From The Show Floor - Contour Design: Making Multimedia Comfortable Again

by , 1:30 PM EDT, July 18th, 2003

Contour Designs began as a company concerned with office ergonomics. Founded in 1995, the company creates useful, ergonomic products for the home and professional computer users. Its newest products disguise their ergonomic origins with über-cool form and function.

Today we took a gander at some products that are aimed at everyone who wants to get the most out of their multimedia applications. Starting Contour's lineup is the ShuttleXPress, the perfect accessory for the home video enthusiast. Its five (fully programmable) buttons and shuttle/jog wheel make automating tasks in iMovie or iDVD a snap.

The ShuttleXpress is designed for ergonomic integrity and maximizing productivity, allowing one-hand access to the five (5) fully programmable buttons and jog/shuttle knob. The inner ring or 'jog' rotates through 360 degrees and provides precision frame by frame control. The outer black ring or 'shuttle' is rubberized and spring-loaded. It facilitates fast forward and rewind. You can also use the jog and shuttle for many other purposes such as scrolling, volume control, and sequencing.

Specializing in the area of making video editing both ergonomic and time saving, Contour has expanded on its ShuttlePro line. The ShuttlePro2 is an updated version of an existing model, but with a whopping fifteen buttons, new center jog wheel with three precision divots for your dialing finger, and an overall snappier feel in the jog/shuttle parts. Both the ShuttlePro and the ShuttlePro2 come in snazzy silver or matte black, so you can be ergonomic, productive, and fashion conscious.

These controllers act as an editing tool for any application, from the most basic iMovie to Final Cut Pro 4.

Also coming soon from Contour is an update to the popular iPod case, the iSee. The new version will fit the third generation iPods, and will have rubber accents on the edges to give it a "waterproof" look though we have been warned that despite appearances, it is NOT, in fact, waterproof at all.

Contour Design, Inc.