Extend the usefulness of those expensive toys
By MIKE BERMAN
Scripps Howard News Service
September 25, 2002

Where would the world of electronics be without gadgeteers - the companies that manufacture add-on peripherals that extend the usefulness of our collection of expensive toys.

In the world of computing there are two companies that immediately come to mind: Belkin and Keyspan. They provide everything from upgrade cards to external readers to satisfy any computer junkie.

Let us begin with USB 2.0 and firewire upgrades. Belkin and Keyspan offer the widest variety of upgrade cards on the planet. Offering everything from multi-port hubs to PCI cards, these companies make it easy for you to climb aboard the high-speed peripheral bandwagon without forcing you to replace your computer.

Their firewire and USB 2.0 PCI cards fit into any motherboard's PCI slot, immediately expanding your computer's capability to use the latest in external hard drives, printers, CD burners and even DVD burners and scanners. The only difference, truthfully, is price. Belkin's Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Five-Port Card is $69.95 (with a lifetime warranty); the card from Keyspan is $59 (with as five-year warranty).

Their firewire cards are also similar, with Belkin's six-port card priced at $79.95 and Keyspan's four-port card for $39.95. You can also get Keyspan's card with bundled software, which includes Video-Wave, for $89.95. Again, it really doesn't matter which card you choose, except for the lifetime-vs.-five-year warrantees.

Add to this their external hubs, which extend the connectivity of the cards to more devices, and there's no limit to their versatility.

Belkin's Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Four-Port Hub is $59.95, again with a lifetime warranty, while a Four-Port Mini Hub from Keyspan, which is small enough to fit in your shirt pocket, would cost $49, with a five-year warranty.

Because these two companies are so competitive, you can expect them to regularly introduce new products to further enhance your computer's capabilities.

A good case in point is the new USB2(plus)FireWire Card from Belkin ($99) that gives you USB 2.0 and firewire capability on a single PCI card. This means you only need to give up one slot in your computer to have the best of both worlds. This is a seven-port card (four USB and three firewire), so you're not really shortchanged in expandability when compared with individual cards. Not to be outdone, Keyspan offers a five-port combo card (three firewire and two USB 2.0) for $89.95.

The list seems endless, further enhanced by memory-card readers that give you the ability to read data stored on PC cards, SmartMedia, CompactFlash and MemorySticks. All of these are easy to install and eliminate the need for you to spend hours trying to get your computer to recognize your digital camera or other devices. Just pop out the memory and insert it into one of these card readers.

Both companies also manufacture cardbus devices featuring USB 2.0 and firewire connectivity that fit into a notebook computer's PC Card slot. This gives you immediate connectivity for all the new high-speed peripherals, without having to fool with the innards of your notebook.

Also, Belkin recently announced that it will be coming out with an external adapter that will enable you to attach hard drives, CD/DVD writers and readers and other peripherals to your computer without having to give up a drive bay or needing to pop the cover of your computer. I haven't played with it yet, but being external, it could succeed in an area where other hardware manufacturers have failed.

The folks at Belkin and Keyspan have shown that there is really no reason for anyone not to be able to use their older computers to keep up with innovations. As long as they're around, that old clunker on your desk may never become obsolete.

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