"Karate Dog" Squeaky Toy

Concept: 2 out of 5
Execution: 3 out of 5
Yeah, but: Is this thing really meant for dogs?

The Long Version: Like certain high-concept baby toys, this is a "dog toy" that seems like it's designed to appeal to tall people rather than the ones who will actually be using the product. Not that there's anything wrong with that - after all, neither dogs nor babies are known for their disposable income.

Back when I was a kid, we didn't have dog toys with fancy electronics; all they did was squeak. Dogs liked them back then, and a simple squeaker is still the best way to go. This plush toy, Karate Dog, has an electronic squawker that makes a bunch of different sounds, all of which are likely to freak out an actual dog. But that's really not who this one is for. The looks, the sounds - this thing is the funniest 'dog toy' I've ever seen. I even named my Mac's hard drive after it. Just look at this photo, and tell me that it doesn't look like I'm one arm's-length away from a solid whuppin':

The toy on its own is funny, but the sounds add a certain essence. It makes five vaguely martial-artsy sounds, and the sixth is a rapid-fire collection.

So it's not really a dog toy - but if they like it, it's a bonus.

LaCie Rugged Triple Interface HDD

Concept: 3 out of 5
Execution: 2 out of 5
Yeah, but: Just one word: Plastics.

The Long Version: LaCie is an established maker of hard drives, computer displays, and accessories. Their displays are noted for being hard-core high-end devices, and their accessories are stylish with frequently good industrial design. You would think that their storage division would get the best of both worlds, and produce hard-core drives with good industrial design - and sometimes you'd be right. Unfortunately, the Rugged drive really isn't all that impressive.

Designed by someone who quotes the wikipedia entry about himself for his bio page, the Rugged drive does look very impressive from afar. Rubber bumpers and a silvery case looks very resilient, and its 2.5" (laptop-sized) drive makes it portable despite its padding. But the silvery case is plastic, not heat-dissipating metal, and I've seen one of these drives with its case bowed inward from heat.

I have no doubt that LaCie knows a whole lot more than I do about laptop hard drives and heat management, so I'm not worried about the construction from a long-term reliability standpoint. A metal casing might be prone to bending if it does get dropped, while plastic can be more resilient. But considering the robustness of the other LaCie drives that I've seen, and its compact metal-bodied competitor from G-Tech, it's a disappointment just the same.

(As an aside, the sticker says that the warranty is "Void if Broken". I'm sure they mean it's void if the sticker is broken, not the drive....)

This Rugged drive is the "Triple Interface", which means USB, Firewire 400, and Firewire 800. Firewire is the fastest, but since it's designed to be a portable drive, it's nice to be able to connect with a printer cable if I need to. It draws power from the computer, so there's no A/C supply needed, which is another major advantage for portability. For laptop users this is perfect, and it's a great way to shuttle files between multiple computers. But for people with a single desktop computer that does most of the work, there are other (better/cheaper) options out there. For mobile users, there are also other (better/pricier) options as well.

By my own criteria, I'm not someone who should be using one of these drives, but I bought two of them. They're my "In Case of Fire" backup disks, so it's important to me that it's easy to grab in a hurry, I can fumble it on the way out the door, and then plug it in anywhere. A second Rugged drive lives somewhere safe off-site, and I switch them every month. These do the job even if they don't leave me inspired, and I suppose that's enough.

Sony CKL-PCMD50 Case for the Sony PCM-D50

Concept: 3 out of 5
Execution: 2 out of 5
Yeah, but: It's perfect for someone, but maybe not for me.

The Long Version: Sony makes a couple of cases for the PCM-D50 digital field recorder: there's the widely available LC-PCMD50G, which is a clam-shell style, and the CKL-PCMD50 model that was originally only available in Japan. It's since become more widely distributed, and it's the one that I bought with my recorder.

The CKL case is the audio equivalent of the ever-ready camera cases that used to be popular. Like a never-ready camera case, it attaches to the tripod mount and flips around when the recorder is being used, but doesn't get taken off of the device. It also comes with the wrist-strap that you see in these photos, which is nylon with leather, and a soft grey fabric bag that's big enough to add extra scuff protection to the whole assembly.

The case is designed to double as a stand, which it does reasonably well. The photo above is its 'high' configuration, and it's held in position by some magnets that are built into it. As you can see, the leather case is quite stiff, and provides ample protection for the recorder. For carrying around to interviews, recording sessions, and for ENG I can see it working quite well - any situation where the recorder can be put down somewhere clean and conveniently near the sound source. For 'stealth' recording, put the Sony D50's mics in the wide stereo position, and the case doesn't even need to be open. Naturally, you can't reach the front-panel controls, so start it going and then toggle the 'hold' switch on the side (to prevent the 'stop' button from getting pressed - I learned that the hard way) before closing the case.

The tour of the CKL flip-case ends at the back, where you can see (from right to left) the snap-button clasp, the coin-activated attachment screw, and the belt loop. That's really the first thing that seems like it isn't very well thought out; the belt loop has a simple snap to attach it, and doesn't seem particularly secure. I would hesitate to use it to actually carry the recorder, but it does come in handy for holding the wires on my earphones. For carrying the recorder hands-free when it's being used for field recording/ENG with an external microphone, it might be perfect - but people who plan on using a decent external mic probably aren't using the PCM-D50. I could be wrong, and probably am, but adding an overlapping snap for security certainly wouldn't hurt.

Personally, I haven't quite settled on how I use the PCM-D50, so I also haven't decided whether or not I like this case. It's great for carrying it and setting it down on tables, but I don't often do that. I'm much more likely to be hand-holding the recorder for environmental sound gathering, and for that I need to be really careful because the self-noise that the leather case generates is far worse than the handling noise from the bare recorder. And for serious sound recording, I need to remove the case completely so that I can use the D50 on a tripod - and then I need to make certain that the heavy leather wrist strap doesn't hit the stand. It's not cheap, so think about how you use the recorder before you go out and buy one - but if it's right for you, then it really is a great case.