAX II. I think you'll like what you find. They aren't easy to find in stores (yet) but as word spreads, I'll bet you see them in-use all over.

CLICK HERE to order the single speaker X-mini II

CLICK HERE to order the dual speaker X-mini MAX II

CLICK HERE to order the single speaker X-mini II

CLICK HERE to order the dual speaker X-mini MAX II

I hope you enjoyed this review. For full disclosure, as stated above, I did receive no-cost evaluation units to do this review, but the opinions are entirely mine and derived from my own use of the products. Some links are affiliate links.

I've had a set of the new Zagg Z.buds for a couple of weeks now and have been putting them through the paces with my iPhone 3G. In this review, I'll provide some of my thoughts on using the Z.buds, mainly for audio listening with an occasional phone call thrown-in.

Quick Conclusion:
If you're not one for details and just want to know my conclusion, that would be: The Z.buds sound fantastic and I highly recommend them especially if you use them mainly for music.

If you're wanting a bit more detail than the quick conclusion, read-on...

Packaging:
The Z.buds arrive in a quasi-pyramid cardboard box. Inside the box, you'll find one of those clamshell plastic enclosures we all hate -- you know the kind that takes a huge pair of scissors and safety gloves to open? However, the benefit of such packaging is that you know for sure if your Z.buds are pristine and never-used, which is always good when you're sticking something in your ears.

What's In the Box:

• The Z.buds earbuds
• Several extra earbud tips
• Cloth carrying pouch

There are no instructions provided, which sounds funny to say about a set of earbuds, but these are pretty complicated as far as buds go, so it might have been nice to include a folded piece of paper describing the various aspects of the product. You can access the Zagg product page on their website to see labeled photos, but as a first-time user, I must admit I wondered what certain things (like the button loop) were for.

Build Quality:
One thing that really stands-out about the Z.buds is the build quality. The earbud bodies are actually made of metal, a substance of increasing rarity in today's consumer goods market. Each bud has a small unobtrusive Zagg logo on the side.

Leaving the earbuds, you have a good strain-releif which leads into the wire. All wires are covered with a braided sheath, probably made of Nylon. This sheath helps keep the wires from becoming tangled, in addition to providing a very nice, high quality appearance and feel. There are two versions of the Z.buds, one which has red sheathing and one with black, which is what I'm reviewing.

On one bud's wire is the usual microphone/button pod. This pod is not cheap and "clamped-on" looking like the headphones Apple includes with the iPhone. This pod is chrome and black with a distinct button you press to answer calls, pause music, or jump tracks. The button is somewhat inlaid on one side of the pod, so it shouldn't receive erroneous presses from your clothing.

Moving down the cord, you have three silver beads that can be slid up and down the cord to help with cable management. These beads are what allows the questionably named "Hangin' Tight" feature of the Z.buds. You can also use the beads to configure the two earphone cords to have shorter or longer separation.

Next is a little metal cylinder that both holds the button loop and also is the point where the two earphone wires emerge from the single wire going to the iPhone/player. Both the incoming wire and the headphone wires have good strain relief as well. The button loop is removable should you not need it.

The last stop on the wire before the 3.5mm plug is the volume control. This is something that's not very common in my experience and is a really nice feature. You can adjust the volume easily without having to fish your iPhone/player out of your zipped pocket or backpack. Traditionally, these in-line volume controls have problems with noise over the long-term, so only time will tell if Zagg chose a good potentiometer in the volume pod or not, but in the first couple of weeks, I haven't had any problems.

Comfort During Use:
The Z.buds ship with a soft memory-foam type tip pre-installed. If you've ever used those foam earplugs that you roll between your fingers and they expand in your ears, you'll find similarity with the default tips. The buds insert comfortably into your ear and form a mostly sound-tight seal thanks to the soft foam. The fit is good enough that you don't feel like they buds are going to get pulled-out from normal head movement.

If you use the "hangin' tight" configuration, where the cord is hung on your neck and the earbuds don't have any weight on them, it's very comfortable. The issue I have with this configuration is that the microphone/button pod is up in a location where your coat collar or other clothing might hit the microphone, thus causing noise when talking on the phone.

