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More and more Universal Serial Bus (USB) peripherals and devices are rapidly appearing and the promise of one standard bridging the platform gap is fast becoming a reality. With USB, manufacturers need make but one device and develop software drivers that allow it to function on both PC and Macintosh computers although some USB products are specifically aimed at one platform. Some of them replace existing serial and parallel devices and others fit into a whole new category. Here are a few of the latest.

In the replacing existing devices category: Macally has developed USB versions of the Macintosh keyboard, joystick, trackball and mouse and all of them in the matching translucent ice-blue color. The USB iKey ($69) is an extended 105 key keyboard that is virtually identical to Apple's keyboard. This is wonderful news to those Mac users who have embraced Apple's latest G3 and G4 models. The keyboard that comes with the newer Apple models is nearly one third smaller with tiny function keys that can be easily missed. Apple also omitted other specialty keys such as the Right Delete as well as the Function 13, 14 and 15 keys which act as Print Screen, Scroll Lock and Pause respectively. The iKey is virtually identical in size and layout to Apple's original and is a must for any Mac owner used to typing on something comfortable.

The iStick ($79) is Macally's USB joystick lets you customize any of its many controls to just about any game or application. The USB iBall ($59) and iBallpro ($79) are their programmable trackballs, and the iMouse ($49) and iMousePro ($69) their selection of USB mice.

IMation makes the USB SuperDisk drive ($149.95) that works on PC or Mac. This drive reads and writes to ordinary floppy disks but it also reads and writes to the Super Floppy disk that holds 120 megabytes. This is an ideal device for iMac, G3 and G4 systems that don't have a floppy drive and perfect as a second floppy disk drive on any USB equipped PC.

Antec makes the PhotoChute 3 ($139) that works on either PC or Mac and is capable of reading and writing to Compact Flash, Smart Media and Type I, II and III PCMCIA cards. These flash memory wafers are found in consumer electronic products such as digital cameras, PDAs and even printers. Until now, you had to download via a slower serial cable. With the PhotoChute 3, you simply remove the memory card and insert it into the appropriate PhotoChute slot. Your data is transferred to the computer hundreds of times faster.

In the whole new category, check out Keyspan's Digital Media Remote. Consisting of a small USB receiver and a tiny wireless infrared remote control, you can operate most any multi-media Mac or Windows application such as DVD and CD players, MP3 players such as Casady & Greene's SoundJam MP, WinAMP, QuickTime, PowerPoint and more. The remote sports several VCR-like buttons that let you play, stop, fast forward, rewind plus other user definable controls. Now you can, for example, play any of the songs on a CD by clicking the remote control rather than having to stand nearby the computer and clicking everything with the mouse. The control panel lets you configure the same buttons to act differently within corresponding applications. This is one computer gadget that is as cool as it is useful. $79.

Macally www.macally.com (800) 644-1132 or (626) 338-8787

Antec www.antec-inc.com (510) 770-1200

Keyspan www.keyspan.com (510) 222-0131