With a number of already available or soon to be launched Honeycomb tables equipped with full-sized USB ports, I’m hoping that we’ll see the trend continue. Current devices have an issue though; only one USB port! For devices like the Slider, which lacks a trackpad or other form of mouse, that one USB port is likely to be taken up by an external mouse for a desktop-like experience, leaving no room for other peripherals such as external HDD’s, flash drives, game controllers, etc.

Thankfully, Google is rather smart and built a lot of standard connectivity into Android 3.1+ which means a bunch of USB accessories work without modification, including USB hubs for connecting multiple USB devices through a single port.

Jerry was kind enough to test a number of USB hubs with his Acer Iconia A500 and here’s what he found:

Note: USB 1.x hubs don’t seem to work with Honeycomb!

Tested

Targus Ultra-Mini ACH7401US, 4x Ports ($11)

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.1 ounces

Tested with:

• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Flash drive

Find it at Amazon

CP Technologies CP-U2H-01, 4x Ports ($22)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tested with:

• Mouse
• Flash drive (tested up to 32GB)

Find it at Amazon

Targus Ultra Mini, 4x Ports ($10)

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 ounces

Tested with with:

• Mouse
• Flash drive

Find it at Amazon

Mobile Edge Slim-Line, 4x Ports ($30)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tested with:

• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Flash Drive

Find it on MobileEdge

I also came across a super small 4-port hub which looks like it would be perfect to throw in a bag along with your tablet. We haven’t tested it, but it’s USB 2.0 which all of the tested USB hubs are.

This site calls it the “World’s smallest USB 2.0 4-port hub inch though in the description they say it’s “Probably inch the world’s smallest. Nevertheless, it is indeed tiny! Check it out:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s also only $10, find it here.

When it comes to technology gifts, I generally tell people not to get them for me. Not that I don’t appreciate the thought, but having a non-techie try to find a good tech gift for a tech-geek is like an atheist shopping for the Pope.

Somehow, this last holiday season, my mother actually managed to get me an awesome tech related gift which I’ve been making great use of. Check it out:

This is the Scosche FlipSNYC USB iPhone adapter (fear not, they make Micro/Mini USB version as well!) which is incredibly compact, enough so that you can easily throw it on your keychain. I was impressed by the smart design which manages to keep it so compact, even in lieu of Apple’s relatively massive connector. This isn’t one of those “you can totally put it on your keychain!” ordeals that you might find see on a TV infomercial, where in reality the thing is so bulky that you’d never actually want to put it on your keys — it’s actually small enough to go on your keychain and not attract any unwanted attention.

I’ve always got my keys with me, so even if I run out of the house without thinking I might need to charge or sync my phone, I don’t have to worry about it; if the time comes, out come my keys and this useful little bit of kit.

I’ve been using mine regularly for about 8 months and it shows no sign of breakage or wear.

Scosche sells these things for $15, and even though mine was a gift, I’ve easily justified the price with the amount of use I’ve gotten from it. It’s so handy to be able to plug into any USB port to get your charge on in a pinch and I’d definitely recommend one to any serious smartphone user.

Fortunately, Scoche makes the aforementioned iPhone/iPod Touch version, and they’ve also got one for the same price that has both Micro and Mini USB plugs on it, which means that pretty much the entire modern smartphone world is covered.

The iPhone/iPod Touch version is also sold in red or white, just in case you’re too stylish for plain old black.

Scosche is also selling a second version of these called the FlipSYNC II, but they cost $5 more and the only differences seem to be a USB plug with full metal casing (rather than a ‘half’ plug) and the key loop is slightly larger. You can find those here (iPhone version) and here (Micro/Mini USB version), if you’d like to see for yourself.

If you’re an accessory fiend and looking for a unique accessory for your new gadget, Etsy.com is a great place to start looking.

Etsy is sort of like the Amazon of hand-made goods. But we’re not talking about the sweater your grandma knits you every winter to make sure that you don’t catch a cold… Etsy actually has some really neat hand-made accessories for electronics. In addition to being unique and hand-crafted, accessories from Etsy are usually priced very competitively.

Let’s say, for example, you just picked up a new Galaxy Tab or iPad 2. You could go the official route and head to Samsung.com or Apple.com and check out accessories for the tablet. You’ll be looking at mass produced cases for $30-$50 for the Galaxy Tab, or $40-$70 for an iPad 2 Smart Cover.

Jump over to to Etsy and type “Galaxy Tab” or “iPad 2” [links go to search terms on Etsy] in the search box and you’ll find stands, sleeves, folios, and more — many of which can be customized to your particular tastes. At the moment, I can see cases for as cheap as $12! Not only are the prices usually quite fair, but you’ll also be getting something unique that few others are likely to have.

Etsy also has plenty of ereader cases, so if you’re rocking a Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader etc, go have a look [links go to search terms on Etsy]!

Have a preferred place to look for interesting accessories other than Etsy? Let us know in the comments!

If you’ve ever wished you could check your RSS feeds in the shower or read an eBook in the bath without fear of dropping your device, this could be the super low-cost solution for you!

Use at your own risk!

Just pick up a box of watertight zipper bags and double bag your capacitive device inside. The screen works perfectly through the plastic and the bags will keep your device dry. I wouldn’t recommend sustained completely submerged browsing, but this simple solution works great in the shower, or as protection in case you were to drop your device in the bath or pool. Also make sure not to expose the device to temperatures too hot for an extended period of time.

I’ve always wished that I had waterproof speakers to listen to music in the shower, but apparently all I need is a waterproof iPhone. You could set speakers up in the bathroom, hooked up to a netbook or UMPC, then use the Remote app on your iDevice to control iTunes and remotely control the music. See the waterproof bag in action: