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Top 10 Modems

56 kbps or bust: Hayes's Optima 33.6 is the lone 33.6-kbps holdout on our chart.

  


SUMMARY
Shark Multimedia Leopard 56K


PRO: Good price and features, easy installation.
CON: No support on weekends, no cross-ship replacement.
K56flex protocol, 6-bit ISA card, MNP-10 cellular protocol, 115.2-kbps PC-to-modem speed, V.80, Distinctive Ring, voice mail, speakerphone, VoiceView, ASVD, microphone, Caller ID, DialTone fax/data software.

Shark Multimedia
800/800-3321
www.sharkmm.com

At $109, Shark Multimedia's new Leopard 56K is the least expensive 56-kbps modem on the chart this month. It offers SOHO features such as voice mail, speakerphone, and Caller ID. It also comes with an adequate software package, DialTone fax/data software. Overall, middle-of-the-road performance and substandard support policies hold this modem in fifth place.

We installed the Leopard 56K without any hassles. Its brochurelike documentation provides helpful installation photos, but the software setup portion has very small, hard-to-read screenshots. One glaring drawback is the company's below par support policies. It includes a fairly short three-year warranty (most modem companies offer five years) and 10-hour weekday tech support. The company doesn't provide a cross-ship replacement for your modem either. In addition, Shark currently guarantees only a free software upgrade to the upcoming 56-kbps standard.

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