Electronics : D-Link DUB-H7 High Speed USB 2.0 7-Port Hub |
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 USB 2.0 provides plenty of speed for fast data transfers. View the DUB-H7 in detail. |
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Rating:  - * Good for USB 2.0; Bad for USB 1.1 ... Pro: With the rebate, this is an excellent price for a USB 2.0 hub. I've had up to 6 USB 2.0 devices connected to it without any problems. I've had it for almost a year. Con: Does not work well with USB 1.1 devices. I connected a USB 1.1 scanner to the hub. For about one out of every 6 scans, the scanner will lock up and I have to reboot the PC to restart it. If I connect the USB 1.1 scanner through a USB 1.1 hub, then it locks up about once every 25 scans. In any case, ALL the USB devices slow down significantly when the USB 1.1 scanner was connected - It didn't matter whether or not I was using the scanner. My USB 1.1 printer also causes the slowdown. My solution was to wire my USB 1.1 hub directly to my PC and have it only drive my USB 1.1 devices. As a side note, disconnecting the USB 1.1 device while the PC was on did not improve the speed. The USB 1.1 device had to be disconnected before the PC is powered on to get maximum speed. Rating: - * One Complaint ... I only have one complaint about this hub and that is that when I shut down or restart my computer the hub will cut power to all ports even though it is a wall powered hub. When this happens, my hard drive that is connected to it abruptly shut off. I have a few different hubs and this is the only one that does that. I don't think that it is damaging to the hard drive because nothing is being read from it or written to it but I just don't like the sound of the heads parking so quickly. I still think it is worth buying! Rating:  - * Works fine. ... I needed additional USB ports and researched USB hubs. This one got good reviews at a reasonable price. Most cheaper ones had issues that I didn't want to have to hassle with. I connected this as the main hub for direct use items like printers and external hard drives, and use my previous hub as the secondary for gps, bluetooth, flash drives, etc. I have had no connection problems at all. This also allowed me to have my wireless keyboard/mouse usb connection closer to my work surface. Because of free shipping, this hub was cheaper than one at another source with rebates. My experiences with Amazon and Amazon sellers has been excellent and influenced this purchase. Rating: - * Small size...works fine ... This will be a simple review since everything works as it should. I haven't had any problems with any of the 7 devices connected to it. Unlike my old Belkin hub, this one stays nice and cool. Rating: - * Could be better ... I bought this a month ago as my first USB hub, and overall I am very happy with it. The device is small and attractive and gets the job done. However I do have a couple qualms about the design. First, the provided USB cord connects straight on into the back of the unit, but the power adapter connects at a 90* angle, so they don't lie parallel to each other. Second, the device does not indicate if it is running on USB power or wall power. And finally, the indicator lights below each port are always on, so they have no function. I would have expected them to come on green when something is plugged in, flash with activity, and maybe turn red when there is a malfunction. Overall though, its small and works, which are my primary concerns. |
But don't worry, there's plenty of wizardry and action in Goblet of Fire. When the deadly Triwizard Tournament is hosted by Hogwarts, Harry finds his name mysteriously submitted (and chosen) to compete against wizards from two neighboring academies, as well as another Hogwarts student. The competition scenes are magnificently shot, with much-improved CGI effects (particularly the underwater challenge). And the climactic confrontation with Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes, in a brilliant bit of casting) is the most thrilling yet. Goblet, the first installment to get a PG-13 rating, contains some violence as well as disturbing images for kids and some barely shrouded references at sexual awakening (Harry's bath scene in particular). The 2 1/2-hour film, lean considering it came from a 734-page book, trims out subplots about house-elves (they're not missed) and gives little screen time to the standard crew of the other Potter films, but adds in more of Britain's finest actors to the cast, such as Brendan Gleeson as Mad-Eye Moody and Miranda Richardson as Rita Skeeter. Michael Gambon, in his second round as Professor Dumbledore, still hasn't brought audiences around to his interpretation of the role he took over after Richard Harris died, but it's a small smudge in an otherwise spotless adaptation. --Ellen A. Kim
On the DVD
The highlight of the two-disc set is a half-hour conversation with actors Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. They discuss their reactions to the film and other topics with British writer Richard Curtis . Then they answer questions from contest-winning fans, such as what are their favorite kids' books (Watson bypasses the obvious answer in favor of Roald Dahl and Philip Pullman) and what scenes are they looking forward to in upcoming films. More routine extras include the "Reflections on the Fourth Film" featurette (14 min.), though it has comments from some of the other young cast members, and "Preparing for the Yule Ball" (9 min.). The 10 minutes of additional scenes are mostly skulking and skullduggery, plus a long musical number from the ball. The remaining material is grouped along the lines of the Triwizard Tournament, with behind-the-scenes looks at each of the competitions (about 22 min. total), two longer featurettes on He Who Must Not Be Named (11 min.) and the workday of the other contestants (Robert Pattinson, Stanislav Ianevski, and Clémence Poésy, 13 min.), and four games, playable with the directional arrows on the remote control, that can be frustrating to figure out. --David Horiuchi
