Sonnet Technologies has introduced the US$69.95 Yin•Yang FireWire 800 to FireWire 400/800 Mini Hub (http://www.sonnettech.com/product/yinyang.html), which enables users to connect a FireWire 800 device plus a FireWire 400 device to a computer simultaneously through a single FireWire 800 port.
The latest Macs (with the exception of the Mac Pro) have only a single FireWire 800 (IEEE-1394b) port and no FireWire 400 (IEEE 1394a) port. However, with the Yin•Yang Mini Hub. Two FireWire peripherals, such as external drives, DV camcorders, webcams, audio interfaces, and previous-generation iPod mobile digital devices, can be concurrently connected and used. No adapter or cable swapping is required.
Yin•Yang is small and portable, and it supports one bus-powered device (on either port). The hub housing, measuring just 1.9 by 1.5 by 0.6 inches, is about the size of a matchbox, and the attached host cable is only three inches long. Yin•Yang requires no power adapter, needs no driver software, and works with all manufacturers’ FireWire peripherals.