NewerTech has begun shippping its USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter, which promises easier data transfer from unplugged computer hardware. It connects to 2.5-, 3.5- or 5.25-inch hard drives, and can also connect to optical drives, whether they use ATA, ATAPI, IDE or Serial ATA ports. Once the USB link is established, users can simply copy files off the external drive at speeds of up to 480Mbps. Virtually all major brands are said to be supported, from Fujitsu and IBM through to TEAC and Toshiba. Macs using the adapter must be running Mac OS 9.2 or later, including Mac OS X. Other World Computing is offering the drive adapter for $25.