Review

Created: May, 1999

Shark Multimedia
USB Pocket Hub-3 Port
Leopard Pocket USB 56K Modem
and Pocket Ethernet Adapter

By Andy Walker, Cyberwalker Media Syndicate

Universal Serial Bus technology has been a real boon to personal computer users because it simplifies the connection of external devices.

USB, as it is known, allows the connection of as many as 127 devices to a computer. Though it is impractical in these numbers, it's very possible that a computer might connect to more than one device at once.

This demands a hub, a device that brings many connections to one point and channels them all through one wire.

Shark Multimedia has jumped on the USB bandwagon in a big way with a line of devices that takes advantage of this technology.

Three notable attempts are the Pocket USB Hub-3 Port, the Pocket USB 56K Modem and the Pocket USB Ethernet.

These products equal a matchbox in size. The Hub connects three USB devices to one USB port. It does exactly what its competitors do -- except that Shark Multimedia has packed the connection technologies into a tiny space and with negligible weight.

This is ideal for the mobile computing worker.
Equally useful is the USB Pocket 56K modem, which installs beautifully and works as well as a desk-top modem. It's a useful choice if the PC card slots on a computer are filled and modem functionality is also needed. It also features 14.4 fax modem functionality and voice mail.

The 10-megabit-per-second Pocket Ethernet Adapter is where Shark Multimedia falls short in its rollout of the Pocket line. It connected with an ADSL (Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line) service but the connection was intermittent. The Ethernet device, measuring 1.5 by 3.5 by 0.75 inches, tended to drop the connection frequently in testing.

The other shortcoming of the Ethernet device is not its fault but that of USB technology. USB provides a maximum throughput of 12 megabits per second. If the Ethernet card and a series of other USB devices were connected to a computer, they would have to share that bandwidth. That means that data traveling through the USB Ethernet adapter would slow down if other bandwidth demanding USB devices were connected at the same time.

USB 2.0, slated for rollout in computers toward the end of 2000, should remedy that problem by boosting throughput 40 times.

Reviewer's rating:
Pocket Hub 3-Port: 5 / 5
Pocket USB 56K Modem: 5 / 5
Pocket USB Ethernet Adapter: 3.5 / 5

Comments: The lightweight pocket size of Shark Multimedia devices makes the modem and hub all-round winners. It's a shame the Ethernet adapter doesn't measure up.

System requirements:
Pocket Modem: Windows 98, Intel Pentium or AMD K6 PC 200 MHz or higher processor, 16 MB RAM, available USB port, 20 MB hard disk storage space required for the modem. CD-ROM drive.
Pocket Hub 3-Port and Pocket Ethernet Adapter: Pentium computer with Windows 95/98, OSR 2.1 or iMac running Mac OS 8 or better.

More info: http://www.sharkmm.com/

Price:
Pocket Hub 3-Port: $18 US, $25 Canadian
Pocket USB 56K Modem: $35 US, $50 Canadian
Pocket USB Ethernet Adapter: $27 US, $40 Canadian