Tuesday, October 27

The Business Journal of San Jose reports that 3Com is facing lawsuits from investors for its failure to accurately report the financial health of 3Com and U.S. Robotics during their merger. Contrary to the company's reports of strong U.S. Robotics modem sales prior to the merger, the New York Times reported that U.S. Robotics hadn't sold any modems in the two months prior to the merger because the distribution channel was full.

The Washington Post looks at the travails of Hayes following the company's announcement of chapter 11 bankruptcy protection two weeks ago.

John Hinerman notes Lucent LT Win Modem firmware 5.23, available directly from Lucent. (Some people have reported that the copy is corrupted after they download it. If you're having this problem, try one of the sources listed in the LT Win Modem FAQ.)

Todd Ogasawara, manager of the MSN Telephony Forum writes:

I wanted to inform you that the Microsoft Computing Central Telephony Forum hosts a bi-weekly 56K modem chat hosted by Richard Gamberg. The chats occur every other Saturday and will move from 11am Pacific to 10am Pacific this Saturday, October 31. The chat is open to all. No special membership, account, or password is needed. The IRC chat server and room can be found at http://computingcentral.msn.com/topics/telephony/chat.asp.

Reuben Farrelly followed up on the pending release of V.90 code for Cisco modems:

Actually we could be a bit more specific. After some thought, you may be better to put that the V.90 code is for the MICA modem cards which can be used in the AS5200 and AS5300. Most 5300s though have these cards in them, but so do some 5200s. I'd suggest that you mention that the V.90 is for Cisco Access Servers running these MICA cards, not just all 5300s. Sorry about the vagueness!

If you missed last week's announcement, be sure to visit Daniel Rosenzweig's Call Waiting and Modem FAQ, now hosted by 56K.COM.

I plan to post the new LT Win Modem FAQ later this week.  

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Wednesday, October 28

I've remodeled the front page to improve browser compatibility and load time. If the new layout causes any problems in your browser, let me know.

The Lucent LT Win Modem FAQ is now online. This is the most complete online reference for these popular modems. Thanks to Lucent Technologies for their considerable assistance in compiling the FAQ.

One of the highlights of the FAQ is an interpretation of each line of the ATI11 response. Cool stuff for modem geeks.

LT Win Modem FAQ Contents

• How do I know if I have a Lucent LT Win Modem?
• Is a Lucent LT Win Modem the same as a 3Com/U.S. Robotics Winmodem?
• Where can I get new firmware/drivers/V.90 upgrades for my modem?
• Is there software for Windows NT 4.0?
• Is there software for Linux, OS/2, or other non-Windows operating systems?
• I'm not getting high speeds with my LT Win Modem. Why is that?
• I'm getting disconnected a lot. What should I do?
• Do the LT Win Modems supports caller ID?
• What init strings control whether K56flex and/or V.90 are used?
• How do I know if my modem supports V.90?
• How can I get information about the last call and interpret the results?
• How do I limit the maximum connect speed?

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Friday, October 30

3Com has introduced a new $319 cable modem.

Advances in low cost modems

Techweb reports that Aureal and Motorola are teaming up to create a combined, low-cost sound card and modem.

Intel has released the audio/modem riser (AMR) specification that divides audio and modem features between the motherboard and an inexpensive add-in modem card. Rockwell is ready to announce a new chipset called RipTide to service the new market. Part of the appeal of the card is that most of the modem circuitry can be built into the motherboard, while country-specific features can be placed on the card, allowing rapid localization.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend these modems, and in general I think it's a shame that companies cut corners on modems when most computers today are bought for Internet access. However, it's clear that many consumers are shopping solely on price, so companies are doing everything they can to lower new PC costs. Along those lines, IBM this week unveiled a new $599 PC.

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