I received my Monitor Mate about a week and a half ago. However, due to what I feel is inadequate protection from the packaging, it arrived with a dent on the front of the unit to the right of the memory card reader and USB ports. I sent it back to be replaced (at my own cost) and received my replacement a few days ago. Here are some of my observations.
The first thing you notice is that the aluminum used for the Monitor Mate is nowhere near the quality of the aluminum Apple uses on their Macs. It's thinner and feels like it will dent far more easily, but since it's an accessory that probably won't be moved much, it should be good enough. Second, the white LED light immediately to the left of the memory card reader is BRIGHT. Extremely, blindingly bright!! It is bright enough to be used in a flashlight. I currently use a few little Avery labels stacked on top of each other to cover it and it still shines through.
Next, I want to discuss some of the technical aspects. Included is a flat USB cable (as opposed to the more common round type of cable) to connect the hub to your computer. The hub uses a USB type A male connection, not the more common type B or Micro B. This cable ended up being inadequately shielded and caused interference with my Magic Mouse. I ordered a replacement cable and all interference is now gone.
After I sorted out the cable shielding issue, I put the USB hub and memory card reader through a few tests. What I found a bit odd was that the two USB ports on the underside of the unit appear to be USB 2 while the three USB ports on the front of the unit are USB 3. The memory card reader is hardwired to the USB 2 portion. I used it to clone a 32GB SD card and it worked fine. One thing that is missing and something I wish for is an activity light for the memory card reader. For those who are interested, the USB hub does not provide enough power to charge iPads.
While it is an aesthetically pleasing unit, which is important to me since it will be used in my home, it does have its issues. Anyone who is interested in purchasing one should be prepared to spend a few extra bucks for another USB cable and maybe shipping if you happen to receive a dented unit, like I did. In the near future, I intent to open up the USB hub/memory card reader portion and see if I can replace or remove the LED. Maybe I'll be able to change it to an activity light for the memory card reader. On a scale of 1-10, I'd probably rate this about 5.5 in its current form.
The first thing you notice is that the aluminum used for the Monitor Mate is nowhere near the quality of the aluminum Apple uses on their Macs. It's thinner and feels like it will dent far more easily, but since it's an accessory that probably won't be moved much, it should be good enough. Second, the white LED light immediately to the left of the memory card reader is BRIGHT. Extremely, blindingly bright!! It is bright enough to be used in a flashlight. I currently use a few little Avery labels stacked on top of each other to cover it and it still shines through.
Next, I want to discuss some of the technical aspects. Included is a flat USB cable (as opposed to the more common round type of cable) to connect the hub to your computer. The hub uses a USB type A male connection, not the more common type B or Micro B. This cable ended up being inadequately shielded and caused interference with my Magic Mouse. I ordered a replacement cable and all interference is now gone.
After I sorted out the cable shielding issue, I put the USB hub and memory card reader through a few tests. What I found a bit odd was that the two USB ports on the underside of the unit appear to be USB 2 while the three USB ports on the front of the unit are USB 3. The memory card reader is hardwired to the USB 2 portion. I used it to clone a 32GB SD card and it worked fine. One thing that is missing and something I wish for is an activity light for the memory card reader. For those who are interested, the USB hub does not provide enough power to charge iPads.
While it is an aesthetically pleasing unit, which is important to me since it will be used in my home, it does have its issues. Anyone who is interested in purchasing one should be prepared to spend a few extra bucks for another USB cable and maybe shipping if you happen to receive a dented unit, like I did. In the near future, I intent to open up the USB hub/memory card reader portion and see if I can replace or remove the LED. Maybe I'll be able to change it to an activity light for the memory card reader. On a scale of 1-10, I'd probably rate this about 5.5 in its current form.