Thursday, September 12, 2013

Roccat's multipurpose hub dubbed the Apuri

Those Germans at Roccat like keeping us busy over here,  this time around we have a companion to go with the Kone XTD, Isku FX, and Hiro, in which I am currently using. We have the Apuri, an  active USB hub with a removable bungie to  keep mice cables from lying on and dragging across the mouse pad. The Apuri is the first entry to Roccat’s more ergonomic products dubbed Smart Desktop Management System as it serves multiple purposes with such features as a four port USB hub that offers power and the top has a mouse bungie that resembles a scorpion tail to keep the mouse cable from tangles or getting in the way. Now that it is out of the box and onto the desktop, time to see if it is a good fit or a valiant try.

To start, the Apuri blends right in with the numerous other Roccat PC gaming accessories out on the market, from it's stealthy look, soft rubber feel, and blue ambient lighting, it went with the look of my desktop well. The mouse bungie works great to keep the cable away from my mouse pad so that there are no interruptions mid match. No Roccat mouse or cord, no problem, as the Apuri's bungie is made to fit all corded mice and like I said about cordless nice, the bungie is removable. On the topic of options, the hub has the ability to charge devices from it's four ports, but if you are like myself and do not want the extra cables, just use the USB cable and the Apuri for thumb drives and micro USB dongles to wireless accessories. The downside is the additional cables that can and will quickly add clutter to any desk. The other item in which could, or rather should, have gone differently in the design and build process would be the Apuri's feet as they are rubber but not much in the way of preventing slippage and when my mouse is attached and I am frantically playing a game, the last thing I would want is for the Apuri to move as well when it is supposed to be keeping my mouse cable at bay.

The Apuri is a nice addition to most any desktop, whether the mouse you use is corded or cordless, as it's primary job is as a USB hub and second as a cable management system. The ability to charge is great to have when needed, but I do not charge from my computer, nor do I like unnecessary cables, so I was happy that the power cable was not needed unless while charging and is not required for the ambient blue lighting to function. With the Apuri being the first product in Roccat's Smart Desktop Management System and seeing how this functioned with my current Roccat accessories I look forward to seeing how the upcoming SDMS products function together. The Apuri is available now for less than forty dollars from a number of online retailers.

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