I've stumbled upon a very interesting Australian webpage which reward its members with gifts for their honest reviews. So I've spent a couple of minutes reading through the FAQ and decided to give it a try.

The site name is ProductReview.com.au; Australia's first consumer opinion site since 2003.



What's so special about this site? Well, apart from the free gifts, you will find extensive consumer opinions and real life experiences on various products and services. So who gives a shit about all these rants, complaints, or sometimes recommendations and praises? Consumers or course. Consumers are always right! Right?

Anyway, you'll be able to find loads of different kind of reviews from automobiles to kitchen sinks to toilet bowls and all the way to the garden.

Ok let's cut the crap and get down to business. My main point is simple; by sharing your opinion (posting reviews) on certain products or services that you have used, you earn points. And in turn you can use the points to redeem gifts! Let's look at the points collection breakdown:

Join ProductReview.com.au	40 points
Approved Review - 100 words plus	10 points
Approved Review - 50 to 99 words	5 points
Invited Friend Sign up	Additional 20 points
Review Submitted by Invited Friend	2 points for 100 words plus. 1 point for 50 to 99 words.

What can you redeem the points for? Unfortunately, they don't have too much to offer at this point of time. Gifts as follow:



100 points: Limited edition ProductReview.com.au pen
160 points: 512MB USB Flash Drive
300 points: USB MP3 Player
1100 points: 60GB. 2.5 inch Portable Hard Disk

Not that appealing except for the last one but they mentioned that more is coming!! Well, at least its a good time to start building up the network and points to prepare for the good stuff!

You will be able to monitor your points and reviews anytime from the member's page. Even looking at who joined under you and the number of reviews that they have posted.

Anyway, the whole point of this besides earning the points and gifts, is to warn or advise other consumers like yourself of the products and services that you have used. Always read before you buy! You'd be surprised how true it is.

So, what are you still waiting for? Visit ProductReview.com.au now and start posting away!

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My company will be outsourcing one of the major client projects to one of China's more succesful call centers based in Shanghai. I have been selected to go there and train up the new recruits and set up the processeses. I have 2 weeks to fully train the new recruits of all the jumbo mumbos before the project goes live somewhere in November.

I was required to screen through potential candidates recommended by our counterpart in Shanghai, and select 6 qualified agents and a team lead. Qualified candidates will need to have strong command of English language in terms of understanding technical terms in the IT industry.
It was a real challenge because all the training materials are in English while I need to train them in both English and Mandarin. Most of the interviewee was not successful because of poor English proficiency. Its no surprise since people there don't generally speak English.

I've only been given RM50 a day as my allowance which is equivalent to approximately 100 Ren Min Bi. What the heck? How do you survive in foreign countries with just that? The company will be arranging my flight and accomodation. Forget about first class flight and a classy hotel. I heard from the project coordinator that I'll be staying in some budget hotel without internet access. Just great...

Hopefully the project will be successful. Once it goes live, I'll still need to closely monitor them and handle escalations until I slowly delegate the task to my agents back home.

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Let's take a closer look at what SetPoint can do with the G9 gaming mouse. The new SetPoint version 5 is specially designed for the G9 itself. If you install this particular version of SetPoint, it will not override the previous SetPoint application (if you have any). On your system tray, it will show 2 separate SetPoint icons.

This will be the main screen that you see when you launch the software. Notice the completely different interface compared to the normal SetPoint.

The overview window shows you, well.... the overview of your mouse settings.

This is where you can edit profile names and descriptions. With SetPoint software installed, you can program additional 2 profiles into the onboard memory of the mouse. In General profile, you are not able to assign any specific application to work with it nor delete it from the mouse. It is meant to be the standard profile used throughout all applications.

How about personalizing the LED color display of your G9? You get to choose from the list your preferred color! Too bad white and yellow are not available colors to select from because of the design constraints of the LED.

Behold! Now you can even program your right mouse button to other functions! Left mouse button remains unconfigurable. And yeah, you can program different profile for different button assignments. If you want to assign a macro to a button, you must first create and save the macro using the Macro Manager. Then select Macro from the task list on the right, and choose the specific macro you want to use.

