Kensington ShareCentral 5 /// $80

The Promise: This five-port USB lets you share USB devices between two computers without plugging and unplugging each peripheral. "Simply push a button," says Kensington, "and the ShareCentral automatically makes the swap."

In Practice: The ShareCentral is true to its word: It makes sharing peripherals between two computers virtually seamless. First, connect two machines to the ShareCentral (in our case, a PC desktop and Mac laptop), then plug your peripherals into the dock. The ports are labeled for a printer, external hard drive, scanner, mouse and keyboard (the last two are separate USB ports on one button, with the assumption you'll always use them together). The device comes with some blank tags if you want to swap those for any other USB gadget—we plugged a digital camera and a memory card reader into the mouse/keyboard port, for example.

The best thing about the ShareCentral is that each device toggles separately. Each USB port has a corresponding button—just push the button on top of the hub if you want the device in that port to switch computers. If the top row is lit up, it's connected to Computer 1; the bottom, Computer 2. We copied music onto the laptop from an external hard drive while using a scanner on the desktop computer without any problems. The ShareCentral plugs into the wall, and none of the computers we tested it with had any trouble recognizing the multiple devices we plugged into it—including some peripherals that the computer couldn't recognize when they were connected through a cheaper hub.

Our only advice: Remember to dismount or eject devices before flipping the switch to avoid the Device Disconnected message. That is, if it bothers you. It shouldn't be a problem for non-hard drive-based accessories like printers or mice. Although we didn't test it out, Kensington claims the device is capable of Automatic Printer Sharing for Windows machines, meaning both computers can be connected to a printer at the same time.

Bottom Line: The ShareCentral 5 is great if you're constantly switching between multiple machines, and it's particularly useful for peripherals with larger footprints that you don't want to move around. It's cheaper than a Wi-Fi hub and easier to set up—both pluses. But if you're planning on sharing your devices between more than two computers, spend the extra cash on going wireless. For those with fewer accessories, the ShareCentral also comes in one- and two-port models. —Erin Scottberg