Diamond Multimedia Systems has announced the SupraExpress 56K USB modem, based on the ITU V.90 standard.

Priced at $99.95, the SupraExpress external modem reduces desktop clutter by obtaining power from the USB bus, and eliminates the need for serial cables and power adapters. With USB technology, consumers can "hot swap" peripherals while the computer is running and avoid the inconvenience of restarting the computer to exchange products.

Featuring transfer speeds of up to 12 megabits per second, a USB port is nearly 100 times faster than a standard serial port connection.

The Diamond SupraExpress 56 USB modem also provides cross-platform support for Macintosh- and Windows-based systems.

More information on the products is available at http://www.diamondmm.com.