Note: Some tasks will not function unless SetPoint is running. The task description will indicate if SetPoint is required. Also, the behavior of some tasks will vary depending on the application you are using. Not all tasks may be supported by your application. For example, SetPoint sends a “Ctrl+Wheel Forward” command to zoom in. Many applications support this command, but a few use other commands to zoom in, such as Ctrl++. If the default command for a particular task is not supported by your application, you can select “Keystroke Assignment” from the task list and create customized commands.

Note: If you swap the left and right click functions on the two main mouse buttons, this setting will be enabled on all profiles. The right mouse button must be assigned to Right Click when swapping functions or you will not be able to select an object. If you do assign the right button to a function other than Right Click and then swap buttons, you will need to switch to another profile so you can select objects, then undo the swap button setting in profile that was changed.

Anyone who used G5 or G7 will be familiar with this screen. By default, the "general" profile has 4 DPI settings. You can adjust how many pixels the pointer moves across the screen for each inch you move the mouse. This correlates to how fast the pointer moves across the screen. The higher the DPI level, the faster the pointer will move.

The + and - buttons allow you to quickly adjust the DPI to match the application you are using. For example, in applications where speed is most important, like making fast turns, you will want to select a higher DPI level. In other applications where precision matters most, such as zeroing in on a target, you will want to select a lower DPI level.

DPI sensitivity is also useful to match mouse behavior to your monitor size. If you have a large, high-resolution monitor you will usually want a higher DPI setting. This will minimize the distance you need to move the mouse in order to move the cursor across the screen. Conversely, smaller, low-resolution screens require a lower DPI setting since you don’t need to move the mouse as far to traverse the screen.

The G9 Laser Mouse supports up to five DPI levels for each axis. If SetPoint is running the levels can be set independently for each axis by clicking the checkbox. If the checkbox is unchecked, or when SetPoint is not running, the same levels apply to both axis.

To switch between levels, click the + and - buttons on the mouse. The number of levels can change in each profile, however you must have a minimum of one level in each profile

Pointer Speed and Pointer Acceleration settings work on top of the DPI level to further adjust how the pointer behaves. Pointer Speed allows you to increase or decrease the pointer speed from the baseline determined by the DPI level. Pointer Acceleration allows you to control how fast the pointer moves relative to the speed with which you move the mouse. As you move the mouse faster, the cursor moves at progressively faster rates with high acceleration settings. Choose a higher setting for more responsiveness, or a lower setting for more accuracy. Some gamers prefer to set acceleration to zero for a direct 1:1 correlation between the speed you move the mouse and the speed the cursor moves. Note: If you adjust the speed or acceleration settings in a profile other than the one which is active, the new settings will not be active until you switch to the profile that was modified. If Automatic Profile Switching is enabled, you must be using an application that is assigned to the modified profile.

From the report rate, you can select how many times per second the mouse reports its position to the computer’s operating system. Higher settings provide smoother, more responsive pointer movement, but also consume more CPU bandwidth. Standard mice generate 125 reports/second, but the G9 Laser Mouse supports full-speed USB, allowing up to 1000 reports/second. For serious gaming applications Logitech recommends 500 reports/second as a good balance between pointer responsiveness and CPU utilization.




You can switch profiles manually using buttons on the mouse, or have SetPoint switch profiles automatically on an application-specific basis. When Manual Profile Switching is selected, you can switch between profiles stored in the G9 Laser Mouse’s onboard memory. The LEDs on the mouse will indicate which profile is selected by glowing the color assigned to the profile. The profile will remain active until switched. To switch profiles manually, press and hold the Profile button on the bottom of the mouse until the Running Man LED on top of the mouse begins to blink, use the + and – buttons to toggle between profiles on the mouse’s memory. When you have selected the desired profile, release the Profile button. The LED will stop blinking and glow the color assigned to the profile.




When Automatic Profile Switching is selected, profiles will switch automatically when the specified application(s) are detected. The following rules apply to Automatic Profile Switching: - One or more applications can be assigned to a single profile. - Once an application is assigned to a profile it cannot be assigned to another profile. - When using an application that is not assigned to any profile, the General profile will be active. - Profiles can be on the mouse’s memory or in the SetPoint Profile Library. - Up to 30 profiles can be in SetPoint, and an unlimited number can be on your hard drive or other storage device.

