I purchased 2 of these and love the design. I was trying to find hubs that had the ports on the front with no wires from the back. I found that hard to find until these.
The USB cable is hard wired into the side. The AC is plugged into the same side and that can be disconnected. It is triangular shaped and comes with mounts to stick on a surface. I have both mounted under my studio desk with the ports faced in the back. I had to use superglue as the adhesive mounts kept coming off...probably had to do with the surface of the desk. Not a problem at all for me.
Keeps everything organized and easily accessible. Quality build and does not feel cheap. 2 usb ports are spaced out further to allow access to bulkier usb products.
UPDATED JUNE 1ST 2009
Lately I noticed my PC would hang when booted. I would have to disconnect the hubs. Once I did that the PC would boot. I tried to narrow it down to which USB device was causing the hang and no luck.
A couple days later I wondered about unplugging the AC from the hubs to see if that would help. So I disconnected them from the outlet and plugged back in...no more hang.
It's like it had to be reset or something.
UPDATED APRIL 17TH 2010
Both USB ports are working like they should. I have 14 usb devices hooked up and all are working.
UPDATED JANUARY 27TH 2011
I purchased a new pc and switched the hubs over. I am now running Windows 7 and no problems at all. Macally TRIHUB7 Mini 7 Port USB 2.0 Hub with AC Adapter (Black)
I highly recommend this product. I can't stand the bright blue lights and big show you see with other usb hubs. This product is compact, discrete, elegant, and the usb ports are easily accessible--exactly what I was looking for in a usb hub.
I was reluctant to buy this product because it didn't have any reviews, but I'm definitely happy I made the purchase and highly recommend it to others.
It's hard to say very much about such a utilitarian item such as a USB hub, but let me try. I am using this Macally hub with my MacBook and MacBook Pro computers (though as with all hubs and most USB devices, it is fully compatible with PCs, I recently used this hub with my Mom's PC with full success). I withhold the final 'star' only because I only give 5-star ratings to items that are revolutionary and extraordinary. This hub is excellent, and highly recommended.
*Construction quality and materials are first rate. Lightweight, but solid. ABS plastic is excellent, durable, scratch and crack resistant. Cabling is good quality, silicone rubber. Good quality switching-type wall-wart PS.
*Devices plug in and detach positively and securely, and do not work themselves loose as in some hubs. Connectors appear to be made for the long haul.
*Low-profile, triangular design attractive and functional. Hub attaches to desk or side of notebook computer securely, and looks like part of the original design of the computer. You can use the manufacturer supplied adhesive, shock-absorbing pads, or velcro attachments (self supplied
*Operation with full 7 devices attached (two external HDDs, iPod, two USB flash drives, digital camera, and Flip video camera) works without a hitch. Hub supplies total of 2A from its external power supply. While that is probably not enough to run all seven devices, you never simultaneously use all at once anyway (USB is a serial interface, so even with microsecond level switching, you use each device in a CPU/USB bus assigned queue anyway, even when using the computers internal USB jacks, there is usually only one USB bus). I noticed no delays over and above what I see when I have multiple devices directly attached to Macs. I left everything plugged in for about two days, through two reboots (done after installing application updates), and worked with iTunes/iPod intensively, as well as transferring files from cameras to machine, edited them, transferred them to flash drives. In fact I tried everything I could think of to stress the USB hub and the computer's USB bus, setting up a number of tasks for different devices, transferring files among devices and computer. No problems encountered of any sort.
*Works well on its own as a charger. Charges my iPod Video faster than Mac's USB bus (max 500mA, that's the USB standard) or even aftermarket 1A USB charger. iPod gets a little warm during charging, but not hot, and reduces charge time from flat by over an hour over 1A charger and more than 2 over machine.
*Works just fine without power supply connected. This wont work with multiple high current devices connected, or multiple devices in charge mode, but for a fully charged iPod, an external HDD, a USB flash drive, and an SD card via USB adaptor, it worked well. YMMV, and probably will, dependent on the current demands of what you connect. Seven flash drives will be fine, seven external HDDs will clearly not.
Of USB hubs (powered or not) available on Amazon in March 2010, this is one of the very best. Of the 4 or 5 I have owned this is second only to another Macally I had that was mostly metal in construction, and looked like it came with the MacBook I used it with. Strongly recommended! Seven ports may seem orverboard, but think ahead to all the devices you may acquire later. Macally makes also a 4 port version of this hub that is identical in all other respects, if smaller size is essential (this 7 port model is about 5" by 1") - 7-port Usb Hub - 7 Port Usb 2 Hub - 7 Port Usb Hub - Computer Accessories'
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