Should you choose to forgo the "hangin' tight" (really - who chose that name?) setup, you can hang the cord from the earbuds like a normal set. Because the buds fit snugly into your ears, I haven't really experienced any problems with them falling-out. The various goodies on the Z.buds like the volume control, sheathing, and metal wire-splitter make the wire a bit heavier than a normal set of buds, so perhaps during vigorous movements you may have issues with the buds popping out, but I didn't. Also, using the button loop helps eliminate some of the cord weight.

Audio Quality:
The Zagg Z.buds are a treat to listen to - period. The very first time I used them to listen to a bass-heavy song, I heard frequencies I haven't heard so clearly since I had a mega-buck car stereo (yeah, the kind that goes "boom")! I thought to myself, "Hmm... I wonder if I'm imagining this - surely the Apple buds aren't that bad." So, I ran and grabbed the Apple included buds to listen to the same song and, well, I wasn't imagining that they sounded awful compared to the Z.buds.

Musically, I like anything except country. Thus, I've tested the Z.buds with many genres of music - far too many to mention here. But I can list a few examples:

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon and Delicate Sound of Thunder: There are stereo effects and minor sound effects that I've never heard prior to the Z.buds. The atmospheric sounds of Floyd really play well with the noise-blocking design of the earbuds allowing you to hear every silence, instrument and effect.

Techmaster P.E.B. - Bass Computer (2000 re-release): This is an old "boom" album from when I was one of those annoying kids with the booming car stereo. The music consists of very low frequencies along with samples and other higher-pitch sounds. It's been over 15 years since I had a car stereo that could play Techmaster properly and hearing it on the Z.buds was like traveling back in time. Every single low-end 20Hz signal was reproduced without flutter and the rest of the spectrum is clear and crisp. But this is Techmaster and the bass is what they're known for and the Z.buds handle it incredibly well.

Rush - Signals: This is a good example of rock -- strong drums, guitar, synthesizer, and vocals. The Z.buds handles the complexities of Peart's drumming with tight, clear beats and crisp, perfect cymbals. The midrange from the guitars and vocals was never muddied by the buds no matter how loud I listened.

Crystal Method - Community Service: I like to listen to Crystal Method when I'm trying to concentrate on something. Actually, I'm listing while writing this! This example of electronica has a similar mix to Techmaster, just with more of a rock quality and less of the bass boom as a primary focus. The stereo effects are reproduced by the Z.buds perfectly and combined with the clarity of sound and noise-cancelling design, have actually given me a strange feeling of off-balance equilibrium during some extreme effects. I've near heard the stereo with enough clarity to have that happen before.

Overall, I found absolutely nothing to complain about in regards to the musical sound quality of the Z.buds. I believe that these exemplary results are due to the almost full blockage of outside noise along with the relatively large 10mm drivers.

As for audio quality when used for phone calls, that takes some getting used to. The people you're talking to sound better than ever, as you'd expect. However, your own voice sounds strange due to the greatly reduced feedback. It's somewhat like if you're in an airplane and your ears need to "pop" and things sound strange. This isn't something that makes the Z.buds unusable for phone calls, but it will definitely take time to get used to. As such, when used for primarily music and an occasional phone conversation, the Z.buds are just fine, but if I blabbed on the phone a ton, I might re-think using the Z.buds as my primary headset.

Conclusion:
Here's the requisite bullet-list of Pros and Cons with the Zagg Z.buds in my opinion:

Pros:

• Sound quality.
• Build quality (metal earphones, cord sheath).
• Ear comfort.
• Volume control.
• Configurability.
• Price.
• Noise blocking earphones.
• iPhone compatible control pod.

Cons:

• Feels a bit heavy when not using "hangin' tight" configuration.
• In "hangin' tight" the microphone/control button may rub on your collar creating noise during conversations, or be in a strange place.
• No instructions.
• Talking on the phone with noise blocking earphones sounds strange at first.

If you are like me and plan to use the Z.buds mainly for music and an occasional phone call, I don't think you can go wrong. There aren't really any significant detractors in the design and the audio is really something else, especially if you're coming from the Apple earphones or another similar design. The build quality is top-notch and the feature list is large for earbuds.

