In the last year we've seen the rise of several varieties of fast modems, which I jokingly call "v.everything" modems because they seemingly support every standard protocol in the telecommunications world, including such arcana as v.22bis, v.42bis, v.32, and v.32bis, none of which I'm going to explain here

Let's face it, you buy these modems for their speed. You want screamingly fast data transfers that leaves wisps of smoke coming out of your serial ports and burnt rubber on your phone lines

That said, I tried these modems with a bunch of others that I normally work with. On the whole, both modems worked well, although I experienced more quirks than I would have liked, and I'm now fluent in the Hayes command set

Software on the other end can play a role too. Connecting to CompuServe, which supports v.32, works fine, but you only enjoy a speed increase in uploading and downloading files

As time passes, modem companies become more aware of ways to ease telecommunication. Flashing lights have long been the modem's only interface to the outside world, but both the Supra and the PPI have gone beyond that, especially the PPI

Modems are perhaps the most-trouble free pieces of common computer peripheral. I say that based on their incredibly long warranties, five years for the Supra and a lifetime warranty for the PPI

Well, not really. I include fax capabilities in my "v.everything" tagline, and both of these modems have it, and both come with appropriate fax software

T/Maker sent me a copy of ClickArt for Faxes a while back, before I had a working fax modem (and they included candy with the review copy, an excellent policy that I recommend to the rest of the industry)

If you want a new modem and you have an excuse to buy a fast one, I recommend either of these units. If you only connect at 2,400 bps, you can probably go for a cheaper 2,400 bps data/9,600 bps fax modem

PM14400FXSA Practical Peripherals, Inc. 375 Conejo Ridge Avenue Thousand Oaks CA 91361 805/497-4774 805/374-7200 (fax) Paul Hansen -- [email protected] Marty Azarani -- [email protected] Alan Engle of Smith Micro -- [email protected] SupraFAXModem v.32bis Supra Corporation 7101 Supra Drive SW Albany, OR 97321 503/967-2400 503/967-2401 (fax) [email protected] supratech%[email protected] Jason Collins of STF Technologies -- [email protected]