USB PERIPHERALS have become increasingly popular among both PC enthusiasts and mainstream users. It seems that all the really nice high-end keyboards and mice these days are USB devices that only work with PS/2 ports via adapters. Not that I'm complaining; USB is far more versatile than PS/2, and it's also cross-platform. Unless you're talking about arcane workstations, you've got to reach back pretty far to find a PC without at least a couple of USB ports.

The USB revolution hasn't just applied to mice and keyboards, either. Portable audio players, digital cameras, printers, scanners, and even the RF remote dongle for ATI's Remote Wonder use USB. It was really only a matter of time before KVM switch makers took notice. After all, if you have multiple computers tied together with a single keyboard, mouse, and monitor, why not share your scanner and printer, as well?

Today we've lined up Belkin's SOHO OmniView USB/Audio and IOGear's MiniView III for comparison. Belkin and IOGear each have an ace in the hole, but which one wins the hand all depends on the cards you're holding. What the heck am I talking about? Read our USB KVM switch comparison to find out.