From: folta@cs.umd.edu (Wayne Folta)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.comm
Subject: Re: Q: High speed modems w/ voice
Keywords: high speed modems voice mail fax
Date: 18 Aug 92 00:34:27 GMT
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742

> I'm interested in a modem like the Prometheus Home Office gadget that
>has v32bis data, send and receive fax and voice mail capabilities. I'm
>just interested in how well the services are integrated, and what the
>voice mail driver software is like. Opinions greatly appreciated!

I just upgraded to the Home Office Ultima, and am very pleased. My observations:

1. The outgoing message sound quality is not as good as most answering machines.
   It is pretty poor when you record through the telephone handset, but
   reasonable when you use MacRecorder (or, say, built-in sound on a IIsi).

2. If you have their extension installed, but do not run their application,
   it can be set to auto-answer in FAX receive mode only. If you run their
   application (say in the background under Sys 7), it will auto-select
   FAX or voice.

3. You can have multiple voice mailboxes. There is no ability to have
   hierarchial touch-tone menus, though. The mailboxes are all available
   from any message. When the call is answered, the caller hears the main
   message, during which they may press up to three digits to select another
   mailbox. They then hear that mailbox's message (which I believe they can
   interrupt to transfer to another mailbox, as with the main mailbox) and can
   leave a message.

4. When the phone rings and the application is running, the application jumps
   to the front and takes over the screen. This allows you to break out, I
   guess. While playing/recording it also takes control. I would guess that this
   is pretty necessary, since the serial port is being driven pretty hard.

5. In addition to voice mailboxes, you can also set up a FAX mailbox (in case
   the caller's FAX doesn't cooperate and kick the HOU into FAX mode, you
   can tell them "Press 77 to leave a FAX" or something like that). And you
   can set up a supervisory mailbox that lets you playback messages and record
   new greetings from a remote phone.

6. Their application provides a nice interface for playing/viewing
   messages/FAXs, for recording new greetings, and for creating FAX phonebooks
   and cover pages.

7. The modem has more AT commands than you can shake a stick at. They went
   beyond ATX, AT*X, and AT&X to AT\X and AT%X.

8. You get several manuals, including one for MacKnowledge (their terminal
   program), one for MaxFAX (including voice), one for the modem commands and
   modes, and a Getting Started manual. The MaxFAX manual looks pretty good,
   but the modem manual could use some work. There are just too many modes that
   sound very much alike, but which the manual doesn't explain. (For casual
   users, not a concern.)

9. I think that Supra is supposed to be coming out with a similar modem that
   will also provide Caller ID, but it is not due until 3Q92, and it just
   slipped, from what I hear.

10. The modem runs much cooler than the Promodem Ultima did, so I feel very
   confident leaving it on 24-hours a day. (You will also need to leave your
   computer up 24-hours, too, in case you didn't know.)

11. Prometheus' software is smart enough that you can leave it on all the time,
   and it does not interfere with terminal programs, such as White Knight. When
   one of these programs grabs the serial port to call out, the Prometheus
   software lets go until the serial port is relinquished. (This is a great
   imrovement over previous versions where you had to disable FAX answering
   before making an outgoing data connection, then re-enable it after hanging
   up.)

I am quite pleased with the hardware/software and have found no major bugs
or incompatibilities, running System 7.
-- 


Wayne Folta          (folta@cs.umd.edu  128.8.128.8)