Diamond Supra V.92 56K Modems

While many of us are wired for DSL or cable modem access, the majority of folks are stuck with dial-up connections - whether it's due to a lack of available broadband service or a lack of funds. V. 92 modems are supposed to increase the speed of your Internet connection, primarily by means of compression, so if your ISP supports the new standard (and, as you know, most are slow to adopt anything new) a shiny new V. 92 modem could speed up your connection a bit. SONICblue just launched its new Diamond SupraMax V.92 PCI and Diamond SupraSST V.92 PCI modems, which take advantage of the new ITU V.92 and V.44 technologies. Both modems include a quick connect that SONICblue says reduces the amount of time it takes for the modem and server to link, cutting connect time by up to 66%. The modem-on-hold feature is a standby mode that lets you take an incoming voice call or place a call without losing your connection. PCM Upstream is said to increase maximum upload speeds to 48 kbps, and V.44 compression is supposed to increase the throughput of most data types by 30 to 40%. The SupraMax modems are supported by Windows 95, 98, 98SE, Me, 2000, XP and NT 4.0. The Diamond SupraMax V.92 PCI modem will be available soon in North America for a $39.95 MSRP. The Diamond SupraSST V.92 PCI modems will also soon be available in North America but pricing has not yet been released. The Diamond SupraMax V.92 USB modem is available now at a $49.95 MSRP. Maybe they'll tide you over until you experience and yearn for a broadband connection. For many of us, it's a much more worthy expense than cable TV. (OK, maybe that's just me.)