Note: If no applications are assigned to a profile, that profile can only be activated by storing the profile in the mouse’s onboard memory and using manual profile switching to select the profile.




Vertical Scrolling Speed adjusts how fast you scroll up or down when you spin the wheel. Horizontal Scrolling Speed adjusts how fast you scroll side-to-side when you tilt the wheel (provided Left Scroll and Right Scroll are assigned to the tilt wheel). Choose a higher number for faster scrolling; a lower number for slower scrolling.




Finally, a mouse which can actually execute not just shortcuts, but Macros! The screen above shows that you can perform the same macro recording and execution like what you can do on the G15 keyboard. The only difference is that with SetPoint and G9, you can even record mouse clicks! The only drawback is no repeating feature on the macros.




There are three default profiles included in SetPoint – General, Gaming and Productivity . If you have changed the profile settings and want to restore the original profiles, click the Restore button. Profiles with a checkmark next to them will be restored. Note: - Any changes you have made to the default profiles will be lost. - If you are using manual profile switching, profiles stored in the mouse's onboard memory will not be updated until you switch to the profile. - If you are using automatic profile switching, the restored profiles will be active when you use an application assigned to one of the profiles.




You can check for updates, or enable the auto-update feature to ensure you always have the latest software.

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Here we go again. Another Monday, another day to struggle. Felt like calling it sick today and just tuck in my warm blanket while sleeping away. Too bad.. I still find myself typing all this crap in the office. Kinda miss my old spacey work desk where I can just toss everything around. Luckily I took some pictures of my old work desk before moving to this new prison-like cubicle.

Warning: "High resolution" pictures! May take a while to load.































I just realized that I have some spoilt Logitech equipments in the storage. May try to take things apart when I have time.

Man has always been fascinated with the unexplained ever since ancient times. Sorcerer with mystical powers whom are able to control objects without laying a finger on them, or human with telekinesis abilities. What happens when you combine sorcery and technology? You get good movies like Minority Report and Harry Potter! From good movies and great minds, the Nintendo Wii is born with its revolutionary Wiimote. But what happens when you combine a Wiimote and a computer mouse? You become Harry Potter himself course! Not...

I'm talking about the new Logitech MX Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse! Now for once, you can pretend that you are Harry Potter himself waving his magical wand, I mean mouse in the air and take control of your PC!

MX Air in a similar package design as the MX Revolution mouse.

The contents: MX Air Mouse, charging cradle, power adapter, USB receiver, polishing cloth.

The surface build of the mouse is of the same as the diNovo Edge keyboard. Glossy and reflective. That's why they provide a polishing cloth just in case you get sticky finger marks on the gorgeous Air Mouse.

Midnight Black top with Amber backlit and Silver aluminum finish bottom

What is so special about the Air Mouse is its ability to be used on the desk and in the air.

On the desk:
MX Air is a high performance cordless mouse with laser-precise tracking, ultra-smooth scrolling, and has a convenient built-in rechargeable Li-ion battery.

As you can see from the picture above, the left and right button of the mouse does not have the amber backlit. Indicating that the mouse is on "desk mode".

In the Air:
Simply pick up MX Air and point. Freespace™ technology transforms the motions into natural and responsive cursor control.

When I pick up the Air mouse, the amber backlit on the left and right button lights up! Indicating that the mouse is currently on "air mode".

Installation Installing the mouse is as simple as plugging the receiver to your computer's USB port. Windows will install the necessary drivers for the mouse to work. All the buttons on the Air mouse will work without the software installed. Not to mention that the air mode's feature works perfectly fine. With SetPoint installed, you can further configure the mouse buttons and the behavior of the mouse when it is airborne. What are so special about the the mouse when it is in the air? We'll find out below.

Using the mouse:
There's nothing much to talk about when the mouse is on the desk. It works the same way as any other normal mice. Only things to mention are the precise 800 dpi laser tracking and the touch sensitive scroll wheel.

At first it is hard to get used to the touch sensitive scroll wheel because you can't feel the presence of the wheel on your fingertip. The scroll wheel pane is very touch sensitive. Just a simple touch or sliding of your fingertip across the pane will send the wheel scrolling endlessly. Yes, it has a built in Hyperscroll like the MX and VX Revolution mouse. You can't actually see the wheel spinning but there is audible sound coming from within the mouse indicating that the wheel is spinning. Don't be confused, there are no moving mechanism inside; they actually embed something in the mouse which emulates the sound of the wheel spinning. By using SetPoint software, you can actually set the sensitivity of the scroll pane. Anyway, you'll soon get used to it.

