This Week's Gadget Purchase

Cables To Go 7-Port USB 2.0 Hub

I recently purchased an Asus Eee PC. The Eee is part of a new category of ultra-compact, highly affordable laptops. The concept was originally made famous by the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative, which intended to make $99 laptops available to children in developing nations. The idea caught fire, only not in the remote jungle outposts where it was originally intended. Laptops of this kind are now selling extremely well to affluent people all over the world who are willing to sacrifice processing power for a tiny form factor and an attractive price.

Apparently I'm one of those people, and at $399, who could pass up a small laptop that can double as a full-fledged (albet somewhere underpowered) PC? This is where the Cable To Go 7-port hub comes in. Like many people who've owned many PCs over the years, I have a lot of perfectly serviceable PC parts in my basement. My intention is to create a docking station so I can use my Eee PC with a full-sized keyboard, mouse and USB hard drive -- the Cables To Go hub will be the brains of the operation.

It's got plenty of ports and can be mounted permanently to the underside of a computer table. With the included power adapter, it'll have no problem driving my mouse, keyboard, a Western Digital Passport USB hard drive, and in the future, a pair of USB speakers. I also intend on using a 17" monitor with the laptop in a dual display configuration. Good stuff!

I researched a number of hubs, and this is the best one I could find. . .GET IT.