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 Review of Raycom Personal Massager
Introduction When I was first told that I'd be reviewing a "Personal Massager", I thought I heard wrongly, and was expecting a "personal messenger" instead (which oddly, seemed more PDA-plausible). Imagine my surprise when the package arrived & lo and behold, within it, possibly the most unique Handspring Springboard Module I've ever had the pleasure of reviewing to date!
Very quickly, surprise turned to delight, and delight turned to
pleasure as the Raycom Personal Massager went to work. First Looks The Raycom Personal Massager looks like & behaves exactly as
any other standard Handspring Springboard Module. Plug it into your
Springboard's slot and it goes to work immediately - no drivers, no
programs, no hassles.
Look closer, and you'll see an additional connector slot - smaller, different, to the Springboard standard. I met up with Mr TC Pang, Managing Director of Raynet, the makers of this module, and the secret of the additional connector slot soon came to light.
The (separately available) power pack provides juice to the module
via this additional slot. By not having to rely on Handspring's
proprietary connectors, the option is open for future developments of the
Personal Massager to be fitted for use with any PDA with an expansion
slot! The Massage Experience Much of what the Massage Module can do is clearly and succinctly listed out in its instruction booklets, as well as a usefully enclosed Quick Guide. There's little point in me going through each mode of massage. Suffice to say, the Module works by delivering a carefully measured dose of electricity to stimulate our muscles via the special conducting gel-pads. And, by cleverly varying the pulse/wave-form of that electrical delivery, the Module successfully simulates and reproduces squeezes, taps and chops very effectively. One of the most impressive and unique features of this module is the availability of free downloads (from www.raynet-tech.com) to enhance the massage experience. These are pre-programmed sequences which deliver a packaged combination of squeezes, taps &/or chops. The program that especially caught my eye was the one entitled "BODY TONING".
It is important that the proper gel-pads be used. I experimented with some ECG lead pads which I, erm, "borrowed" from my hospital (I hope no one I know is reading this), and - well, let's just say bondage & sadomasochism isn't exactly my cup of tea.
A
little tip here - ensure the pads are already connected to the cord BEFORE
you attach the pads to your body. And don't worry about hair - the special
gel on the pads are meant to conduct electricity, they aren't made for
waxing your legs, so the experience is all pleasure, no pain. Controls & Buttons
Much of what you need to do to get the Raycom Personal Massager going is intuitive - great for gadget morons like myself. Slap on the pads, plug the pads to the cord, insert the cord into the module, choose your program of choice (or merely select a function - I personally like the squeezing action best), and you're off. You can control the intensity of the massage by pressing the
up/down keys of your Visor. Further modifications to the massage
experience can be found under the "preferences" setting. Power Pack
For those who have a PDA other than a Handspring Visor, well, fret not - Raycom have come up with a power pack for the Massage Module which immediately turns it into an independent, stand-alone portable massager! My first power pack (runs on 2 AAA batteries) was a faulty pre-production prototype that refused to respond to instructions. The second version looks and feels much like the first, but
incorporated an improved software program, giving the user much more
response from its 2 buttons. What I particularly liked about the power
pack was also the fact that it listed all the different modes one can
achieve, as well as summarized in a nifty little diagram, just what one
had to do to get the Massage Module going.
Wear & Tear and Durability I've been using the Massage Module for over a fortnight, and the gel pads are still their sticky, conductive selves. I don't have bald patches on my (invariably hairy) legs, and I still get the same kick from a "squeezing" program a fortnight down the road as I did when I first got my hands on the module. The power pack has also lasted for the better part of a fortnight, and mind you, this was with DAILY usage of the Massage Module, and at 20 minutes a session, at least 3 sessions a day. No complains there. Of
course, battery life will vary depending on individual usage. Personal Thoughts Obviously, a massage is a very individual experience. However, I have personally found the Raycom Personal Massager to be useful in relieving sore muscles as well as loosening-up tight ones. One particularly bad night call left me wobbling on sore calves - the result of having been on my feet the whole night. A 20 minute session with the Massage Module got rid of the ache, a further 20 minutes literally got me back on my feet again. Simply put, it worked wonders - and turned a skeptic like me (I was initially rather, shall we say, reserved about the effectiveness of the product) into a believer. While I cannot give a medical opinion as to the usefulness of
getting your calves (or any other part of your body) massaged by electric
impulses, I can most certainly testify a personal opinion as to the
soothing effects of just such a massage. And my hitherto aching calves are
forever thankful for the Raycom Personal Massager! Tips (a) Ensure good contact between the gel pads and
the skin - nothing's worse than an unequal feeling of being rubbed too
hard one way, and not nearly hard enough the other. Pros (a) Portable, affordable. Equally good, if not
better than the more expensive Osim® equivalent. Cons (a) Affordable, but not exactly cheap.
Suggestions for Future Development (a) With the announcement of the ceasation
of Visor Solo, Deluxe & Platinum production, development might do well
to focus on adapting the Massage Module for use with other expansion-slot
enabled PDAs, for example PDAs by Sony & Palm. Thankfully,
Handspring's CEO has quickly reiterated that they are NOT discontinuing
the entire Visor line! Conclusion This is one module that took me completely by surprise. What's more
noteworthy is the fact that the Raycom Personal Massager is an entirely
conceived-designed-and-produced-in-Singapore product! Its relatively
cheaper price (even with the power pack) compared to market competitors
makes it an attractive option for those on the look out for a personal
massager. Cost Raycom Personal Massager retails for S$210.00 & the optional power pack is at S$55.00. There is a special, unbelievable offer available for SPUG members - check the Discussion Forums for details! Available at Authorized resellers, such as from: Office Station Speed Six For further details, look up http://www.raynet-tech.com/ or contact Raynet's
representative, Ms Vanessa Ng.
Overall rating Review Unit courtesy of Raynet Technologies.
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