If you are looking for a second computer in your home or office but do not want to pay the full price of a second machine, consider an innovative solution from Austin, a Singapore-based vendor. The Buddy B-210 turns one PC into two.
The system works on Windows 95 and 98, and is simply a PC card, an ergonomically designed hub, and a long network cable between them. Install the card in your machine, run the software, and connect a screen, keyboard and mouse to the Buddy hub, and you have two machines up and running.
That`s the theory, at least. I had quite some trouble getting the mouse and the keyboard to work on the Buddy system, and after multiple support e-mails, I eventually found a software patch on the Buddy Web site to overcome issues with some Intel BX motherboards.
According to Casper de Villiers, director of Absolute e (local distributor of the product), it is possible that Buddy could react differently to different computers and different features, such as sound cards.
"Being a well-tested product, there are not many errors possible," says De Villiers. "There is, however, the possibility of system conflicts. Most of these are resolved very easily."
Another problem I ran into was the limited operating system support. Buddy currently only supports Windows 95 and 98, so NT/2000 users will not be able to use the device. Those using the Buddy will most likely be running 95/98, so it should not pose a problem. It also does not support Windows Millennium Edition, and currently Austin "does not have a schedule for the buddy driver to support the OS at this point of time," according to the company`s technical support team. The planned release of ME is still a few months away, so hopefully the product will be supported by then.
Despite problems, I was impressed with Buddy`s usefulness when it was up and running. Even on a lower-than-spec machine (minimum spec is 64MB RAM for the host and 32MB for each additional user - I have 64MB total), the system performed well. Running tasks on the host machine did not impede the second user dramatically, although it would not be a good idea to run power-hungry apps on either machine while the other terminal is in use.
The device is targeted at home users, small and medium enterprises, cyber caf'es, small clinics and schools, and anywhere else where there is a need to connect additional users to an existing machine.
A great feature is the ease to network the second machine if the first is connected to a LAN or modem. This drops costs of both Internet connections and hardware, and there is enough bandwidth for both users on one connection.
The host machine has some control over the terminal, and can be used to monitor applications open in the terminal. Likewise, the terminal has some power over the host as far as reboots go, not allowing a reboot until the terminal is shut down.
The software controlling the product is quite simple, with a very good diagnosis and suggested solutions tool (although it didn`t help to discover that I needed new drivers). It also allows messaging between the two machines, as well as some simple configuration options. It could, however, benefit from some more features, like a remote control app, for instance.
The product costs R1 580 excluding VAT, making it much cheaper than a full machine, but before you rush off to buy it, also calculate the cost of an extra mouse, keyboard and screen - they will typically set you back around R1 000, making the total cost closer to R3 000. Many users have extra screens and keyboards from older machines, and so can ignore the extra expenditure.
Overall, this solution is an innovative answer to the PC sharing battle that occurs in every home, school and office.
Share