When my Mac Pro came to life in 2009, smartphones were just starting to become the default for your pocket, digital cameras expected to use stand-alone chargers and tablets were still a bad taste in most people’s mouths. So having a few USB ports was all that was needed. But as the years went by, the digital devices grew and the need for USB ports grew too — but I didn’t have them. And when 3 of my 5 USB ports suddenly stopped working, I thought putting in a USB 3.0 adapter card with a few ports would do the trick. I was wrong. But I was tired of pulling at the guts of my computer and needed a better solution. An external solution.
The USB External Solution
Hence my getting the VisionTek Charge & Sync USB 3.0 Seven Port Hub. It reminded me of a mini-me AC outlet, only the seven ports are all 3.0 USB. All I had to do was to plug it into a 3.0 port. That’s it for the installation — no drivers of any kind were needed, regardless of whether you’re using a Mac OR a PC. That’s an advantage extending past my desktop computer — since it meant the VisionTek’s portability allows it to travel and be used with a laptop.
Ports for Computer, Ports For Mobile Devices
Checking out the ports showed that not all are for data transferring (up to 5Gb/s) — only 4 do the dual job of charging and syncing what is connected to them and the computer. Two of the USB ports are designed for charging smartphones only: 1amp taking care of that nicely. The third dedicated charging port outputs 2 amps — that makes it suitable for the greater power requirements of a tablet or a particularly snippy digital camera. An accompanying orange LED light indicates when data is being transferred as well as providing a visual guide that the USB port is being powered.
Portable & Powered
The VisionTek Charge & Sync comes with a wall outlet. The value here is that, once plugged into it, every USB port is now powered and able to output charging. Besides making you extremely popular with friends who are running low on juice, it pretty much turns into the equivalent of one of those charging station you run into at convention centers. Only you don’t have to wait in line to use it. But you do have to pay $55.95. That’s a small price to pay for what you’re getting.
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