TAIPEI, TAIWAN: ATEN International recently announced the release of its new 2- and 4-port USB 2.0 peripheral switches. The two models, namely US221A and US421A enable up to two or four PCs and Macs to share one multifunction printer or USB peripheral device, such as a scanner or a portable hard drive.

Moreover, peripheral focus can be given to a computer manually by using pushbuttons on the switch, the software-based configuration utility, or the auto-switch function.

When the US221A or US421A connects to a USB printer, it automatically recognizes the computer sources of print jobs and alternates the focus by the printing order.

"Our latest USB 2.0 peripheral switches are compatible with both Windows and Mac, and with multifunction printer support. They are ideally used in small offices and homes with multiple computers. The US221A and US421A allow users to easily share a USB device without network and help them to save money and space by reducing the purchases of additional hardware. The switches also bring a lot of convenience to users by eliminating the plug and unplug between computers," said Kevin Chen, President, ATEN International. The peripheral switches have LED indicators to display port focus. They can transfer data with the speed up to 480Mbps.

US221A is priced at Rs 1,710 and US421A is worth Rs 2,550. The authorized distributors of these products in India is CUBIX MICRO SYSTEMS.