Manage your peripherals

Got more USB devices than you know what to do with?

With the massive amount of peripheral devices available that use USB as a way to connect to you computer, it can be a little overwhelming to manage all of these devices. Most computers will have 3 or 4 USB ports to connect your devices, but with everything in the world being powered by USB now, including mobile phones, digital cameras/camcorders, keyboard/mice, external hard drives, MP3 players, and even e-cigarettes, you can run out of ports fast. That's where a hub can really come in handy. From the kitsch to the practical, here's a list of some of my favorite USB hubs:

It's a monster
It may not be pretty, but it's practical. This 24-port hub from Think Geek is one of the biggest I've seen, and it won't win any beauty pageants, but it'll keep your devices powered 'til the end of time.

Sink your tentacles in this
Again, we're going for practical here and not pretty, but it gets the job done. I have this one at home and it still has 2 open ports. That should last me another week or so. This is also from the great minds at Think Geek.

Is that freedom rock? No, it's a hub
As promised, here's the kitsch. This one only has 4 USB ports, but it sure looks cool. If you're a thirtysomething or older, this one probably has some sentimental value. The cassette hub looks so much like the real thing, you may find yourself sticking it in your Walkman.

Beep bloop blop, it's a hub
All you Star Wars fans out there, rejoice. Everyone's favorite beeping trash can is now a USB hub, too. This R2-D2 USB hub, available through Amazon.com, has four ports and even talks to you in its own beeping language.

Lego my USB hub
And for the Lego fans, here's a nice little 4-port hub to keep all your peripherals powered. It's from UxSight.com and is reasonably priced with a variety of available colors.