I am in need of a product that I am virtually sure exists. I can’t, for the life of me, seem to find a place that sells this product — although I suspect that’s just a difficulty with putting my thoughts into search terms. I also am even having a difficulty envisioning what it might look like. So I ask for your help. I need some way to easily keep all of my different USB cables (iPod, Palm, phone, camera, video camera, et al) as easily accessible and not-ugly as possible. Requirements:
- A hub, or at least some way to not have to reach around my tower to get the right cable plugged in. I only have six USB ports, and including my keyboard, mouse, and printer, I have far more devices, so there currently ends up being a lot of juggling.
- Some sort of cable hiding solution. Cable ugliness is the number one cause of premature death, followed closely by the goddamn Nihilanth.
- The cables should be easy to remove, so that I don’t have to spend fifteen minutes pulling one out just to bring it to a friend’s house.
Just a simple USB hub that I can plug things into solves the biggest part of the problem: the pain of juggling. But I still have to keep the cables neatly tucked away in a little bin next to the desk. Is there a better solution that I’m missing? I can’t be the only person with this problem.
Comments (3)
After spending a little more time searching, Jack and I came across Cord-It, which are great and cheap. With a half-dozen of those, a USB hub, and some velcro, I could mount everything out of sight on the back of my monitor. It’d end up running me almost $50 total, but it’d be worth it. Is there anything better out there, though? This solves the problem, but it’s hacky and a little inelegant.
Does this meet any of your requirements? Or maybe some retractable cords?
I have a magazine with an article about this:
XL Cable Organizer $15.00 http://www.containerstore.com
Oxo Good Grips Cord and Cable Clips $6.00 http://www.oxo.com
Horizontal Cord Manager $29.00 http://www.roomandboard.com
Cable Zipper $15.00 for 8 feet http://www.organize.com
Wire Snake $10.00 for 2 http://www.containerstore.com
Case Logic Cable Ties $5.00 for 6 http://www.caselogic.com
Amco High Speed Retractable Internet Cable $13.00 http://www.containerstore.com
Cableyoyo $6 http://www.organize.com