Socket Communications will be first to market with a battery-powered cordless 56Kbit/s modem. The Cordless 56K Modem with Bluetooth allows you to access the Internet, e-mail as well as send and receive faxes from any Bluetooth v1.1-enabled device that supports dial-up networking (DUN), such as a Pocket PC (Pocket PC 2002 or later) or Palm OS device (Palm 4.1 or later), without having to use an analogue phone line and electrical outlet.

Pros: Battery power gives complete autonomy; V.92 ready
Cons: Tad bulky; not V.92 out-of-the-box


Socket Communications' 26.5x79x73mm (91g) Cordless 56K Modem is a cordless Bluetooth modem that lets you connect your Bluetooth-compatible portable computing device from up to 100m away - without cords, wires or cables. The portable device also comes with a rechargeable, removable Lithium-ion (900mA) battery that should power the device for around three hours of use, according to Socket Communications. A Class 1 Bluetooth antenna is built-in, so there's no fear of an antenna snapping off in transit, and there's also four LEDs that provide information on link status, data activity and charging status.

The modem supports the Bluetooth General Access Protocol, Service Discovery Protocol, Dial-up Networking Gateway and FAX Gateway. It comes with Socket Communications' Get Connected! Wizard, which promises to make setting up a dial-up connection relatively intuitive. Additional software includes Socket Communications' WhereAreYou?, which enables you to configure the modem for use in different countries. Hardware-ready support for V.92 gives you the further option of adding call waiting and faster data transfer rates, but you'll have to Flash upgrade the modem manually at a later date in order for it to support V.92.

Links:
Cordless 56K Modem Web site

BIOS, Jan 12, 04 | Print | Send | Comments (0) | Posted In Modem