The PCsync package from LapLink.com - which also makes LapLink, the popular high-end remote-control and file-transfer program - includes two cables for connecting one notebook's USB or serial port to another's. LapLink says PCsync can achieve speeds of 5Mbps for USB and 500Kbps for serial. In my tests of shipping software, the USB connection took about five minutes to transfer a 90MB directory between two laptop machines; that translates to about 18MB per minute (approximately 45 times faster than an infrared connection's transfer speed). PCsync can also selectively copy files that have changed since the last transfer, thanks to its SmartXchange feature. And a single mouse click lets you transfer all the files from one PC to another.

The system allows you to share files over the Internet with anybody who has a copy of PCsync (and the right password).

It's relatively easy to transfer files between a pair of networked PCs using software built into Windows, so if you just want to do that, this product isn't for you. But if one of the machines isn't networked (or if you want to synchronise files over the Internet), PCsync provides a fast and effective way to copy files - and offers some useful extra features.

LapLink PCsync

Price: $165

Supplier: Computer Hardware Australia

Phone: (03) 9251 3111

URL: www.laplink.com