R2-Q5, as the startlingly extensive "Wookiepedia" informs me, appeared only in Return of the Jedi (and two of the LEGO Star Wars games). It's pretty clearly an R2-D2 model painted black with red accents, and I can't imagine why the makers of this USB hub thought it has a been enough fanbase to deserve its own gadget. But whatever: I do not judge other nerds on their obsessions. Enjoy, Star Wars dorks. [Geeky Gadgets via Dvice]

The Hub is a landline slayer launched in a wireless world, where the landline is almost dead. It's a fertile garden behind a red-painted wallred 'cause it's Verizon, har harfound when most people are trying to break down those walls. It's a Verizon Wireless VoIP phone coming about at a time when AT&T is killing their VoIP service entirely. It's the phone we imagined before the iPhone, tethered to our home broadband connection for instant-pizza-ordering awesomeness. In other words, it's a lot of interesting things, appearing in the wrong place and at the wrong time.

That's not to say it's bad. It's just unfortunate. The Hub makes sense in a very specific context: If you're a lock, stock and barrel Verizon customer, from wireless to TV to internet to, obviously, landline phone service. That's where the "Hub" name comes init brings a bunch of different Verizon services together in one spot: You can monitor cellphone locations using Verizon's Chaperone, send maps and directions from the Hub to phones running VZ Navigator, and manage a central calendar that your entire family's phones sync to. Eventually, you'll be able to do more, like manage your Verizon FiOS TV DVR. While a minor point, in a sense it's a very sore point with the Hub, since you can already do that from many Verizon cellphones this very second. Why do I need a Hub again?

The garden walls reach their greatest heights when you try to text or picture message to a non-Verizon phoneyou can't. The calendar isn't open, using a standard like CalDAV for easy exportit's squarely in Verizonland. A surprising amount of managing the Hub actually takes place on Verizon's website, like uploading contacts (via CSV files) and photos. Thankfully, the Hub's pages are better designed than the rest of Verizon's websitethere's legit eye candy in the photo gallery, for instance. And nearly anything you can do on the Hub itself, you can do from the website remotely, like manage voicemail or check your call history. But it's odd you can't do something very simple like upload photos via the Hub's USB port.

It doesn't really matter if there are walls around the garden if you're never tempted to leave. Unfortunately, the Hub isn't enough of an attraction. Pretty much anything you can do on itbuy movie tickets, send text messages, check traffic or watch videos, you can do faster or better on your computer or cellphone. The virtually useless selection of VCAST videos make the average YouTube video feel like HD in comparison, and the "traffic report" isn't a map with live traffic info, but a canned audio briefing from Traffic.com that you have to sit through an ad to hear.

The Linux OS itself isn't particularly a joy. God knows, Verizon's committed some horrible user interface atrocities over the last few years, but at least the Hub's is alrightusable, not mind-blowing. I wish it moved faster. The keyboard is annoying to type on, but it'll get better in the next software update, which adjusts the spacing and adds pop-up letters. A persistent set of buttons on the left gives you constant, instant access to the two main menus: The phone and the uh, menu, where you get to your apps. In the top right corner is the home button, which takes you to the desktop, where your widgets, like for weather, time, voicemail, etc. hang out. Applications tend to have a two-pane layout that's framed by buttons on three sides, which doesn't sound like a problem, but it becomes one since the touchscreen is not so responsive around the edges. I've accidentally called two people at 3 in the morning while trying to press the menu button. Not cool.

Actually, that's one of my more concrete frustrations with this phone: The hardware feels cheap and shitty. The handset, which costs $80 a pop, is a plastic piece of garbage with a shoddy build quality and terrible screen. (It doesn't help that you can't do much from the handset either, like send text messages.) The touchscreen isn't as responsive as it should be, and it distorts with even the slightest bit of pressure, adding to the whole crappy feeling. A screen designed to be touched shouldn't freak out when you touch it. The speakers really harsh, crappy and tinny too. I couldn't stand using it for loudspeaker calls.

There are a few bright points. While the directory isn't as precise as say, MenuPages, it is fairly painless to find a nearby pizza place and call them in a single stroke. The synergisticI know, that word provokes a gag reflexstuff works well. Directions quickly went to the Samsung Sway test phone I got with it, which promptly fired up VZ Navigator and pointed to wherever I pointed it. (Too bad VZ Navigator is slow and sucky, but that's somewhat besides the point.) And the call quality itself is pretty goodor at least I sounded "loud and clear" to the people I called.

