Archive notice: This article was originally published on January 12, 2011. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
New data highways for the Mac and an end to the shortage of connections: Sonnet Technologies has now added the FireWire 800 to FireWire 400/800 Mini Hub to its range, with the extremely melodious name Yin Yang. The handy accessory allows a FireWire 800 and a FireWire 400 device to be connected simultaneously to a single FireWire 800 port. Owners of newer Mac laptop models in particular know the problem: they have only one FireWire 800 (IEEE 1394b) connection. The Sonnet hub therefore allows two FireWire devices, such as external drives, DV camcorders, webcams, audio interfaces or even older-generation iPods, to be used at the same time. With dimensions of 1.9 x 1.5 x 0.6 inches, the enclosure is as small as a matchbox, and the host cable is just eight centimetres long.
The Yin Yang FireWire Mini Hub is available now for around 50 euros.