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Kensington POCKETHUB 2.0 COMPACT 4PT USB2 ( 33054 )

Kensington POCKETHUB 2.0 COMPACT 4PT USB2 ( 33054 )

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Works great, no complaints
Review: As another reviewer noted, it does have a very large power brick, but other than that, it's been a fine workhorse with absolutely no problems.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: wonderful
Review: I am using this 2.0 USB hub (with my Thinkpad USB 2.0 Cardbus) for my older thinkpad. I use the USB 2.0 ports successfully with my CD-RW burner and other peripherals.






Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Holding up very well
Review: I present software seminars for a living and I use this little hub at least twice a week. I'm not easy on it and it's still holding up well after almost a year of heavy use. The option to use the power cord is great when you have external USB hard drive enclosures that need the extra juice. Also nice that you don't have to use the power adapter if your devices don't need it. Tossed into a pouch on my backpack, this thing travels with me everywhere.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: compact hub, large plug!
Review: The design of the hub is sleek, elegant... worked with no problems right away (plug & play seems to work these days). The picture shows a very short cable that goes from the PC to the hub, but there is a longer cable included if you don't want the hub to sit right next to your USB port.

However, the power plug is practically larger than the hub (and it is strategically NOT shown in the picture, which I think is deceptive because it's quite bulky). It really needs to go on the end of a power strip because it measures 2" high x 2.5" long x 1" deep, and the cord comes off the side. If you have an end space available on your power strip, you're fine, if not... well, this will take AT LEAST 2 spaces. My cellphone charger has the same "sideways" design... so both ends of the power strip are now in use...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Extremely thin, reliable, and easy to use
Review: This is an extraordinarily thin and slick USB2 hub. I checked out many others at circuit city, and this was by far the most attractive.

- 3.0"L X 0.5"H X 2.25"W
- adapter: 5V 2.5A 12.5W, even the 2-prong adapter is slim! It fits "sideways" into your power strip easily without taking up two outlets =) I haven't seen an adapter with this ingenious design/orientation before.

The hub can also work without the AC adapter, but I imagine it drains power from my laptop. But it's nice to have the option.

As with any small usb hub, there's a chance that you may have difficulty fitting devices that are slightly larger than average, e.g. USB IR receiver for your mouse or some USB thumb drives. It was a tight squeeze, but I managed to carefully fit my receiver for my Wireless Optical Notebook mouse (Targus PAWM10) without too much trouble. The mouse also came with an extension cable for the receiver which would circumvent the tight fit, but that's just one more thing to plug in than necessary.) It helps that the receiver swivels 90degrees.

I've read reviews of other hubs, indicating that they overheat. I haven't experienced it myself. The Kensington remains quite cool. It is possible that without the AC adapter, it may heat up. But I'll leave that for someone else to investigate.
Connection is truly plug & play. The book even warns you about the alert when conneting backward to USB1.1 device.

I often have my pda, camera, printer, and mouse conneted simultaneously. I can't say that all devices are truly running simultaneously, but for someone who does average-to-heavy computing I haven't had any problems yet. I use my IR port for my pda now, so have freed up the port for my usb drive.

It's a great buy and very elegant--a great price through amazon. It will look great among your other trendy gadgets and fits conveniently in your laptop case, pocket, etc.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Extremely thin, reliable, and easy to use
Review: This is an extraordinarily thin and slick USB2 hub. I checked out many others at circuit city, and this was by far the most attractive.

- 3.0"L X 0.5"H X 2.25"W
- adapter: 5V 2.5A 12.5W, even the 2-prong adapter is slim! It fits "sideways" into your power strip easily without taking up two outlets =) I haven't seen an adapter with this ingenious design/orientation before.

The hub can also work without the AC adapter, but I imagine it drains power from my laptop. But it's nice to have the option.

As with any small usb hub, there's a chance that you may have difficulty fitting devices that are slightly larger than average, e.g. USB IR receiver for your mouse or some USB thumb drives. It was a tight squeeze, but I managed to carefully fit my receiver for my Wireless Optical Notebook mouse (Targus PAWM10) without too much trouble. The mouse also came with an extension cable for the receiver which would circumvent the tight fit, but that's just one more thing to plug in than necessary.) It helps that the receiver swivels 90degrees.

I've read reviews of other hubs, indicating that they overheat. I haven't experienced it myself. The Kensington remains quite cool. It is possible that without the AC adapter, it may heat up. But I'll leave that for someone else to investigate.
Connection is truly plug & play. The book even warns you about the alert when conneting backward to USB1.1 device.

I often have my pda, camera, printer, and mouse conneted simultaneously. I can't say that all devices are truly running simultaneously, but for someone who does average-to-heavy computing I haven't had any problems yet. I use my IR port for my pda now, so have freed up the port for my usb drive.

It's a great buy and very elegant--a great price through amazon. It will look great among your other trendy gadgets and fits conveniently in your laptop case, pocket, etc.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: a Must have for notebook users
Review: This tiny 4-port USB 2.0 hub is a must-have for any notebook user.

The casing is a silver-metallic color which goes along nicely with my silver laptop. It is *extremely* thin, just a little thicker than the actual USB port itself. There is a ~2in cable to plug into an existing USB port on your computer (laptop or otherwise). The cable tucks away neatly into the hub's casing when not in use thereby saving more space. The package comes with an additional cable (~2ft) in case you need just a little more reach.

I have only used the hub without the included AC adapter, as when i use my laptop i'm normally in a location without access to outlets. It does get warm, but not excessivly (in my opinion). I haven't used any items that could be considered power hungry, such as scanners or external drives. I have used things such as USB flash drives, my PDA, mice, MP3 player without a hitch. My Windows XP system beeps when I plug in the hub, but otherwise is unnoticed.

Any laptop user places a premium on items they can carry around that add functionality but dont cost much in terms of size or weight. This hub falls squarely in that description and should be included in every laptop bag.


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