Kensington Pocket Hub Mini 2.0 Review

<!-- Generated by XStandard version 1.7.1.0 on 2006-11-24T09:19:16 -->

Introduction

If you are like me, you use many different devices with your notebook, such as a printer, external mouse and keyboard, thumb drive, MP3 player, external hard drive, and so on. What do all of these have in common? They all use USB, and you can quickly run out of ports if you need to use several of those devices at once. The Kensington PocketHub Mini 2.0, which retails at $19.99 USD, tries to fill this need. So let’s see how it does!

Kensington Mini USB Hub (view large image)

(view large image)

Design &amp; Features

What can you say about the design of a USB hub? Generally, not much; they are fairly standard at this point. There are a few key design points of this hub that are worth mentioning however. The most obvious feature is its size. Measuring 3.25” wide, 1.5” deep, and a pinch over 0.5 inches tall, the PocketHub Mini is just that – mini. It will not take up much space in a pack, and if you are traveling light, it will easily fit into a pocket. Along the bottom is a track to tuck the cable out of the way, keeping it from being exposed. Despite its small size, Kensington has managed to include 4 USB 2.0 ports and a DC jack for power into the hub.

A track on the hub allows you to tuck the USB cable away when not in use (view large image)

Kensington does not include a plug, so you will have to bring that yourself if you want one (if you use a plug into the hub the USB hub will not have to pull power from the notebook). The uses a Class 2 5Vdc – 2.0A.

There is a flaw in the design – the USB cable is rather short. I am not sure exactly where they would put a longer cord, but another half inch or inch would help, but you will have to sacrifice something for portability.

(view large image)

 

Performance

(view large image)

To simulate what most people would attach to a hub, I hooked up a keyboard, wireless mouse, printer and an external hard drive. I did not have my notebook plugged into power. Performance is good. None of the devices showed a significant slow down. That is a most likely a testament of the USB bus the in notebook, but it does show that the PocketHub Mini is efficient and will not hamper performance. The only hit that I noticed was on battery life. With four devices all pulling down power, the notebook battery life was significantly reduced. Again, that is not a function of the hub, but rather putting four power hungry devices on the hub at once. To solve this issue, Kensington put a power port on the hub. As I stated, a power cord is not included in the package. This is understandable considering it is supposed to be a portable hub, but it is nice to at least have the option. Overall, I think the PocketHub Mini 2.0 performs well. In my time with it, I have had no problems, and it has worked as I expected.

(view large image)

Conclusion

I would recommend the Kensington PocketHub Mini 2.0 to anyone looking to expand the number of USB ports on their notebook. Its compact design makes it great for the road, and the ability to add power will be important for those adding power hungry devices. Those features coupled with reasonable price make for a great product from Kensington. Do keep in mind the faults of USB hubs, however. Without power, the devices will reduce the battery life of your notebook. Also, be aware that splitting the bus will affect the speed of the transfers. Having said that, sometimes 2 ports are not enough and a hub is the only way to achieve more of that USB goodness!

Pricing

Click here to view pricing and availability of the Kensington Mini Hub 2.0 from U.S. merchants

 

That looks like a nice product, I especially like the way that the USB cable is stored. Maybe a good advice for people that own an IBM (IBM T41 comes with 2 USB for example.)

When buying a new notebook I am also planning to buy a nice printer for my own. Plus my mouse, notebook cooler, webcam, joystick, headset...
You get the point I can use such a product. Thanks for the review.

Charlie

 

its design can worth the extra bucks. But i'm on a budget so i'll go for Inland stuff @ 10$ .

 

I have the original one, and it's a complete piece of junk. It's all plastic-ey and 'creeks', and stopped working completely about a month after I had it.
But, this new one looks like it's better, I just thought I'd throw in my experience with the original model of this product.

 

Looks like a nifty tool.

 

To anyone looking for a hub that keeps all devices operating at their maximum, look no further than this little guy:
http://www.iogear.com/main.php?loc=product&Item=GUH274&name=MicroHub%E2%84%A2
Note in the description, "Cypress Tetra Hub". Do some Googling for a better understanding of how it helps. BTW, this hub comes with a power adapter.

A bit more info about the Tetra technology:
http://www.cypress.com/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_1900_274_488_43/http%3B/sjapp20%3B7001/publishedcontent/publish/applications___pcp/materials/contents/high_speed_usb_2_0_4_port_hub_6.pdf

 

While that might come with an adapter, there are many who just need one that will work on the run.

Targus, Kensington, and Belkin all make some fairly good USB hubs that are configured to either run off the laptop or AC. A Targus hub that my grandfather just bought seems to have a longer USB cable that our Kensington review unit, but I like the look of the review hub more.