The newest modems sport a impressive 56K transfer rate for downloading (see May Issue, Pg.15, "56K - Up close and personal"). Testers at CompuServe and Mindspring (an Atlanta based Internet provider) were able to connect at rates of 40Kbps using the U.S. Robotics x2 modem. A leading PC magazine recently tested the U.S. Robotics x2 modem and was able to download at speeds between 44 and 46.66kbps. This test was conducted in a GTE Florida central office to a location in Illinois. Rockwell/Lucent claims download speeds of up to 64Kbps Even with this good news for surfers like me, I'm still not rushing out to buy one. Let me explain why. The war of the modem world is occurring between U.S. Robotics x2 technology and Rockwell/Lucent's K56flex for a standard transfer protocol. These different transfer protocols are not fully compatible. What does this mean? Let's say you go out and purchase a Rockwell/Lucent K56flex modem and your provider is AOL. You would not be able to take advantage of the 56K transfer rate at this time because AOL only supports x2 or U.S. Robotics technology. AOL customers are not the only ones confused. My service provider, AT&T Worldnet, won't even discuss 56K technology.
My recommendation is to hold off on any purchases of 56K modems until the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) standard is decided. Keep posted for updates on this technology. If available in your area, you may also want to take a serious look at cable modems. Comcast has recently lowered its rates to make it more competitive. Although not in the $19.95 standard, it may meet your needs. As far as speed is concerned, cable modems are still way ahead of the pack.
SPCUG ALERT! For the faithful readers of our own Sarasota PC Monitor, I must give kudos to Herb Goldstein for two changes to my system that have made my life easier. One is the Logitech Cordless Mouseman Pro. I have often complained about that #%@&*^ mouse cable moving my pointer all over the place. Constantly fighting with my mouse started to get routine. Based on Herb's article I contacted him to try it out. WOW!! Instant relief. No cord, great design, comfortable layout, I was sold. I immediately ordered one and could not be happier!
The other change to my system was updating the backup software. Using Seagate's Backup Exec has saved me twice. I have been trying to correct a networking problem on my home computer, sometimes to no avail. Instead of re-installing Windows 95 and then reloading all my programs, I simply boot up with my Seagate Emergency Disk. Following the very simple directions, I completed a full back up of both my drives and I'm back in business. Thanks Herb for being on the cutting edge of products that make our lives easier. See you at the next meeting!
Recommended web sites to review for additional 56K technology information:
http://www.rockwell.com
http://x2.usr.com/faq.html
http://www.lucent.com/micro/k56flex/k56faq.html#q2
http://www.itu.int/
Copyright 1997. This article is from the June 1997 issue of the Sarasota PC Monitor, the official monthly publication of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc., P.O. Box 15889, Sarasota, Fl 34277-1889. Permission to reprint is granted only to other non-profit computer user groups, provided proper credit is given to the author and our publication. We would appreciate receiving a copy of the publication the reprint appears in, please send to above address, Attn: Editor. For further information about our group, email: spcug@netline.net Web: http://www.spcug.org/
The Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc. has 1,000+ members and was established in 1982. We are members of the Assoc. of PC User Groups (APCUG), the Florida Assoc. of PC Users Groups, Inc.,the Assoc. of Shareware Professionals and we are members of the America Online Ambassador Program.
See http://www.spcug.org for all reviews from the Sarasota PC Monitor, go to the Newsletter Section.
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