Hub+ Kickstarter project providing neat hub solution for 12-inch MacBook owners hits $670k

Ben Lovejoy - Jun. 8th 2015 7:21 am PT

A neat hub designed to provide 12-inch MacBook owners with a useful way to connect existing devices has just hit $670k on Kickstarter – somewhat in excess of its modest $35,000 goal.

The Hub+ plugs into the single USB-C port of the MacBook and turns that into two USB-C ports, 3 conventional USB-A sockets, a mini DisplayPort and an SDXC card slot. The sleek device offers a choice of silver, space gray and gold to match your MacBook …

Review: Truffol Station 5 USB Charger

Ben Lovejoy

- Jan. 19th 2015 7:49 am PT

@benlovejoy

charger-1

We all have a ton of gadgets these days that are charged by USB, from iPhones and iPads to things as diverse as cameras, scanners and GPS units. The challenge can be finding enough USB ports to keep up, which is why I resort to a powered USB hub. It’s plastic and not exactly pretty, hence my interest in a rather beautiful-looking product from Truffol–the company behind the reversible USB cable we looked at last year.

The Truffol Station 5 is not a USB hub: there’s no socket to connect it to a Mac. It’s designed for one purpose only, and that’s to charge up to five USB devices at once. It differs from most other such devices in two ways: form and function … expand full story

Review: Satechi’s 4, 7, & 10 port USB hubs compared

Zac Hall

- Apr. 20th 2014 4:20 am PT

@apollozac

Reviews USB USB 3.0 Satechi USB hub

Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to try out a number of Satechi’s USB hubs in my effort to combat my growing need to wire in more stuff to my Mac’s 4 USB ports. While wireless is often more convenient and downright necessary on laptops to have a good experience, I still enjoy the speed and reliability of a wired connection on my desktop setup. To have a completely ergonomic experience and avoid plugging and unplugging things, a USB hub of some sort is definitely needed. The challenge to buying the right hub for your needs is deciphering how each hub differs; it’s not just limited to the number of ports available…

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Review: How I transformed my workspace w/ LandingZone’s MacBook Pro Dock

Jordan Kahn

- Jan. 24th 2014 4:02 pm PT

@JordanKahn

MacBook Pro Reviews MacBook dock Cable

Without LandingZone

With LandingZone

Think of it as an iPhone-style dock for your MacBook. At home you might have several things plugged into your MacBook’s various ports (hard drives, USB products, speakers, etc), which means disconnecting and reconnecting everything each time you leave or return with your MacBook. With LandingZone, everything gets connected to ports in the back of the dock, allowing you to simply place your MacBook in the dock and instantly connect to all your peripherals. When you leave, you can pop out your Mac and walk away in seconds without thinking twice about all the connected cables. It also packs in a 5-port USB hub, ethernet adapter, HDMI, and Mini DisplayPort all while reducing cable clutter on your desk. I’ve been using the latest LandingZone Dock model for the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro for a couple weeks and it has truly transformed my workspace. expand full story

CES 2014: CableCore Hub puts your iMac’s USB ports within arm’s reach

Jordan Kahn - Jan. 10th 2014 7:38 am PT

During the ShowStoppers press event this week at CES, iCoreGear, a small team of designers and engineers currently raising funds on Indiegogo, showed off a new product called the CableCore Hub for iMac. The idea is simple enough: rather than having to climb on top of your desk and awkwardly fumble with plugging cables into the back of your iMac, the CableCore hub attaches to the base of iMac and brings 3 USB 3.0 ports and an SDXC card slot within arm’s reach. A slightly more expensive version will also include a Bluetooth connected 3.5mm audio jack. It’s powered from one of the USB ports on the back of your iMac, but can also provide high speed charging to all its ports by using a separate power adapter. While a regular standalone USB would get the job done, the CableCore Hub’s bead blasted aluminium base and black polymer top match the iMac perfectly and the design does away with extra desk clutter you get with your average USB hub.

Preorders for the base model are currently at $99 on Indiegogo, while the model with the Bluetooth audio jack will cost you can extra $30. The company expects to ship by May if it can raise the $20,000 it needs through the crowd funding campaign.

Satechi debuts beautiful aluminum 7 port USB 3.0 hub

Zac Hall - May. 29th 2013 10:53 am PT

Satechi’s new USB hub delivers all the features you could ask for in a compact USB hub: beautiful design, plenty of ports, and USB 3 support.

The hub expands a single USB port into 7 different USB ports for various devices like iPhones, iPads, digital cameras, external hard drives and almost any other device you can imagine.