Hands-On Report: SIIG Mini 5-Port USB Hub

While in San Diego, CA, a while back, I ran into a couple of neat items from a company called SIIG at the best computer warehouse that I've ever visited, Fry's Electronics (photo above). I go to Fry's, an Apple-authorized reseller, and wander around every time I get to San Diego because they frequently have things that I don't see elsewhere and great special deals along with a pretty good selection of Mac accessories and peripherals. Most of their stuff is PC but more and more stuff is cross-platform. For example, I found this (at right) inexpensive 5-port (1 upstream and 4 downstream) mini USB hub, SIIG USB Hub 4000. It is actually smaller than my business card and sold for a reasonable $39.95. This mini-hub would make a great traveling companion for an iBook that has only one USB port or a PowerBook. The mini-hub comes from Taiwan with a 6' upstream USB cable and a small AC adapter.