Belkin Hi-Speed USB 2.0 7-Port Hub

Belkin’s Hi-Speed USB 2.0 7-Port Hub pretty much defines itself in its title – it’s a powered USB hub with seven ports, five of which come out the back of its vaguely UFO-shaped body.

Pros: The stackable design means you could use multiple hubs – if you’ve got truly huge USB port needs. The indicator lights are a good idea, as are the top-mounted ports, which can be used for genuinely plug-and-play devices, while more permanently installed products go in my tests with all devices, but you’d expect that out of any competent USB hub anyway.

Cons: The stackable nature of the hub means it’s a bit larger than comparable hubs, which costs you desk space; likewise, the power adaptor adds a bit more desktop clutter.

Rating: 3.5/5 – A good hub for those who need lots of extra USB ports.

PC Tools iAntiVirus

As Apple’s OS X platform gains customers, it also raises the nasty spectre of potential viruses. PC Tools entry in the growing world of Mac anti-virus tools is iAntiVirus, a freeware (for personal use) scanner utility that targets Mac viruses specifically.

Pros: It’s a lightweight utility that runs pretty much silently in the background; the only times I really noticed a system performance hit was in the middle of a large scan, and that was with several other memory-hungry applications running.

Cons: It’s very Mac-specific; it knows nothing about Windows viruses, so those could still be passed on (by, say, infected email messages). Your Mac would be safe, but you could be inadvertently infecting others you correspond with via email.

Rating: 4/5 – Certainly better than no security, but not quite a complete virus-blocking solution.

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