Recently we needed to move files from one laptop to another and even though there are several ways of accomplishing that, we were able to do this in a most elegant way with a wormhole. A what? Wormholes are always associated with shortcuts you can take through space-if the theory is correct…
So the naming of this latest J5create product is rather telling: it suggests a fast and easy way through cyberspace with two connected computers.
Let’s see how it works.
Let’s first describe the physical properties of the Wormhole. From the photos you can tell that it is about the length of a decent laptop, just sticking out half an inch on both sides on my Samsung Chronos laptop. It is a bit oblong shaped with the power button on the right-hand side and a bunch of ports sticking out the back. The main ones along this aluminium tube are a couple of USB 3.0 ports and a three slot card reader. A number of rubber rings enable you to set your laptop on top of the Wormhole without it sliding off. That’s where it normally resides, creating a bit of space underneath your laptop for better ventilation as well as angling your keyboard in a more natural position. A power pack completes the package.
The main reason for its existence is to facilitate keyboard/mouse sharing so that you have drag-and-drop capabilities across two computers for file copying or sharing. After the installation of the software it does that eminently. You have to specify where the second computer is in relation to the host computer, to the left or right, so that you can easily go from one screen with the cursor to the next. Both computers are hooked up with a USB cable.
Having two USB 3.0 ports that are fully powered is also extremely handy. It works across both Windows and Mac platforms and doesn’t require an installation CD. Just plug and play. You can even have a keyboard function for iPad is with the Apple USB connector.
We effortlessly completed our main task of chucking all the important files over to the second laptop in record time after which we gave the device a permanent home underneath my main business notebook. It’s a simple device to use and it simply does what it advertises it can do. We can also see the value of the Wormhole Station in a situation where a teacher is mentoring a student with interactive side-by-side training and anywhere else where you need a second computer and easy access to files.
Conclusion
It’s an elegant looking device even though most of it is hidden underneath your laptop with only the lit up J5 power button visible. We only recently came across J5 create and they have a number of interesting devices. The JUH320V2 Wormhole Station is the latest product but they also have been bringing out some interesting USB display adapter solutions which we hope to review as well.
With prices hovering around the US$120 mark at various outlets, we think it is well priced, gives an elegant solution to a common problem and provides other benefits beyond drag-and-drop functionality between two connected computers. Highly recommended!
We thank Altech for providing a sample and for more information visit the J5create.com website.