So what can we do with the mouse when it is airborne? When I picked up the mouse just barely an inch from my desk, immediately Freespace technology kicks in and transform the mouse into an air mouse. Some people has mistaken that you will need to wave your hand like some lunatic conductor to get the cursor moving. The correct way is just to tilt and pan the nose of the mouse by using your wrist.

The mouse will perform specific tasks by detecting your hand gestures and the button pressed. For example, controlling the master volume, skipping to the next/ previous track. For more information and explanation, you can visit the video posted on Youtube by the product manager of Logitech himself!

By default configuration, I find myself struggling with the cursor on the screen. the reason is because I still am not used to the telekinesis power which was granted to me by the mouse. With SetPoint installed, I can finally set the sensitivity and manage to get a hang of all the fancy wrist twister moves. Bear in mind that this mouse is designed mainly for Windows XP Media Center Edition. You can't miss pointing at an icon occupying 20% of the entire screen can you?

Battery life:
On the desk, the mouse can last 10 hours. When the mouse is airborne, it can only last for 3 hours. I doubt that someone is going to use the mouse on the air all the time. When the battery level is low, you'll see the battery indicator blinking in red. I just rest it on the charging cradle to get it charging instantly.


Mouse charging on the cradle.


Conclusion:
Pros:

1. Innovative breakthrough design for computer mice
   
2. Able to use the mouse without surface restrictions
3. Convenient rechargeable battery
4. Hand gesture commands for easier control over media applications
5. SetPoint software enhances configurability of the mouse
   
6. Impress little kids that you actually have magic powers or you are Harry Potter himself

Cons:

1. A bit pricey for average users
2. Lack of usability in air mode. Limited gesture commands
   
3. SetPoint should provide more options to configure the mouse in air mode
4. Hard to get used to controlling the cursor in the air.
5. Designed mainly for entertainment centers like Windows MCE. Not much use for standard Windows platform.

"Ma, did you see the receiver of my new VX Nano mouse? Hold on, I think the mouse is still working..?". Don't be surprised when one day you thought you've lost the receiver of your Nano mouse but did not realize that its actually still connected to your computer's USB port. Don't believe? Well, with Logitech anything is possible.

Introducing Logitech VX Nano Cordless Laser Mouse for Notebooks. The cordless laser mouse with the smallest USB receiver in the whole world! How small you say? Logitech claims that you can just "plug and forget that its there". See the pictures below to believe how small it actually is.

Below are some simple comparisons of the Nano receiver againts an Ikea AA battery and a G7 mouse receiver. I put my Nokia phone in just so that you look at the bigger picture. ;P

The receiver is 1.8cm in length and weighs only at 2 grams!

The VX Nano mouse is all about portability. There are several reasons why this mouse is so portable that you will want to bring it anywhere you go. First, it comes with a sleek carrying case that you can store your mouse and bring it along with you.

What about the receiver? Fear not. In the battery compartment under the mouse, there's actually a place where you can store the nano receiver! How convenient!

Best of all, the mouse automatically turns off when the nano receiver is inserted into its storage slot. Turn itself on when you eject it via the little red button on the side.

There's a battery indication on the top side of the mouse to let you know of the battery status of your mouse. It will light up in green for a brief moment when you first turn on the mouse or wakes it up from sleep. When the battery is running low, it will light up in red to inform you.

Battery indicator shows green light indicating the battery life is good

I’m not going to go into details about the special features at all. What is so special about this mouse is the size of its receiver and ultra portability. Very convenient for laptop users and someone who travels often. You just need to pop 2 triple A batteries in, connect the nano USB receiver to any available USB ports on your computer and you’re all ready to go.

Since its using laser precision sensors, you can use it on almost any surfaces. Of course don’t expect it to work on reflective or glass surfaces. Tracking wise it is very smooth and I have never experienced something so small that can track so well.

With SetPoint software, you can even program the extra buttons (left/ right tilt, back/ forward, one touch search, etc) on the mouse itself to best suit your browsing experience.