However, if you talk on the phone constantly, you may want to think twice. The noise-cancelling earbud design will certainly let you hear who you're talking with in a noisy environment, but you may have trouble with the sound of your own voice, at least initially. This isn't any fault of the Z.buds, but just what happens when plug your ears and don't get the feedback that you're used to.

The Zagg Z.buds are normally $80 or so, but at the time I'm writing this, they have them on special for $65 which is a great deal in my opinion. You're getting the sound quality of high-end earbuds for a reasonable mid-level price. Even if you don't have an iPhone, you'll still be able to enjoy great sound, comfort and phone use. Check-out the Zagg Z.buds site for more information or to order.

SPECIAL COUPON CODE: Click here to get more info on the Zagg Z.buds or to order. Use the Gizmo-Central.com special code "gizmo" and get 20% off your entire order!

SPECIAL COUPON CODE: Click here to get more info on the Zagg Z.buds or to order. Use the Gizmo-Central.com special code "gizmo" and get 20% off your entire order!

About 15 years ago, I had the fine distinction of working in a convenience store. It actually was a fairly enjoyable "low-end" job and it had some perks like free fountain drinks and having access to the promotional items that are often stuck to the cigarettes.

One such promotional item was an insulated can holder called The Fridge. It's built with Blue Ice that freezes when you place The Fridge in the freezer and then helps keep your drink cold while you're using it. The entire thing is surrounded in insulating foam and optionally has a plastic advertising wrapper.

I got two of these wonderful freebies 15 years ago. The plastic wrapper with the Winston logo on it tore off fairly quickly, the actual The Fridge holders served flawlessly for many years. The first one broke when I dropped it after the first few years. I dropped it just right on something that broke the seal and the Blue Ice started seeping out.

However, the second one is the hero. I was using it the other night and noticed some blue goo on the coaster I had it on. Sadly, after FIFTEEN YEARS, this second The Fridge finally had its last freeze cycle and the plastic weakened just enough that the Blue Ice compartment is no longer sealed. Now, you have to understand what fifteen years of service means. I used these things on a nearly daily basis to typically drink from 4-12 cans/bottles of beer or pop. That's a ton of use for a $5 (the price 15 years ago when I saw them for sale) insulated holder to see!

In addition to keeping your drinks cold and your hands warm, The Fridge helps in humid areas to contain the condensation. It also widens the footprint of the can or bottle so it's not so likely to tip-over. I frequently was able to safely set my canned beverage, in The Fridge, on the couch cushion next to me and it never spilled unless I smacked it directly with my hand or something stupid like that. There are some wider containers (odd-sized bottles and Foster's cans for example) which will not fit into the Fridge, but any standard sized can or bottle works great.

I am very saddened that my last The Fridge finally died yet I'm absolutely shocked at the amount of wear and tear the thing took over the decade and a half of hard use. I'll be ordering a couple new ones, most likely straight from The Fridge company themselves as I've been unable to find them in Target or Wal-Mart since I've been looking. The price is reasonable and ranges from $7 for a single unit to $22 for a set of four. You can get larger quantities for even cheaper and you can even get custom advertising on them if you want a bunch to hand-out to friends, customers or whoever.

Note that I'm not getting anything from this review - I just enjoyed my The Fridge(s) so much and for such an amazingly long period of time, I think they deserve a bit of press and who knows, there might be more people like me out that who can't get enough canned/bottled drinks and have never heard of this wonderful invention!

I can remember when the first green lasers hit the "normal" retail channels. They were several hundred dollars and only had a 3-5mw output power, which is similar to the power of a common, cheap red laser pointer. The novelty of a green laser was not worth the money.

Now, however, you're able pick up green lasers ranging from about $30 for the low powered versions up to the ungodly expensive mega-power units. I recently got a 50mw laser pen unit from Vavolo.com for review, and at around $140, it's half the cost and 10X more powerful than those first green lasers. It's also a lot of fun!

