hub

A Gift For Geeks 2: A Magic Bus

Anker USB3 hubThere are often little conveniences that we deny ourselves. At least, that’s true around here. To the observant, these can be the basis for a thoughtful and unexpected gift.  For example, do you have a high-quality USB 3.0 hub at your desk? Does your intended giftee? Very few people have such a handy little item. I’ve come to think that an exceptionally good one, the sort we would not buy ourselves, makes a great gift.

A USB 3.0 hub acts very much like a port replicator to a laptop. It allows you to have multiple devices connected at once, far more than the number of ports provided on the laptop. In fact, some ultrabook models now offer only one or two USB ports, making a hub even more useful.

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Verizon De-HUBs

A big thank you to Dave Zatz for pointing out that Verizon Wireless today decided to discontinue the HUB. This product has been very interesting to watch as it represents a fundamental rethinking of the “home phone” and could have changed the industry for the better.

But as is typical of Verizon Wireless, they’ve managed to kill the goose before the golden egg could emerge. Actually, that’s not a fair characterization of the project. They sealed its fate with their typically heavy-handed need to for cash & control. They held the goose so tight that it could never breathe, much less lay an egg.

As Dave points out, the device and its associated service was simply priced beyond the reach of its appeal.

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Telephony Online Slams Verizon HUB

verizonhubOver at Telephony Online Danny Briere has a good piece of opinion about the Verizon Wireless HUB. The opinions expressed are a close match to my initial impression of both the device and the associated service. It just smells of classic Verizon-style over-control, with a side order of under-delivery of capabilities.

Frankly, I like what OpenPeak has done with the hardware. Less is known about the software, but it looks like it has tremendous potential. It could truly be an “iPhone for Home.”

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Verizon Hub: A Work In Progress

verizonhubI decided to have a look a what Verizon Wireless has to say about their fancy new Hub home phone.  A stated previously, I’m an enthusiast and early adopter, so I could be compelled to change wireless carriers if the Hub was really something special. In fact, I want something like this in my home, that is, if it can deliver upon even half of the promise that I envision.

So I cruised on over to their web site and read all there was to read. Saw all there was to see.

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Verizon’s Home Hub: Initial Hands-On & The Backstory

verizonhubTomorrow will see the launch of Verizon’s Hub home phone offering. Engadget has a post describing their initial hand’s-on experience with the device. Also, Telephony Online has a nice piece on how Verizon went about developing the Hub in conjunction with OpenPeak.

In reading through both these posts I find myself left doubting that Verizon is going to get much traction with the device & service.

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