Computer Peripherals with Attitude

There are a few things I welcome as gifts anytime: power strips, USB hubs, and external or flash drives. Since these items sit on my desk, I want them to be interesting to look at too. I would do anything to get rid of all the wires running from my MacBook Pro, but until then, I will just make the best of the situation by purchasing peripherals that blend in with my personal style. These are my top four choices.

USB Hubs: LaCie seems to offer good-looking peripherals, such as the LaCie Huby with USB and FireWire ports. Not only can you add four USB ports and two FireWire ports to your computer, but the artsy octopus-like hub also includes a fan, eight colorful LED lights that tell you when a device is plugged in, and a small desktop light. The good news for Mac owners is that this glossy white hub works with both Macs and PCs, something Mac owners running Windows should always look for. This hub won't start shipping until the end of the month, but you can pre-order one before Christmas.

Power Strips: Chris Null recommended the PowerSquid Calamari power strip back in September, and I second that recommendation. I have a total dislike for wires and have been looking for ways to make my wire mess a bit more presentable. After all, I'm the one who has to look at it all day. What I love about the Calamari is the additional safety features, extra connections, and the ability to plug in all my bulky power adapters.

Hard Drives: Ora-Ito, the designer of the LaCie Huby, also designed the supercool LaCie Brick Hard Drive you might've seen in stores. The colorful drives resemble oversize stackable building blocks, which is perfect for those who need a lot of storage. Since I edit a lot of video, I need a lot of storage for my Final Cut Pro projects. It's nice to be able to stack them vertically; otherwise, I'd run out of desk space.

Flash Drives: I won't buy any flash drives under 2GB to 4GB, and I prefer my flash drives to exhibit personality. I love Mimoco's toy collector flash drives. I've written about them a few times, because these guys just keep releasing fun characters. Their Ginchy Series taps into the '50s rock-and-roll era, while the latest Star Wars drives will tempt you into collecting all four.

Related links:

The Flash Jungle
Sony's Micro USB Drives
External vs. Internal Hard Drives
Picking the Perfect Hard Drive