The Vavolo.com laser arrived in a small spring-top case padded with foam and included instructions and a couple of AAA batteries. The unit is made entirely of metal with most covered in a black textured paint. There is a small button to momentarily activate the laser located towards the emission end. The unit has a solid feel and good heft due to the all-metal construction.

Installing the included batteries was trivial and involved unscrewing the two sections of the pen and inserting the batteries. The instructions which are included cover several models of lasers made by the same manufacturer, so they are not the clearest on which direction to install the batteries, but it's easy enough for anyone who's dealt with battery powered devices before.

Safety note: The unit has up to 50 milliwatts of light output, which is enough that you should be careful and never aim it at other people to avoid inflicting eye injuries. Of course, if you were to get the even higher powered units that Vavolo.com or other companies sell, you need to be even more careful and possibly invest in a set of laser eye-protection goggles.

Testing a laser like this is somewhat difficult for an amateur hobbiest as the beam is difficult to photograph, distances are hard to measure, and above all, how do you quantify "fun"?

I started by standing back 30 feet and shooting a wall-hanging of the Enterprise I have. The hanging is made of a nylon-like cloth which is somewhat shiny. As you can see, it would appear that the Borg are attacking the Enterprise once again... Uhh... Yeah, I'm a nerd. Anyway, even from 30 feet away, the beam spot is incredibly bright as you can see.

To give you an idea of the spot size from this beast, I stood 25 feet back from a piece of white posterboard and shot. Note that the camera is zoomed-in somewhat, so I included a CD-R for size comparison. Also note that these photos are taken with the equivalent of 200 watts of ambient lighting (fluorescent) and another equivalent 100W in a reflector shining from directly overhead the posterboard.

Here, you can see the 50mw green laser compared to the 3-5mw laser from the USB Handheld Laser Presenter review I complete recently. Feel free to ignore the paint buckets on the floor

Now for the real fun! The weather last night was cold and brought a typical Colorado winter fog bank with it. Shooting the green laser into the sky on a regular night is OK, but add a bit of fog, and it's like blasting a giant light-saber into the sky. These shots show the beam just shooting upwards into the night sky. Note how you can see the fog droplets in the beam as bright sparkles in these and the upcoming shots.

I realized that I could fiddle with the auto-focus/auto-exposure setting on my camera to get better shots. Here you can see me Borgifying (oops, there I go again) the uninhabited neighboring house with the 50mw green laser. The fog sparkles are even more visible in these as well.

Now, I take to shooting the beam several hundred feet. You can see the fog a bit more here. It's interesting how the beam, when aimed up into the sky rather than at an object, just seems to end abruptly at some consistent point. I'm sure there's a physics explanation for this, but who needs that when you can wave a thousand foot bright green light-saber around the night sky?

As you can see, the 50mw green laser pointer has a ton of "wow!" factor and is very fun to play with. For those of you wondering, 50mw is not enough to pop balloons or burn paper, so you'll want to step-up to more powerful versions which might do that. However, for a relatively safe gizmo that will have all of your friends amazed at the heretofore unseen brightness of the beam, you cannot go wrong. Vavolo.com even has the 50mw green laser pen on sale right now for a few bucks off, so head over and pick one up. If you like geeky things like lasers, this one is hard to beat!

Special thanks to Cassily at vavolo.com for providing the review unit!

Here is a quick video showing a couple of the scenes in the photos above:

You can also download the video: Some scenes from the green laser pen testing

I recently received a USB compatible computer remote control with integrated laser thanks to Vavolo.com and put it through a few tests to see how it performs.

If you're the impatient type and want to know the results quickly, I'll say that it rates an 8/10 score and that you should buy it if you give presentations.

Pros:

• Small and convenient
• Stores inside your laptop
• Works like a keyboard (works on Mac, Linux, etc.)
• Useful range and functions
• Remote control is via RF and not IR

Cons:

• Keypad somewhat flimsy
• Battery door pops off

If you'd like more details from the review, read on...

General Features:
The Wireless USB Laser Presenter (we'll call it the Presenter from now on) is a handy gadget. The Presenter consists of a keypad remote which also houses the USB receiver which is plugged into your computer when you want to use the remote control functions. Also built-in is a standard, low power red laser much like other pointers you may have seen or used.

