Neat RadTech Gear
RadTech sent a nice care package to us here at MyMac.com, showing off some of their latest wares. Rather than review each separately, I wanted to go into each briefly.
Check out RadTech online at http://www.radtech.us
OmniCleanz
Price: $6.95 – $14.95
I have at least five flat-panel or laptop screens I use, and like anything else, they get dirty. Especially the G4 PowerBook screen. I had been using some generic screen cleaner I picked up at Target, although I was not really pleased with it. Didn’t seem to do a good job. I didn’t know why, really, but it just did not seem to clean as well as I thought it would.
The first time I used the OmniCleanz, I knew I was correct. This did a really nice job, and my laptop monitor looks great after every use. I have the 4 oz bottle, the tube case, and a soft cloth that works great. There is no chemical smell that I can detect, which is something I am usually very sensitive to. The stuff I purchased at Target had a slight alcohol smell to it, and often left little streaky lines. Not so with the OmniCleanz.
Good price, good product. Worked well on my iPod, too!
MyMac.com Rating: 5 out of 5
Notebook ScreensavRz
Price: $14.95 – $19.95
All this is, is a soft cloth that you lay on your PowerBook / MacBook Pro’s keyboard when you close the lid to protect the screen from key marks that some models suffer from. (Never had the problem myself.) It is also used to clean and polish the screen. In fact, it seems no different than the small cloth that came with the above OnmiCleanz product, albeit larger.
It works, but it is not very intuitive to use. I kept forgetting it was on the keys when I would open the PowerBook, and it would slide off and onto the floor. There is no way to secure it on the machine.
For the price, it seems a little much for what this is. If, however, you do suffer from keyboard marks on your screen, RadTech advertises that this product will remove those scruff marks. As I don’t have the problem, I could not test this claim. It does come in four colors, including Titanium (grey), Aqua, Black, and Shagwire (looks like the pelt of a Jaguar.) There are also different sizes to fit different laptops.
MyMac.com rating: 3 out of 5
Acclaro
Price: $19.95
You know what I hate? iPod covers and cases that hide how cool looking my iPod is. I have a few different models, but for this review, I am talking about my black 60GB iPod (5th generation) with video. It looks cool, and I want to see it. So when I saw the Acclaro, a transparent acrylic iPod case, I was looking forward to checking it out. It quickly became my default iPod case, and not just because it allows me to see the iPod. Read on.
The acrylic is 1.5 – 2.0MM thick, so it does not add much in the way of bulk to the slimness of the iPod. It does have an opening for the scroll wheel, headphones, hold switch, and the dock connector as well. It completely covers the screen, my main area of concern with my iPod. I don’t care (as much) if the black front or the metal back of my iPod gets a few scratches as I am the screen. What’s the point of watching a video on it if there is a big scratch on the screen?
A hinge on the bottom (top for the iPod nano version) allows the cover to snap down in place, and two latches secure the two halves together. The latches work very easily, although I don’t have to test that much, as I don’t plan on taking my iPod out of the Acclaro often. The clear acrylic allows the iPods crisp color screen to shine through.
The hinge allows you to connect the included nylon lanyard, so that you can wear your iPod like a necklace I suppose. While the lanyard looks durable enough, it is held together by a small plastic clasp, and I simply don’t trust my $399 iPod to a tiny plastic clasp. It does snap together very securely, but as I don’t have the need to have my iPod strapped around my neck, I removed it first things. There is also an included belt-clip that screws onto the back of the unit. It is plastic as well, but seems of durable quality and with a strong spring. I would trust using it.
The lanyard aside, I really like this case. As I said, it is now my default iPod case. There is also an iPod nano version, which I did not test, but I would imagine it is of the same quality as its larger brother.
MyMac.com rating: 4 out of 5
UPDATE
After using the Acclaro more often after I originally wrote the above, I noticed a glaring flaw that I hadn’t before. When I charge my iPod, I take it out of the case and place it in an iPod dock connected to the computer. However, if I leave the iPod in the Acclaro case, and plug in the dock connector plug, it is impossible to remove the cable afterwards without taking the iPod completely out of the case first. The problem is that the bottom hinges butt right up against the side of the dock connector release buttons, making it impossible to disconnect. I don’t know I missed this obvious design flaw for weeks, but thankfully I did notice before this review sees print. I don’t know how RadTech could work around this problem in a future redesign, other than putting the hinges themselves on the side, which would add considerably to the bulk of the unit. My original rating was a 5 out of 5, but I had to mark it down a full point for the obvious flaw. I still like the Acclaro very much.
RetractCable – iPod Dock Connector
Price: $9.95
This is a simple USB to iPod dock connector cable that retracts. It works well, and locks to the desired length. To retrace, simply give a little tug. Not much else to say, really. It works, looks nice, and I think it is a very decent price. Extends to 76cm.
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