Microchip's PICkit 2 Debug Express includes everything you need to start developing applications for the 44-pin PIC16F917 8-bit microcontroller. The kit comes with the MPLab integrated development environment (IDE) with assembler support plus a copy of Hi-Tech Software's PICC Lite C compiler. The package includes assembler and C tutorials. The USB-based debugger can be used with other PIC platforms. PICkit 2 Debug Express costs $49. Also, Atmel's $49 USB-based AVR Dragon supports all AVR platforms with up to 32 kbytes of flash. The USB interface provides up to 300 mA for on-board enhancements. The AVR Studio IDE includes a C compiler. www.atmel.com www.microchip.com