Physical Construction:
The Presenter is shaped such that it will plug into an empty PCMCIA/PCCard slot on your laptop, so it's always handy and harder to lose. The device is made from a hard black plastic with silver "bubble" type switches on the keypad. There are no "nubs" or other things to help you orient your fingers on the keypad without looking, which may be a problem until you get used to the layout of the buttons. The USB receiver is very thin and hides quite nicely in the underside of the Presenter when not in use.

A brief multi-lingual manual is included which describes the basic use of the Presenter as well as what keyboard functions are invoked when you press each button. Also included in the package is a CR2032 "watch battery" which powers the handheld portion of the Presenter system. Speaking of the battery, it is installed behind a small door which can be opened with your fingernail. Unfortunately, on my unit, the door doesn't close securely with the battery installed, so it is likely to pop-open if accidentally bumped. This is not a big problem, but if you're giving very important presentations and your unit has the same issue, you'll want to put a bit of tape over the door to prevent it from opening.

Use:
When you plug the USB receiver into your computer, it is recognized as a standard USB keyboard device. This means that you do not need special drivers and that the Presenter will work with any system, including Mac OS X, Linux, FreeBSD, or pretty much anything else you can think of.

Pressing the buttons on the remote cause the "keyboard" to send various keypresses to the computer. For example, there are buttons which send a PageUp and PageDown signal. Some of the buttons send commands which are Windows and Powerpoint specific, yet most of the buttons work without this particular affinity for one brand of software.

The remote's buttons have many useful features including directional buttons which actually move the mouse, click the left and right buttons on the mouse, and even blank the screen. Thus, since you can control the mouse and click on icons, you can crudely control your computer and change applications should the need arise.

Since the Presenter utilizes radio signals (RF) instead of infrared (IR - like your TV remote), you don't have to physically point the remote at the computer for the commands to be received. You can roam reasonably far from the receiver and operate the presentation discretely. I have tested the remote up to 20 feet away from the computer and it was working fine - you may be able to go even further.

As with most low-power laser pointers, the red laser that is built into the Presenter is useful and bright. It is visible in normal office lighting and very visible in dimmed lighting. You can be well over 20 feet from the screen and the red dot is still very visible and vibrant.

Conclusion:
The Wireless USB Laser Presenter is a well designed, useful device for those who give presentations. I was able to demonstrate the device to several office professionals and all were impressed with the device and indicated interest in having one. The battery door popped off while one person was inspecting the Presenter, but this was a minor setback.

The fact that the device works without drivers of any type and also supports operating systems other than Windows is a refreshing change in this field of proprietary Windows-only devices. Being able to store the Presenter inside the laptop itself is a stroke of genius which ensure that it will always be handy when you need it.

Overall, I am quite pleased with the Vavolo Wireless USB Laser Presenter and I look forward to having it available when I give presentations. At only $40, it's a computer gizmo that you don't have to justify.

Please note: the photos will pop-up within your current view when clicked, with pretty large images that appear to be a new page on small browser windows. Just click them again to close them. Hitting "back" will not do what you're expecting

I received a Picco-Z (some call it Picoo-Z) remote control helicopter recently and thought I'd do a review. For those who are impatient, it's a fun toy which is suprisingly capable and amazingly beginner friendly. That's why it's sold-out of most toy stores and gizmo shops. However, Hobbytron still has the Picco-Z in stock.

Now, on with the review!

I received my Picco-Z from Hobbytron and it was very well packed. It included the helicopter itself, the documentation, and even 6 AA batteries for the transmitter/charger.

The helicopter is presented in an attractive, very sturdy retail package. The packaging is so robust that I actually had to take several minutes to figure-out how to removed the Picco-Z from it's restraints withoug damaging it.

The included transmitter uses infrared technology, not radio waves, to control the helicopter. The transmitter also acts as the charger for the copter, meaning that there are no extra AC adapters or other accessories to lose.

Once everything is unpacked, you'll see that the Picco-Z is indeed very small. Here is the transmitter and helicopter next to a ruler and can of Coke for a size comparison.