Conclusion

If you think you have small hand, love small and compact things, then this is the mouse for you. People with big hands will find it difficult to use the mouse because its sooooo small.

The new upcoming G9 from Logitech is a combination of G5 and G7. The G9 boasts a whopping 3200 dpi full-speed USB laser engine with adjustable dpi, as well as onboard memory that stores up to 5 mouse setting profiles, which gives you the most advanced performance.

Pictures above show the G9 packed in the all new packaging design

It comes with two interchangeable grips from which to choose for your preferred comfort. Don't let the look fool you! Eventhough it looks a bit bulky, it actually feels really comfortable on my grip! To tell you the truth, it feels even better compared to the G5 and G7! There are also two thumb buttons on the left side of the mouse for easy web navigation!











Pictures show the bundled weight cartridge and also interchangeable grips.

For more control, the G9’s weight tuning system allows you to add up to 28 grams of additional weight.

The exclusive MicroGear™ Scroll Wheel lets you switch between modes -- click-to-click and hyper-fast scrolling. The frictionless scroll wheel enables you to scroll through hundreds of pages of word document in just seconds. According to my test, the scroll wheel will continually spin for up to 7 seconds with just one swipe.

Underneath the mouse are two buttons. One to switch between frictionless scrolling (Hyper scroll) and normal scrolling. And the other one to switch between different profiles.

Finally, custom-color LEDs let you customize the G9 look for a mouse that’s all your own.


Here you can compare the G9 to the G5 and G7

Features
Interchangeable Grips
The G9 comes with Wide Load and Precision Grips for a fit and feel that’s best for the way you play. Wide Load’s satin feel and fuller shape offer extra comfort. Precision’s DryGrip technology and compact shape give the utmost in fingertip control.

Ultra Gaming-Grade Precision
Get uncompromised speed and accuracy with the G9’s Gaming-Grade Laser Engine (adjustable 200 dpi – 3200 dpi) and Full-Speed USB

Onboard Memory Profiles
The G9 performs wherever you go, even without software. Keep up to 5 mouse setting profiles (including keyboard macros, dpi settings and LED color) stored directly in onboard memory. Note that software is needed for initial profile setup.

Weight Tuning System
Prefer a heavier or lighter mouse? The G9’s weight cartridge holds up to 28 grams of metal weights you can mix-and-match for a personalized feel.

Custom-Color LED Display
The G9’s LED Display lights up to show your mouse dpi and profile settings. Choose the color of your LEDs from more than 200 options in a broad color spectrum.

MicroGear™ Precision Scroll Wheel
Logitech’s exclusive MicroGear™ Scroll Wheel’s precise click-to-click scrolling is perfect for weapon selection. Or switch modes for frictionless Hyper-Fast scrolling.

Installation

Installation is very easy and simple because of the USB interface. I just plug it into one of my USB ports and Windows will detect the mouse and install necessary drivers for it to work. No additional software required. Bear in mind that if you want additional programmability of the G9 mouse, SetPoint software is required. It enhances your experience using the G9 including additional colored DPI LEDs and extra profiles to be stored in the mouse. Too bad I couldn't test all those because Logitech has not released the SetPoint version which works for this mouse at the moment. I believe the compatible software will be released once this mouse is available officially.

For more information on system requirements, please visit Logitech's webbie.

Testing and conclusion.
Tracking is unbelievably smooth and precise on the following surfaces that I have tested on: wooden desk, normal mousepad, bedsheet, concrete floor. It doesn't work on glossy surfaces like glass, metal, and any translucent surfaces.

Gaming wise I find it very easy to frag with the preset DPI adjustments. Lower DPI for sniping, medium and higher DPI for running around and knifing :P. And the feel of the mouse is simply amazing! And the best part is, you can program all your preset profiles in the mouse and bring it wherever you go without having to worry about software! Its Plug and Play at its best!

I would seriously recommend any gamers to get this little upgraded monster from Logitech. If you're into serious gaming and winning is everything, this is the mouse for you! With superb tracking and on the fly DPI switching to the amazing gaming grade laser sensor and customizable grips LEDs just for that extra "wow" factor, you can't go wrong with the Logitech G9 gaming mouse!