GetUSB.info reported on the USB Engine Hub back in June ‘07 from SolidAlliance and we scratched our heads on the reason why. Well the product is real (which we didn’t doubt) and below is a short clip of what the USB engine hub can do.

What we didn’t report on…or didn’t know at the time…is the USB engine also vibrates during operation. What is comical about this, and you’ll see it in the video, is the USB hub vibrates enough it could easily fall off your desk. So your USB hub could end up pushing your $1,500 DSL camera off the desk and onto the floor. Makes total sense.

Can’t see the video? Click for the YouTube link.

USB Man is a man of mystery. I’ve got the picture but not the source [for buying]. The USB man takes the traditional USB hub and turns the USB ports into hands and legs. With a USB cable used to connect hub to PC, the USB man is buss powered…meaning it’s best used for small tasks such as copying files from a digital camera or UFD…not the best hub for larger jobs like using a USB hard drive as external storage. For those types of tasks, it’s best to get a dedicated power supply.

The USB man is 120mm x 102mm x 11 mm and costs about $32USD. I’ll post the source link when I find it. (more…)

Buy.com is currently running a special on the Belkin wireless 5 port USB hub and I thought to share the tip. Right now you can get the $100 wireless USB hub at just $79. The discounted price requires a MIR for the cash-back $20.

Being able to reduce the amount of clutter in ones office, even by a cable or two, is always a noble cause. The Belkin wireless USB hub allows you to stream line your office and reduce the cable count by 5. Not bad I must say. Plus you get to share the love [wirelessly] with printers, scanners, network connections and digital cameras.

Using the wireless USB hub lets other computers on your network think a printer is directly connected to a PC, so instant and reliable access from any PC to a remote or introvert printer is np.You will need a router to make this bad boy work and transfer speeds will vary by environment and distance. But for $80 it’s worth giving this wireless thing a shot.

Belking Wireless Hub product page.

Over the course of 2007 we have seen our share of jewelry USB drives, now we see vanity making it’s way into the market place. The new Lindy USB Mirror 57-in-1 Card reader and Mirror USB hub are now available for high tech connection and personal reflection.

Stephen Fawcett, Senior Product Manager states:

When we asked our development team to come up with a compact device we didn’t really expect them to literally deliver a ‘compact’. Fortunately, they didn’t include the powder in the spec. But it’s very handy for checking you haven’t left a bit of marmite on your chin or seeing what colleagues are up to behind your back.”

Unfortunately the Lindy website isn’t up to date with this press release, but GetUSB did find the card reader will go for 22.99 and the hub for 14.99 USD.

Source: Spanish GetUSBinfo (more…)

I couldn’t tell you how many times a USB hub wouldn’t let me plug in multiple devices because the connectors where too close. This USB cable hub from Brando solves that problem.

Four USB ports stream out from a central box which holds the USB hub controller chip for flexible and free USB connectivity.

The USB cable hub is fully compatible to the USB 2.0 specifications and plug-n-play for any OS. Price point starts at (more…)

Poorly designed USB hubs can yield ports too close for connection of multiple devices. The USB 180° rotating hub from Brando set out to resolve this issue.

Of the 4 USB ports, one rotates 180° and the other three are well enough distanced apart to not pose a problem. In addition the upstream port (one connecting to PC) also rotates 180°.

In the event you are still cramped for style the USB hub ships with (more…)

WUSB or Wireless USB products just began to ship and WUSB 1.1 is ramping up. Although a mild ramp, as with current transfer rates of 40Mbits/second the 1.1 spec needs to hit at least 500Mbits/second otherwise it’ll never see the light of day.

The 1.1 spec will support band groups at 6 GHz and above, including the 3-4 GHz supported by wireless USB 1.0. It aims to lower power consumption by an undisclosed amount. It also will adopt the techniques of near-field communications for letting two devices identify themselves to each other with a simple contact.

As (source) Gizmodo said: “…realistic or not, we like the ambition.”

Currently the USB Implementers Forum has certified a handful of notebooks and hubs for the 1.0 spec. The WiMedia Alliance is expected to certify the first 1.0 products shortly.