Back in December 2004 , I covered Marathon’sRePorter ( ) , a $ 59 “ extension cord ” for your calculator ’s various ports . Designed to make it easier to access embrasure situate on the back of an inconveniently - placed computer , the RePorter plug into the various jack on your Mac and then , via a 5 - foot overseas telegram , placed a small hub hosting those ports on your desk .
Unfortunately , Marathon die out of business last year ; since then I ’ve received a practiced number of emails from readers asking if I knew of a alike production I could advocate . Although it ’s not quite as attractive as the RePorter , Nyko ’s $ 60Desktop Multi - Hub ( ) fits the bill .
Like the newsman , the Desktop Multi - Hub plugs into the ports on your computer and extends them to a “ hub ” on your desktop ( or anywhere else more convenient ) ; however , the Multi - Hub proffer a few more port than the newsperson :
Granted , the Multi - Hub ’s PS/2 ports wo n’t be of much purpose to a Mac exploiter , nor will the 4 - pin FireWire interface ; on the other hand , you piece up a couple extra USB port wine on the Multi - Hub , which will likely be more utile to the typical Mac user than the FireWire 800 porthole you lose . You also get an extra metrical unit of cable system length — for a amount of 6 feet — over the newsperson . Overall , the Desktop Multi - Hub cater a bit more functionality than the RePorter for fundamentally the same cost .
Where the Multi - Hub fall unretentive of the RePorter is in esthetic . The RePorter was a compact ( 3″ ) , semblance - snowy ball with a single , comparatively thin cable ; the Desktop Multi - Hub is a 4.75 - in , grey hexagonal hub with a bulky metallic main cablegram and a separate VGA transmission line . And although the flat invention of the Multi - Hub addresses one of my criticisms of the RePorter — that its round shape allow it to roll around — because the Multi - Hub ’s ports are distribute around the outside of the hexagon , you terminate up with a mass of cable “ spokes ” on your desktop once everything is plug in .
Still , if you ’ve been front for a way to get your ports up onto your desk when your Mac is adhere underneath it , the Multi - Hub may be the only game in town . And useful looks aside , it works well .
