A cheaper, bare-bones alternative to Move2Mac

Detto Technologies' Move2Mac package has been the subject of significant high-brow press coverage, touted as a means of fulfilling Apple's "Switch" initiative for most home PC users. The package includes a USB file transfer cable, and software for importing e-mail, organizing transferred files, and other functions, and is priced at US $59.95.

For those looking to save a few dollars, several outlets offer bi-directional USB cables for under $20. CyberGuys offers the "G-UN161 FILE TRANSFER" cable for US $19.95. The product's description reads "With 2 USB-enabled computers you can create a 6 Mbps peer-to-peer connection without the need for network cards, special application software, or hubs. Simply connect both computers via our USB communication cable with built-in interpreter circuitry."

Downloadable tools, such as Emailchemy, aid in the process of importing mail from Windows clients. The tool can import mail and other data from Outlook Express 5 for UNIX, and Outlook Express 4, 5 and 6 for Windows. Emailchemy is carries a $25 shareware fee.

At US $45, the Emailchemy and bi-directional USB combination is $15 cheaper than Move2Mac, but lacks the integration and easy set-up offered by the latter.

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