IOGEAR GCS102U 2-Port MiniView USB KVM & Peripheral Sharing Switch (USB)

Rating:
Summary: Just be sure to keep your receipt
Review: Good: comes with all the cables you need to setup a switch for two systems to share a monitor, USB keyboard and USB mouse. Reasonably priced. Small size. Supposedly has hot switch capability.
Bad: Recognized desktop, but wouldn't recognize laptop and wouldn't switch between systems. Basically my primary system would work as long as it was the first and only system I used. As soon as I hit the switch it was time to shut down and reboot both systems. I'm a well-above average user and I tried everything I could think of to make it work, read the directions from the start, booted up separately to allow initialization, checked the knowledge base website. After several frustrating hours I returned it.

Rating:
Summary: Great for Mac and PC Sharing
Review: I bought this KVM a few weeks ago after scouring the web for USB KVM boxes. This was one of the few out there that qualified. The reason I needed a USB switch was for my wife's computer, which is an Apple Power Mac G4. The other computer hooked up to it is a clone Pentium 3 system. So far, we have not had any problems with the unit. In general, we tend to put the Apple in sleep mode when we shut in down rather then power it off altogether. When we switch back to the Apple after using the PC for a while, the Apple automatically turns on without having to wake it up. On the PC side, I am running Windows XP, and I normally shut it down in hibernation mode. Switching from the Apple to the PC, all I have to do is hit the power button, and I'm up and running with both the mouse and keyboard completely functional.

One side note - I am using the Macintosh USB keyboard that came with the Power Mac, and the USB mouse is a Microsoft Optical. So far, both of these devices have worked great between the two computers. Also, we have an HP DeskJet printer which we share between the two computers, and I plugged the printer into one of the two USB slots that are on the front of the KVM. So far, it's worked great.

Other then it being PC and MAC friendly, this is a great system if only for the fact that it comes complete with everything you need to set it up - no need to go out and buy more cables. The only drawback I could see is that you are limited to sharing the KVM between only two computers. But if what you are looking for is a good (and inexpensive) way to share one keyboard, mouse, and monitor with two computers (whether it is a MAC or PC), then this would be a sound solution for you.

Rating:
Summary: Compact and Functional
Review: I have a Mac and PC that I would manually switch cables between the one monitor. After much research I found this Iogear KVM switch. It is awesome. It comes with the cables you need to connect two computers to the one monitor. It is is so simple to use and it is such a tidy little unit that it takes up no room at all on your desktop.

I am impressed enough with the ability to share a monitor between the Mac and PC (no more getting up and fiddling around with the back of the monitor) and the 4 USB ports that come with this unit are a bonus (sharing one USB keyboard and Mouse between two computers). I hooked up my Zio Smart Card Reader (USB) to the Iogear unit and instantly I was switching between the two platforms and they both were recognising the card.

If you are looking at KVM switches this unit is worth your consideration. (There is also a larger model that allows 4 computers to share one monitor and keyboard). I like the fact that this unit looks after both the Mac and PC people out there.

Rating:
Summary: Got to be something better
Review: I use it to switch keyboard/video/mouse between two systems, but it's pretty flaky. Sometimes you have to hit the button several times to get it to switch, and since it takes several seconds for the switch to take effect, you have to click ... move the mouse around and wait to see if it worked ... click ... move the mouse around and wait to see if it worked ... etc. Annoying. It works okay except for that, but it's also on the expensive side. There's got to be something better out there.