Daily Reviews Summary 11/09/07

The VIZO Master Panel II Expansion Interface is a multifunctional controller panel; an updated version to Vizo's original Master Panel, that brings added provisions and features to where their needed...Up front. Here at Benchmark Reviews we are very familiar with the ongoing revolution in portable media. Wheather its uploading play-lists for an MP3 player or the day's pictures from a digital camera; everyone wants a convenient way to manage their data without having to fumble around the back of their cases. This popular demand has even driven manufacturers to add the most basic I/O ports to the front of PCs. However, with there being so many proprietary media standards, a convenient and centralized solution is still missing from many if not all case designs, leaving consumers looking to after market solutions for their needs.

Arriving at my front door in a plain brown box, this mystery item puzzled me. Not knowing if I should open it up or call Home Land Security, I took the chance and risked life and limb to find out what was lurking inside. Lo and behold, it was the CM690 SLI-ready enclosure from Cooler Master. This sleek, black enclosure sports a black mesh front and top with chrome dividers, tool-less installation, internal cable management system, and enough fan openings to create your own hovercraft. A bunch of other neat, little options are included, but I will mention those in the review - no need to spoil things now.

There are four PCI-E cables to accommodate a pair of 8800GTXs in SLI. Each cable is marked according to its rail, +12v1 and +12v2. This is quite cool, to ensure that each card will be on its own +12v rail. I personally have not seen a PSU labeled like this, though I'm sure there could be others out there. This is the kind of attention to detail I am talking about.

The Gigabyte Ga-MA69GM-S2H is a board that is targeted to the HTPC market. It has a rich feature set for a micro board, and will make a great board for its intended purpose. The addition of HDMI should make setup and use with your HTPC and plasma or LCD a piece of cake!

Gigabyte is well aware that consumers yearning for a quiet PC don't want to give up great looks and functionality. They prove this with their iSOLO 210. In addition to the case's aesthetics, it also turns out to have very impressive construction, especially considering its low price point.

StarTech offers a slim USB 2.0 DVD+/-RW drive that offers fast speed, light weight, and small size. We take a look at this optical drive and give you our take on if the small device is worth considering as your next optical drive.

Find laptop touchpads annoying? So do a lot of other people, spurring the invention of the portable mouse: a mouse small enough to be carried with you in your laptop case, but big enough to be comfortable to use, with most, if not all of the features you'd expect from a standard-sized mouse. Microsoft, who has as much of an interest in the mouse and keyboard business as any other hardware manufacturer, has their fare share of mobile mice options; their newest entry is a wireless mouse with a 2.4 GHz wireless receiver that does doubles as a 1GB flash drive called the Mobile Memory Mouse 8000. Today we'll be looking at the Mobile Memory Mouse 8000, to see whether or not its options are right for you and your on-the-road lifestyle.