I received the following email from G. Hutchinson this morning: 'I was reading another PC magazine the other day, and found an article on the USB specs. The item mentions that USB 1.1 has now been re-named 2.0 and there are now three USB 2.0 'specs'. There are USB standard (old USB 1.1), USB Hi-speed and USB Flat Out -- my son read the article and said it was not true. Are you aware of the situation?'

Upgrade to an AM2 Athlon 64 system now

The time for gift giving is almost upon us, and whether you celebrate Christmas or not, Australia will be shutting down over the Christmas break.

Bluetooth on steroids, the solution for short-range wireless video, or the replacement for USB in computers?

Cheap meats effective in this scalable, rackmountable, professional KVM switch.

USB 2.0 hard disks are a convenient way of backing up your data, but if you want to share the files with other computers over a small office or home network they're not ideal. But Linksys has an alternative. The Network Storage Link (NSL) takes a USB 2.0 hard disk or flash drive and puts it on the network.

Store it in your pocket. PC Authority takes fifteen USB drives for a spin around the block.

Combing a 250GB 7,200RPM hard disk drive, 8-in-1 card reader and USB hub, there's not much this unit can't do. It can be operated in either an upright or lying down position, while the USB hub function allows you to plug in a removable USB device such as a memory key or digital camera directly without fiddling with USB extension cables or reaching behind your desktop or notebook.

A media hub that packs a webcam, USB ports 3.5mm audio ports, and does it all badly.

Price: $ 79.95 As the USB standard gains in popularity, you may find that you run short of USB ports on your PC or notebook. Supporting up to 127 simultaneously daisy-chained USB applian

Gauging a USB memory key's value is a fairly simple procedure, right? They plug into any available USB 2.0 port and off you go, however it isn't as clear-cut as that.

Power up from any PC.

The tiny Hewlett Packard PhotoSmart 1200 is a sleek, portable, flatbed scanner tailor-made for scanning small items with minimal hassle. Weighing in at a tiny 680g with a scan bed of only 10 x 15cm it's perfect for scanning photos. Features include 1,200 x 1,200dpi optical resolution, a USB 2.0 port, CompactFlash card and shared MMC/SD slots. Power is by the USB 2.0 port, or by four AA batteries when unplugged

Just a couple of years ago, the PC speech recognition and dictation market saw four key players jostling for position, but today the contest is just between IBM and one other player, Dragon.

Expand your application choices with USB flash drives and portable software.

Right up there with the best of the USB keys, the Imation USB 2.0 Swivel Flash Drive represents excellent value for money for the 256MB capacity.

At first glance, the Seagate Pocket Hard Drive appears very similar to a yo-yo in both size and mechanics. No, you won't be able to perform tricks with it, but … the attached USB cable does wrap around the device in a stringy sort of way.

We audition the first entrant in our Bluetooth A2DP lineup.

Installing and configuring the NB1300 is easy - just plug it in, install the drivers, and you can use the web-based interface to change any necessary settings.

A beautifully tiny computer-on-a-board that you should only consider if you have a specific use in mind