The retail package comes with complete instructions which are fairly well written and illustrated. I would highly recommend that everyone who buys a Picco-Z reference the Hobbytron tweaking instructions for additional tips as well.

The package includes a spare tail-rotor propellor and 3 pieces of adhesive-backed aluminum for adjusting the balance of the helicopter to enhance its flight characteristics.

The Picco-Z, like many of these "quick charge" toys, is charged via the batteries in the transmitter. You plug the helicopter into the transmitter for approximately 30 minutes to recharge the on-board battery, which gives you about 10 minutes of useful flight time. Here, you can see the battery setup for the transmitter and the charging port and power switch on the helicopter.

The Picco-Z is made from what appears to be EPP foam and lightweight plastic. The EPP foam is extremely strong and resistant to damage, which is important for a toy like this! All of the plastic pieces are very lightweight yet are stiff and not flimsy. As you'll see in the videos below, I thunked the Picco-Z on the floor a couple times (and several more which aren't shown in the videos) and thus far, it has sustained absolutely no damage. I have yet to send it propeller-first into anything, but even "crashing" by cutting the power from 6 feet in the air didn't cause any problems.

At this point, I figured I would take my very first remote-controlled helicopter flight and see just how beginner-friendly this Picco-Z is! For some background, I'm familiar with flying radio control aircraft (primarily an EasyStar and a Unicorn flying wing) so I am comfortable with the dual-stick transmitter. However, I've never flown a helicopter before.

I took the copter off and it spun wildly until I got it trimmed, however it was not really out of control and flying all over - it just hovered cleanly and spun which allowed me to adjust the trim as needed. After that, it took me a little bit to get used to the sensitivity of the throttle. I'd be heading for the ceiling and then cut the power too much, which sent the copter for the floor rather quickly. However, it only took a minute before I was getting the hang of this well-behaved microscopic helicopter.

NOTE: See the first video below - the youtube players interfere with viewing the photos.

Now, I must admit that I did NOT read the Hobbytron tweaking guide before trying the Picco-Z (come-on, I was excited to try it out!) and while it did hover and rotate fine, I could not get it to move forward with any reliability. After talking to a friend, I realized why the adhesive aluminum weights were included! I promptly stuck a couple of them onto the front underside of the copter which did help give the movement more purpose. I also found that sticking a T-pin in the nose, worked even better due to the greater leverage of the weight.

I'm sure that there is more tweaking to be done, but even as I have it now, the Picco-Z is a fun little toy. It's small enough and well behaved enought to fly indoors, even in a relatively small space. I started in a large empty spot in my basement but by the third flight, was able to move into my gameroom which is more crowded and challenging.

NOTE: See the second and third videos below - the youtube players interfere with viewing the photos.

The helicopter takes about 20-30 minutes to recharge from the transmitter. Once charged, I have been getting about 10 minutes of useful flight per charge. When I say "useful" I mean that the battery is still juicy enough to raise the copter. Non "useful" is so low that the helicopter will not rise and instead either flies only level or loses altitude.

I was concerned with the fact that the Picco-Z uses infrared signals to control the copter. I have 4 very bright compact fluorescent lights in my basement, along with a TV and I was worried that the flicker from any or all of them would be a problem. However, as you can see in the videos, I suffered no loss of control due to interference. I have not tried the Picco-Z outdoors yet, as it's quite cold here in Colorado right now and when it is nice, it's rarely calm enough to fly something this small and light.

Overall, I have found the Picco-Z to be very enjoyable. It's clearly not a substitute for a real radio control aircraft as its controls are very limited (much like those RC toy cars from the 80's that went straight or turned in reverse) yet it's a fun diversion for when you're hanging around the house looking for a bit of a real life video game. The run times are good and thus far, the durability and construction quality have been exceptional. Just read the tweak sheet first for the most enjoyment.

The Picco-Z is sold-out in nearly every outlet, but Hobbytron has them in-stock for only $39.99. These would make a great gift for the rising-star pilot in your family.

Scroll down for videos - I had to add empty space so that the photos don't overlap the videos. If anyone knows how to make Lightbox work with youtube videos, please let me know.

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