Welcome to a special holiday edition of Nerdy or Novice?, our technology column! Here, you will not only read about the latest tech toys, you’ll also get a well-rounded perspective thanks to my co-columnist (and fiancé!), Jai! A seriously tech-savvy guy, Jai owns a computer repair business, and will dissect the technical prowess of these gadgets and games. Meanwhile, I will be providing the layman’s perspective on the user-friendly qualities of this geek gear.
Today’s gift pick is a 7 Port USB 2.0 Powered Hub with 3.5 Amp Power Supply by Newer Technology!
7 Port USB 2.0 Powered Hub with 3.5 Amp Power Supply – $27.95
Jai has been testing this unit out, and here’s what he has to say:
“This USB Hub was as good as I could have hoped. The hub basically splits one USB port into 7 – and this can be tricky sometimes with today’s high-powered devices, especially with external hard drives that are powered through the USB port. I didn’t run into any trouble with this unit from Newer Technology.
I have a fancy mouse which has the entire numeric keypad on the thumb position – 17 buttons total! – so I tried using the mouse with the USB Hub for my first test.
The computer recognized the USB Hub within 10 seconds without any intervention from me, and my mouse worked right away when I plugged it in; I didn’t have to reconfigure any of the buttons.
Then, for the heavier power test, I simultaneously plugged in two laptop drives in external USB enclosures – they fired up and ran just fine. These external drives were also powered by the USB hub.
Additionally, I transferred 17 gigs worth of information through the hub, and although I didn’t do any time tests, the transfer rates seemed equal to when I have it plugged in directly to the PC’s USB ports.
Just for good measure I attached a motorized webcam and USB game controller and tried them out. Everything worked together seamlessly on the first try.
One final test I did was to see if the Hub was dependant upon the power adapter or if it could be used for low powered devices running straight from the USB port. This would be handy if you wanted to use it with your laptop and you don’t have an outlet handy. I wouldn’t recommend anyone trying this at home, but here’s what I did…
With my webcam, game controller and mouse plugged into the Hub and working, I yanked the Hub’s power cord out of the wall. Sure enough, they all kept working without interruption.”
Our final verdict:
Jai says: “A simple device that works exactly as advertised.â€
Beeb says: “This would be a great stocking stuffer for any techie on your holiday list!â€
Our rating: 5 out of 5 Santa hats! 
7 Port USB 2.0 Powered Hub with 3.5 Amp Power Supply is available for $27.95 on Newer Technology’s website.
Wow this sounds like a great device for sure! Perfect for anyone who works with lots of devices. Great review!
This sounds really awesome! I could really use one of these!
I love this new perspective! It is nice to see a review on a technical item by a tech person without it being too techy!
Plus the the USB powered Hub sounds exactly like something I need! Will definitely be keeping an eye on this column!!
This would definitely come in handy at work. I’ll have to share with my boss. 😉 Thanks for the review.
I need it!!! If only you could see me changing out USB’s from webcam to camera to printer!
Oh, my hubby is actually looking at your review right now and asking me that he would like this for a Christmas gift. So, now I know what he will get as a Christmas gifts. Thanks for sharing.
My hubby has been looking for something like this. His laptop only has 2 ports and he needs another one for mouse since he doesn’t want to use the touchpad anymore.
Great review.
I could use this – I always have to unplug my devices because I don’t have enough room for USB things!
Do you know how much my hubby would love me if he found this in his stocking? Awesome review too!
I love devices like this. My In-Laws so need this very much!
Thanks for the easy to follow review! I am so not tech-saavy.