I toggle tooltips with a single keystroke with this amazing device. If you use a Wacom Graphics Tablet and also tend to use a lot of keyboard shortcuts, here's a productivity tool that has transformed the way I work. It's the Nostromo from the gaming device company Razer. Google it. If you have a Wacom and don't use it very often, this may be the perfect companion to get you to use it all the time. It's comprehensively better than using the buttons on the Wacom. The only button I use on the Wacom now is the Touch Ring for brush size.
http://www.pwp3.com/nostromo.jpg This image shows how I have it set up. Of course there is a mouse on my right as well. They don't conflict with each other. When you have the Wacom pen in your right hand, it's brilliant to have a scroll wheel and an enter key on the LEFT side. Plus, every one of the buttons on the Nostromo can be custom configured to execute keyboard commands...single keystroke keyboard shortcuts. You can set up a custom set of commands/macros for each program that you use, like the Wacom. So I have a set for Photomechanic, Lightroom & Photoshop. The Nostromo detects which program you're currently using and switches more or less instantly. If you work through large folders of images every day, this gadget will be your new best friend. I doubt Razer had non-gamers in mind when they made the Nostromo, but hey!
The only downsides are that your teenage kids will want one for themselves for gaming. But the cost is around the same as a decent mouse. The irritating teen focused blue glowing lights can be turned off. The other slightly baffling oversight is that you can't save/export/import your custom settings. I've bought another unit for a second workstation and have had to manually configure each command and macro again. So there you have it! For me this is a cool toy and a useful, incremental productivity breakthrough.
Paul Wright
