Belkin USB 4 Port Pocket Hub For Mac W/10.5 IN Cable Org/Blu/Slv Slvs

Rating:
Summary: Chic, and usable with Windows, but unstackable
Review: The USB pocket hub is an interesting kinda "halfway" device. It's really meant for use with PowerBooks (and, though the product information listed here doesn't say so, Windows-based notebooks as well), but connecting more devices to the hub makes a PowerBook inherently less portable. I'm not sure how much of a market there really is for a portable USB hub, but if there is one, this device is about as portable as you can get. You can easily slip it into your pocket if you need to go a-wanderin'. And it can be powered by the included, not-so-lightweight AC adapter if you need to connect more power hungry devices, like scanners and printers.

Still, I can't help thinking that it will be bought more by desktop owners than PowerBook fans, simply because hubs are by their nature more suited for use with bigger, more `anchored' machines. To that extent, it's an elegant addition, because the included color sleeves make it possible to match with most colors of machine. The drawback is if you have a LOT of USB devices to attach. It's not really meant to be stackable, and you might find it awkward to have more than two of these attached to your machine. But I'd say if you have less than 9 devices, this is a graceful, fully-functional way to go.

Rating:
Summary: Chic, and usable with Windows, but unstackable
Review: The USB pocket hub is an interesting kinda "halfway" device. It's really meant for use with PowerBooks (and, though the product information listed here doesn't say so, Windows-based notebooks as well), but connecting more devices to the hub makes a PowerBook inherently less portable. I'm not sure how much of a market there really is for a portable USB hub, but if there is one, this device is about as portable as you can get. You can easily slip it into your pocket if you need to go a-wanderin'. And it can be powered by the included, not-so-lightweight AC adapter if you need to connect more power hungry devices, like scanners and printers.

Still, I can't help thinking that it will be bought more by desktop owners than PowerBook fans, simply because hubs are by their nature more suited for use with bigger, more 'anchored' machines. To that extent, it's an elegant addition, because the included color sleeves make it possible to match with most colors of machine. The drawback is if you have a LOT of USB devices to attach. It's not really meant to be stackable, and you might find it awkward to have more than two of these attached to your machine. But I'd say if you have less than 9 devices, this is a graceful, fully-functional way to go.