Adding more and more onto that stocking list as Christmas barrels ahead to us all, peripherals are almost always on that list. Headsets, mice, keyboards and the like dominate the more expensive side of wish lists, pushing aside the newly released consoles that will lead to quite the lean turkey at dinner. One such item that hits those lists may be the new Vanad 500 Mouse Bungee by Genesis. A nice stand that sits on your desk to allow for more USB connections as well as an extension to pesky mice cable issues.
Here are the specifications:
- Number of USB type-A ports – 2
- USB Version – 2.0
- Power supply – No
- Active Hub – No
- Data transfer rate – 0 – 480
- Colour – Black
- Power supply – USB-A
- Cable length – 150 cm
- Connectors – USB Type-A
- Supported Operating Systems – Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows 10, Linux, Android 4.2.2
- Height – 128 mm
- Width – 128 mm
- Length – 253 mm
Starting off with its size, the Vanad is quite the tall piece of tech, rivalling the height of my old standalone microphone and stretching to about half the height of my monitors. Due to its size, it isn’t really a device to have on display, as it will block the view to the parts of the desk or your monitors, instead of being moved to the side like all the other clutter of a desk, from notepads and edibles to consoles. Thankfully, aside from its height, it isn’t overly wide so can fit snuggly between your consoles and out of the way.
While it is plugged into your computer, the Vanad can change between an array of 7 different colours, sadly there is no on-board software to fine-tune these colours as you would normally find on keyboards or a mouse. Bizarrely, there is no way to turn off the colours except for disconnecting the Vanad itself, an annoying part of the design that will have a night light effect for those whose computers are in their bedrooms.
Both the mouse cable arm and underside of the Vanad are made of rubber, making them have a tight grip of both your mouse and table. I had no issues with it moving on my desk and found it quite smooth to follow my mouse movements. When placing my headset on top of it, I also felt no real worries about it falling over or being nudged.
With the addition of the 2 USB slots for devices, I was able to connect up my mouse and 1 other device, that being the charging cable for my wireless headset. The ports are only 2.0 USB, which is slowly being replaced with 3.0 and even some 4.0 connections, so it may eventually be upgraded out of design but it works for now with most of my devices so I personally have no worries on that side of things. With only 2 connections, however, it won’t be able to run a whole set of devices, if it had 1 more it could hold your headset, keyboard, and mouse, it is not an overly dire requirement but would have been nice to have.
With my use of the Vanad 500, I had no real complaints aside from its height design, though that was a choice made so you could leave a headset resting atop it. The always-on colour was also a nitpick when it came to the overall experience but can be overcome by unplugging it, or irrelevant for those with dedicated offices for their setups.
Overall, I give the Vanad 500 Mouse Bungee by Genesis a 9/10. It is a useful bit of kit for helping cut down on wires under the desk, as well as providing more lights for night-time computer use. Splitting into 2 USBs allows for an additional connection to your PC, with easier access to them for use as charging centres. Due to its height, you will want it off to the side, as well as the always-on light possibly causing issues for bedroom setups.
If you are interested in this Mouse Bungle click here to purchased it for around £32.00*.
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