The brightest light may end up being the proverbial light at the end of the tunnelthe promise that developers will be able to create their own apps for this thing in the future. The included ones, for the most part, just aren't that hot, and some of the newer ones in the pipeline are definitely more head-turning. But it's hard to see how this product can sustain itself long enough to engender a solid third-party developer community. More likely, it'll get slightly better, then go extinct.

It's pretty ballsy to charge $200 for a landline phone with $35/month VoIP service right now, one that does the same thing you can do on an iPhone or G1, but is tied to your desk. Which is a lot of the reason I like it. But it's just as ridiculous to ask that much for a phone that's built with subpar hardware and doesn't live up to its full potential in a world where it's already horribly outmoded. Time was up two years ago. [Verizon]

The Hub isn't going to be a single, one-off devicethere's going to be a lot of different hardware running itwhich alone makes the proposition much more interesting, since platforms by definition are extensible, flexible and more likely to benefit from active development. In other words, it can and will get better over time.

Today I saw the software update that's coming in a few weeks, as well as builds further out in the future running on prototype hardware, which introduces among other things, a WebKit browser (same as Safari, Chrome, Palm Pre, etc.) a real email client, and a Twitter app. The big thing is that, like every other phone OS it seems, it's getting an App Market or "Widgets Bazaar," where you canduhdownload apps to your Hub. For now, every widget will come from Verizon, like a Flickr screensaver app or a pretty swell Rhapsody app that lets you stream music. But! The Hub is built on Linux and will eventually be opened up for anybody to develop for, which is obviously when it'll be able to reach its full potential. It kind of reminds me of Chumby, except it's a full-fledged VOIP phone too. Unfortunately, they don't have a timeline on when that's happening.

There's also no exact timeline for the new hardware eitherwhich you can see here as OpenPeak's OpenFrame and OpenFrame 2though a "new release of some kind every few months" is what they're aiming for. The new Hub hardware corrects a lot of the first-gen's problems: Namely, it's got a capacitive touchscreen (the kind that the iPhone, G1 and Storm have) meaning it'll be a much bettermaybe even multitouchexperience. It's also just way sexier: The excess fat has been trimmed off, so one version is just like a glossy seven-inch upright touch tablet (OpenFrame), while another version has it floating on a speaker, more like a multimedia hub (OpenFrame 2). The new phone is more commensurate with the device tooglossy, ergonomic and with a nicer screen. Verizon's thinking about offering a range of different handsetslike thesewith more capable premium models that can text message from the phone and cheaper basic ones.

Also down the road is more integration with other Verizon stuff, like FiOS. They're toying with a remote DVR app, for instance, which would be pushed just to people who have FiOS. With everything on a common Linux platform, the hope is that developers will be able to whip up a single app that'll run across everything Verizontheir FiOS boxes, phones and of course, the Hub.

If you're wondering what direction the phone companies are trying to roll in, this is pretty much itAT&T is doing similar things with U-Verse and its mobile sidewrapping you in a giant, head-to-toe Snuggie of data supplied exclusively by them. [Verizon]

The challenge for it is twofold: Cellphones do all of these amazing things and go with us everywhere, and it literally costs as much as a cellphone. It's $199 after a $50 rebate and has a $35-a-month service fee with a two-year contract. Why the hell would you have both?

Descended from the ages old Verizon One, the Verizon Hub has actually been baking for a long timeDave Zatz saw it in July 2007 and thought it was fantastic, with a "gorgeous display."

You hook it up to broadband and you can do all of the useful things you typically do with widgets: Traffic, weather, directions, easy pizza ordering and watch trailers for movies. One unique neato aspect is that you can instantly add contacts or calendar entries remotely, so if you wanna go to a strip club, you can schedule a late night "meeting" that your wife will see when she checks out the Hub. Plus, it has visual voicemail.

Sounds great, right? But, uh, how many of these five-years-too-late pieces of awesome do you think they'll actually sell?

FEBRUARY 1: VERIZON WIRELESS REIMAGINES THE HOME PHONE

Innovative Verizon Hub Helps Manage Busy Lives and Helps Users Stay Connected to Family and Community

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – In a dynamic move sure to rattle devotees of plain old home phones, Verizon Wireless will introduce the new Verizon Hub on Feb. 1. Only Verizon Wireless can launch a new touch screen home phone system designed to replace old-style home phones with a souped-up home communications system, bridging wireline and wireless connectivity in one simple service, that runs on any broadband connection – whether supplied by Verizon FiOS Internet or DSL or any other high-speed service provider.

