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Quest for a User-friendly Hub Joshua McKinney August 22, 2000 As I browsed the many Mac catalogues and web sites I noticed something characteristic about USB hubs: Most companies are joining the trend of producing smaller hubs, which means the ports are closer together. These hubs are fairly easy to use with one or two devices, but problems start to appear when you have something plugged into one of the middle ports. How are you supposed to remove the plug? You basically have to do it with both hands as you struggle to pull the plugs free. You might even have to unplug the surrounding devices, which proves quite inconvenient. One could pull the cord to unplug, but for those people whose parents always told them never to unplug electrical stuff by the cord, safety takes precedence over brevity. What's a user to do? I thought USB was supposed to be easier to use than previous serial technologies? What I would like to see is a hub with ports on the top of the hub, spaced far enough apart so that one doesn't need paper-thin fingers to get a good hold when removing the plugs. It would also be cool if the lights showing USB bandwidth pulsated back and forth, à la KITT from Knight Rider. The Interex (XLR8) Iceview hub comes closer to this feedback ideal with its cool USB load meter, but alas, its ports are hidden in the back as in other hubs. Plus, the ports are crammed into one panel. A review of this beautiful hub can be found at on Mac NN. The only hub I own is a Macally four port bondi hub. It works most of the time (when the beige Epson cooperates with it). The ports are spaced far enough apart to be more convenient than on other hubs, but sometimes it is necessary to hold the hub with one hand while removing devices with the other hand. I am tired of hubs that try to hide the ports in back and place them as close together as possible. (Names have been withheld to protect the guilty.) Whatever happened to form follows function? What about ergonomics? As you go shopping for the ideal hub, kindly ask the hub manufacturers for more innovative devices. <this article available in a printer-friendly format> Share your perspective on the Mac by emailing with "My Turn" as your subject. Recent My Turn articles Using Low End Macs for Internet Radio, 08.18. When the local public radio station moved classical music to HD radio, it was time to find another way to listen. An old iMac with iTunes solved the problem. 'That's Not a Computer', 07.30. Salvaging a broken PowerBook by turning it into a desktop computer. Upgrading a Digital Audio G4 to work better in Leopard, 06.02. In its original configuration, the dual 533 MHz Power Mac G4 was slow with Mac OS X 10.5, but add the right upgrades, and it runs Leopard quite nicely. My 4 favorite PowerBooks, 05.28. The PowerBook 150 has a big screen for a vintage PowerBook, the 165c has color, the 100 is diminutive, and Lombard has USB and a great keyboard. More in the My Turn index. Links for the Day Mac of the Day: Quadra 700, Oct. 1991 - The successor to the Mac IIci ran a 'wicked fast' 25 MHz 68040 processor. List of the Day: Apple TV List The Apple TV List is a forum to discuss the Apple TV. August 29 in LEM history: 00: My lowest low-end Mac - 01: Uncluttered organization - Microsoft wins over Mac user - 02: Salute to SatireWire - 03: Wireless Internet popping up everywhere - 05: World domination, online or off - A 3-dimensional Dock replacement - 06: Productive at the low end - PowerPC vs. Intel - Secure wireless Recent Content on Low End Mac Looking for a Content Management System That's as Easy as Mac, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 08.29. Low End Mac needs to move to a content management system, but the few we've tried just don't cut it for people used to the simple elegance of the Mac. 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Used 450 MHz AGP, $75; 500, $99; 800 QS, $199; 1.25 GHz MDD, $375; 450 MHz dual, $179; 867 dual, $300; 1 GHz dual, $395; 1.42 dual, $575. Best iBook G3 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.29. Used 300 MHz clamshell, $150; 500 CD, $150; 800, $200; 600 CD-RW, $240; 900 Combo, $300; 14" 600, $360; 900, $400. Best iPod nano Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.29. Used 2 GB iPod nano, $89; refurb 3G 4 GB, $99; new, $140; refurb 8 GB, $149; new, $179. 10 Mac Browsers Compared, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 08.28. A look at Internet Explorer, Radon, Opera, Safari, Shiira, iCab, Firefox, Netscape Navigator, Flock, and Camino running in Leopard. Clone and Boot: Another Advantage of the Mac OS, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 08.28. Unlike Windows, Apple makes it possible to clone a bootable drive (Classic Mac OS or OS X) and use it with another supported Mac. Best MacBook Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28. Used 1.83 GHz, $799; 2.0 black, $875; refurb 2.1 GHz, $899; 2.4, $1,099; black, $1,299; new 2.1, $1,019 after rebate; 22, $1,094; 2.4, $1,219 a/r; black, $1,394 a/r. Best iMac G5 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28. Used 17" 1.6 GHz Combo, $499; 1.8 SuperDrive, $530; 2.0, $600; 1.9 iSight, $625; 20" 1.8 GHz, $580; 2.0, $650; 2.1 iSight, $700. Best classic Mac OS Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28. System 6, $10; 7.1, $12; 7.5.1, $4; Mac OS 7.6, $13; 8.0, $13; 8.1, $48; 8.5, $25; 8.6, $20; 9.0, $20; 9.2.2, $20; more. CrossOver Strikes Out, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 08.27. Running Windows apps on a Mac without paying for Windows is great in theory, but actually getting Windows software working is another story. MacDrought: 4 Months with No New Macs, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 08.27. The most recent Mac update was over four months ago, and the Mac mini has been unchanged for over a year. Resurrecting a Dead Pismo, Spotlight Search Tip, and EasyFind a Good File Finder, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 08.27. Lots of tips on bringing a comatose Pismo back to life, a Spotlight file name search tip, and EasyFind as an alternative to Spotlight. Best Intel iMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27. Used 17" 1.83 GHz, $625; 20", $599; 2.16, $749; 24", $950; refurb 20" 2.4, $999; 2.66, $1,299; 24" 2.4, $1,299; 2.8, $1,549; new 3.06, $2,094 after rebate; more. Best 15" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27. Used 1.25 GHz Combo, $600; SuperDrive, $650; 1.33 Combo, $640; 1.5, $680; SD, $725; 1.67, $730; hi-res, $800. Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27. 500 GB Time Capsule, $294; 1 TB, $468; AirPort Extreme Card, $39; 802.11n Base Station, $166; 802.11g AirPort Express, $60; 802.11n, $98. More links in our archive.

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