Impressive EZdrive USB Hub from Ridata

So there you are in an Internet cafe on the other side of the world somewhere and there's one USB port on the front of the computer you're using. Meanwhile, you've got a thumb drive to get files from, an iPod to charge up, and a Skype phone you were hoping to use to get in touch with Mom. No problem if you've got this nifty Yego EZdrive USB hub.

Here's how it works. You plug it into the USB port just like you would any other jump drive and the one I tested holds 1 gigabyte: plenty for the average traveler or road warrior not trying to carry their whole video or photo collection. (For that, get a travel hard drive.) You can get one from 128 MB to 8 gigabytes. Here's the key selling point though: those two two prongs of the Y at the top are two more USB ports. When I first saw this I figured they were just clone ports, as in you would be able to charge things or grab data, but that the whole shebang would show up as one drive. No, it gets much better than that.

Each prong of this EZdrive shows up as a separate drive on your computer and each one functions independently. What that means is, you can do anything through a prong of this that you can do with a direct USB port on the computer. In one of my tests I upgraded the software on my iPod and added songs while I saved documents to the drive itself and pulled other documents off a separate thumb drive on one of the prongs. I then disconnected the second thumb drive, plugged in my Skype phone, and made a call. Each port lights up as you use it. Sweet!

There's a two year warranty and in my tests it worked flawlessly as a plug-and-play item on two different operating systems. You can use it on a Mac or on Windows from 98 to Vista. For only $14 to $20 for the 1GB version, this Yego EZdrive is a screaming good value. Heck, buy two or three: you can daisy chain them together and open up even more slots. If there's a traveler on your list, this would make a mighty nice stocking stuffer or birthday gift.


Search Yego prices at Shopzilla


Get the 4GB version at Amazon

Ridata Yego 2GB USB Drive 2 Ports Ridata Yego 2GB USB Drive 2 Ports