Families with active lifestyles and virtually anyone who wants to stay current and connected need a tool that helps manage their communications, contacts and calendars simply and smartly – all from one easy screen. The Verizon Hub is poised to help pave the way for people to stay in touch and up to date with the information they need to navigate their increasingly busy days and nights.

“The Verizon Hub reinvents the home phone system that’s been centered on your kitchen counter for years. We’re bringing huge new functionality to a common household device that will unlock its true potential. And in the process, Verizon Wireless is updating the tools busy families can use to manage their lives,” said Mike Lanman, vice president and chief marketing officer at Verizon Wireless. “The Verizon Hub is going to change the way you think about what you want and need your home phone to do. Whether you’re thinking about getting rid of your home phone or can’t live without it, now is the time to try out the Verizon Hub.”

The Verizon Hub uses your existing broadband connection, and it’s quick to get it up and running. It will work with any open broadband connection from virtually any broadband provider – telecommunications or cable – anywhere in the United States.

Out of the box, the Verizon Hub will have all the calling features users expect from the most advanced home phones, plus visual voicemail and robust contact list management. Verizon Wireless has also added exciting messaging options, including text message calendar alerts and audible turn-by-turn directions delivered to Verizon Wireless phones from the Verizon Hub – with just a few simple taps on the screen.

Information will be at a family’s fingertips, literally from an easy-to-navigate touch screen with clear icons on the Verizon Hub. Families will start and end their days with nuggets of customized information from the Verizon Hub:
· Check local traffic and weather in the morning before leaving the house
· Update your calendar and automatically receive a text when an appointment changes or as a reminder not to be late
· Get directions to the new site when the location for soccer practice is moved
· Find the number of the new pizza parlor to order a pie
· Preview the trailers from an upcoming movie that you might want to take the family to over the weekend, then purchase tickets using the Verizon Hub

Families on the go can access all the information and functionality of the Verizon Hub remotely from a companion Web site, even adding calendar entries for family members and inputting new contacts from the Web site. The home-based Verizon Hub is instantly updated.

Verizon Wireless customers who bring the Verizon Hub into their homes can connect to popular applications including VZ NavigatorSM and Chaperone®, as well as incorporate their wireless devices through text, picture and video messaging between wireless phones and the Verizon Hub. New and exciting V CAST content will also be available on the Verizon Hub, and when not in use, the Verizon Hub doubles as a digital picture frame displaying all of your favorite photos.

More details on the Verizon Hub, including pricing and service plans, will be available in the coming days. For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, please visit www.verizonwireless.com.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 83.7 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 85,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

[Verizon]

The Smiling Face USB Hub's head can be rotated a full 360 degrees in order to direct his perkiness to you, no matter where you place him. And if you ever get tired of his overly peppy smile, you can replace his face with other photos that will cheer you up (NSFW). Available in blue and orange, this Smiling Face USB 4-Port Hub will cost you $14. [Gadget4all via Craziest Gadgets]

In theory, using the Wireless USB Hub is supposed to be as easy as connecting the antenna dongle to your PC, plugging in your hub, and hooking up USB devices. In reality, the hardware requires installing separate drivers for the hub and dongle, associating the hub to your PC via an authentication process and using its custom software to connect the hub. Yet the hub still had trouble maintaining a strong signal despite sitting a foot away from the antenna dongle.

In transferring files, we had issues trying to get a 500 MB file from an external hard drive to the PC. In the one attempt we were successful, it took 2min, 45sec to transfer the file. Compared to the 22 seconds it took using USB 2.0, Wireless USB isn't in the same league. Even smaller files took longer to transfer as a 100 MB folder of MP3's took roughly 45 seconds, whereas USB 2.0 completed the transfer in under 10.

But most interesting of all, is when you get to the bottom of this thing, it isn't all that wireless. Sure, there's a wireless connection between the dongle and the hub, but wires still exist between your USB devices and the hub and two extra pieces of hardware (plus another AC adapter) are added into the mix. So really, whats the point?

If you want to use a laptop in various parts of the house, but still want the freedom of being connected to a hard drive or printer (and for whatever reason don't want to use a wireless network), this hub may be for you. But for anyone else with a desktop or who is OK with using their peripherals in a single room, the $200 price tag of this wireless USB hub just isn't worth it. When USB gadgets and computers start talking to each other directly, I'll start paying attention to wireless USB.

