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Photoshop CS2 review
By Colin Smith -
What's new in Adobe Photoshop CS2?
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The Logitech NuLOOQ
Review by Colin Smith
The Logitech NuLOOQ is perhaps one of the most useful and innovative devices to come to a computer in a long time. This hip looking device will make people ask "What is that?"
There are 2 components, the hardware known as the NuLOOQ navigator™ and the software, the tooldial.
NuLOOQ navigator™
 NuLOOQ navigator™. This is so much more than just a puck. There are 3 main elements; the touch-sensitive tooltuner feels very much like the dial of an iPod and this allows you to adjust attributes of your software or even the volume of your music on iTunes. There are 3 mode buttons on top to choose different tool sets. Underneath all this is a navring, the navring responds to twists of the wrist and nudging. By default you can zoom in and out and navigate around your images. All the controls are fully customizable and come with presets for all the Adobe Creative Suite products.
The tooldial
The tooldial is an amazing piece of software which pops up with a click of the navigator or keyboard shortcut. (Shown actual size). 
The tooldial will pop up right where your cursor is. Choose the setting and then it will disappear just as quickly so that you can continue working with the new settings.
Create the perfect tooldial by dragging and dropping the most often used tools or commands into the tooldial preference pane. Try pre-configured tooldial sets to see what the professional designers are doing with their tooldials. Don´t exercise your memory; customize your accessory. It is that simple. Worried about running out of cells? Behind each one of the eight cells on a tooldial are eight more cells. Build a menu tree with logical groups of tools using these extended menus. Just, click and hold on a tooldial cell to reveal that cell´s extended menu.
That´s seventy-two possible tools, files, actions, or documents that will appear instantly under the cursor in a tooldial.
Using the NuLOOQ
 The navigator feels quite heavy which makes it very stable and solid on the desktop. As soon as you begin to use it you can feel the quality, this feels solid, not like a toy, but rather a serious tool. The combination of the navigator and tooldial was very quick to learn and easy to use. Even if you know most of the Keyboard shortcuts, this device saves a ton of time by allowing you to access tools quickly that don’t have a keyboard shortcut. I like to place all my filters and options into the extended portion of the tool dial. I found it a great asset which allows me to work on my designs without having to constantly click on menus. I can work in Photoshop or InDesign, access all my favorite commands easily and control iTunes at the same time.
Recommendations
I can see 2 areas where this is a really useful tool. For large monitors, especially the Apple 23 and 30” models, you can save a ton of scrolling. I also like to use the NuLOOQ with a Wacom Intuos tablet. You can launch tooldial sets from the express keys and quickly access menus and options without touching the keyboard.
The original price of $149 has been dropped to $79.99 and to me, this is great value for money. I recommend the NuLOOQ for busy designers who want to work quickly and efficiently without hunting around for their tools.
RATING: 5/5 This is one cool little tool!
 NuLOOQ. Currently for Mac OS X only. (Windows version is in development right now)
Logitech NuLOOQ
Est. Street price Tool Dial $19.99
Professional Series, Navigator and tooldial $79.99
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RATING SYSTEM
1 cup - bad
2 cups - not bad
3 cups - good
4 cups - excellent
5 cups - a must have
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