5-19-02
I was slow to adopt USB. Initially, this was due to
the fact that my main production machine, a PowerBook
G3/266, was from Apple's pre-USB days. I recently gave
up on the PowerBook and "upgraded" to a Blue
and White G3 system. As my collection of USB devices
started to grow, it soon became apparent that two USB
ports was simply not enough. Plugging and unplugging
scanners, PDA cradles, ViaVoice headsets, CD burners
on a regular basis is no way to live. Enter the gHub
from Dr.
Bott. The gHub is a 4 port USB 1.1 hub housed in
a stylish enclosure. The gHub comes in three different
colors, white, graphite and silver. Each color is intended
to match Apple's current hardware offerings. Does the
gHub make life any easier?
The gHub's layout is different from most hubs, with
the 4 open ports located in the front of the hub and
the uplink port (to connect to your Mac) and the power
cable coming off the back. This is a rather awkward
design as there is no good way to orient the hub to
reduce cable clutter. Most hubs keep all ports on the
back and reserve the front for the LED indicators, a
more optimal setup unless you anticipate swapping out
USB devices on a regular basis.
I tested the gHub out on a Blue and White G3 upgraded
with an XLR8 G4/500 card. Like other USB hubs, there
is no software to install, just plug it in and you are
good to go. I filled the 4 available ports by connecting
an a printer, scanner, voice recognition headset and
CD-RW drive. I then put the gHub through its paces by
using these devices individually and in various combinations,
scanning while printing a large document for example.
The only potential problem I anticipated was using the
hub for my ViaVoice headset as USB audio devices generally
prefer a direct connection to your Mac. My fears proved
unfounded, ViaVoice and the gHub got along fabulously.
I only experienced one glitch with the hub over the
course of a month. On two occasions when booting the
B&W, the startup would stall after the startup chime
and before video signal. On both occasions, startup
continued normally right after disconnecting the gHub.
It is worth noting that on both occasions I had just
relocated the machine, unplugging all the cables and
plugging them back in. It is unclear if this was a contributing
factor.
Conclusions: The gHub's port layout may not
appeal to all. I eventually got used to it and actually
ended up appreciating the convenience of not having
to reach around the back while (still) swapping devices.
The gHub handled everything I threw at it with aplomb.
I was particularly pleased with its smooth operation
with the ViaVoice headset.
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5-19-02
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