Connections are up to 480mbits per second, at 30 feet, USB2.0/1.1, and encrypted at AES-128. But as we've seen in the past, these things are never as reliable as the real wired deal. Plus, 30 feet is pretty short range. But I can see the convenience factor of not having to plug in your components every time you enter a room with a laptop, but only if your adapter is built inside. Oh, each adapter can address 3 hubs. This stuff will be available in Q4 for $220 for the hub and $120 for the adapter. Me? I'll stick with a $5 USB cable for now. For the record, IOGEAR has a comparable, and also USB-IF certified setup. Little details were available. [D-Link via PC World]

The Swivel Hub has 4-ports and, well, swivels, allowing you to position as you please. Looks handy in a tight space. The 2-port Clip-On will attach to any desk, bar, or surface you can get it around, as long as it's thinner than 1.25 inches. Last up, the Hub-To-Go offers you seven additional ports, three of which you can take with you. Out in August, they aren't up on the Belkin site yet, so keep an eye outor the shelves, these sweet units should really stick out. [Belkin via PC World]

Not only is it a three-port USB hub, it actually makes engine noises and vibrates up and down. It's very unlikely that you'd want to keep this motorcycle-esque racket going the entire time you're using the hub, but revving up the engine once in a while seems like lots of fun. Your cube mates probably won't agree.

Head over to Akihabara News for a video demonstration.

Product Page (sell starting tomorrow) [GeekStuff4U via Akihabara News]

Since it's arranged in a tentacle-like fashion, the your USB devices won't be bumping against each other no matter how large they are.  Jason Chen

Product Page [Think Geek via Coolest Gadgets]

Instead of using an external hub, this ExpressCard slides into your computer and gives you four extra ports before you can say "Hmmm, I'm out of USB ports for this humping dog."

The hub can actually be powered by an external AC adapterwhich they brilliantly enough don't includeso you're going to have to fetch one yourself. The only downside is that the adapter doesn't "lock" into the ExpressCard slot, which means all your USB junk will be disconnected if you accidentally bump into it.  Jason Chen

Dragon Steel Mods [via Everything USB]

These are exactly like they sound: a USB card reader and a USB hub, both shaped like balls. The reader flilps up and open to reveal different ports to plug into and includes microSD, miniSD, and M2 support. The hub, on the other hand, is just a USB hub that lets you plug in things at different angles so they don't bump up against each other.

The last time we saw so much of Brando's balls was on the set of the original Superman.  Jason Chen

USB Hub [Brando]

USB Reader [Brando]

Product Page [Via Chip Chick]

We'll let you in on the details as they emerge.  Wilson Rothman

Product Page [Belkin]

If you take a close look, you'll see that the rice is a 4-port USB 2.0 hub, and the four other things (pudding, chicken, and two bits of seafood) are USB sticks. Together, they form something so awesome that the USDA changed its name to the United States Department of Awesome just to regulate the import and export of it.

Way to go, Solid Alliance. We salute your handmade goodness.  Jason Chen

Press Release [Solid Alliance via Akihabara News]

Being able to hook up USB printers, hard drives and doohickeys and access them from all the PCs sounds pretty great, so we'll gladly cough up the $130 Belkin's asking for it when it goes on sale in June. Oh, and we'd also be remiss if we didn't mention that it looks like the exact opposite of the Apple TV. So there it is.  Jason Chen

Belkin 802.11n hub to link up USB add-ons remotely [Reg Hardware via Slashgear]

Product Page [Brando]

Pretty decent setup assuming the built-in PC has enough power to handle that 720p/1080i, which it should. No pricing info yet.  Jason Chen

i-mate Shows X-Stream Media Hub and RSS Photo Frame [Wired]

What with this and those rose eadrops, it seems that someone at Elecom declared every day a "bring your child to work and let them design products" day. – Jason Chen

New Elecom USB hubs [Akihabara News]

Product page [Firebox]

A 16 ports USB 2.0 hub. Who wants it? [Akihabaranews.com]

SCE's VP of Technology says there could be a utility to download third-party operating systems direction from the PS3. In addition, there are even more gaming features planned to be added with the update. Perhaps more PSP + PS3 integration? What we'd like is to just be able to play DivX and XviD files off a burned DVD directly from the PS3's interface. Too much to ask?  Jason Chen

Sony to ship major PS3 firmware update next March [Reg Hardware]

Product Page [USB Geek via Coolest Gadgets]

Product Page [Via Akihabara]

Convenient, yes, but not powered, so placing four USB hard drives on the end of this will probably overload the USB port on your computer. Go for something light, like USB mice and USB card readers. The hub is compatible with pretty much all operating systems out there, and is available for $21 for a four-port version and $17 for a two-port versionneither of which will do unspeakable things to girls wearing school uniforms.  Jason Chen

Buffalo [via Far East Gizmos]