Daily Reviews Summary 06/21/09

The Sanus ELM203 Low-Profile Surge Protector is an inexpensive way to incorporate surge protection behind any any wall-mounted HDTV or a piece of AV furniture. The ELM203 offers 2,100-Joule protection and EMI/RFI noise filtration at a product depth of just 1.37 inches.

It's nice to see Enermax break out of the power supply market and into something new. The Enermax Aurora line of keyboards is a great addition to Enermax's lineup. Aesthetically, the keyboards shine - both literally and figuratively. The brushed aluminum finish is great and is definitely an eye-catcher. The laptop-like keys are also very nice compared to conventional keyboards. In terms of visual design, the keyboards are near perfect - they are works of art.

This mouse has definitely more performance than the Saiph 1800 model. The Saiph 3200 can satisfy even hardcore gamers. The feature to set the DPI on the fly is a very useful feature in action intensive games. I have tested the mouse mostly in CounterStrike : Source, and I had to cycle to many DPI settings till I found the right one.

Today for review I've got the Grace Digital Audio Pico Compact USB Turntable, and it's interesting to me in that it combines the old vinyl records together with your computer. The main idea of the Pico Turntable is to help you archive your old records, you can use your PC or Mac to covert them over to many audio formats. The recording function isn't the only feature though, for me the main feature was of course the ability to listen to my old vinyl records once again. The Pico Turntable also comes with Audacity software, which is open source and works nicely with the turntable to record and edit your audio files. So read on to learn more about the Pico USB Turntable

As you all should know by now, We've reviewed a ton of laptop coolers/desks here on VH and I'm personally done most of them. The XPad Slim could be a good addition to someone out there in need of something to put under their laptop to keep the heat off their legs. However I cannot overlook the price and quality of the unit that I was shipped. The odd design with the logo on the bottom and the bottom looking like the top just feels weird to me. The part of the unit that's in direct contact, or closest to the super hot bottom of the laptop is just ABS plastic. How is that any better than using your laptop on a TV tray or lid from a Rubbermaid tote? The slots cut into the 4 corner coolers are functional to a point, but mostly for looks. Proper cooling needs proper airflow and the XPad Slim has neither. It simply props your laptop up a 1/4" on a firm surface. The bottom, the part on your legs, is flat as a pancake and certainly not the most comfortable for extended sessions.