XLR8's IceView 4-port hub is the latest addition to the company's line of USB products. As its name suggests, the hub comes in a translucent case that measures a little over 2"x5", putting it on par with other hubs as far as size goes. The IceView isn't just another 4-port hub, mind you, thanks to a couple unique features and small touches that allow the product to stand out from the rest.
XLR8's exclusive USB Loadmeter is what sets the hub apart from all others. While the hub doesn't sport any LEDs that tell you which ports are in use, a series of five LEDs will tell you how much of the available bandwidth your peripherals are consuming. When several higher-bandwidth devices are connected to a single hub and are being used simultaneously, such as a printer, scanner, and removable storage drive, the entire USB chain suffers a performance hit. While the Loadmeter won't do anything to fix this itself, it does let you know that the bottleneck is being caused by the USB chain. You can then stop using a device or unplug it to restore peak performance, or you can leave things untouched and let your Mac try its best to manage all the information being transmitted.
While the IceView hub isn't quite as portable as the Mobile Mini-Hub from Targus, XLR8 didn't forget about mobile users when designing its hub. A metal plate at the bottom that provides weight and stability can easily be unscrewed to significantly reduce the hub's weight.
Since not everyone will need an external power supply XLR8 sells it seperately for $14.95. That puts the price of the hub and power supply on the higher end of the USB hub price range, but you do get what you pay for. The power supply is small and lightweight, unlike some hubs that use a huge power brick that can weigh over a pound.
When it comes to products like USB hubs, which generally all function without a hitch, it's the small touches that make the difference. Prior to the IceView, TechWorks' PowerUSB hub was our favorite due to its small, sleek design. But the IceView, with its cool blue power LED, Loadmeter, and other unique features mentioned above is our new top pick.
