But the new modems are all faster. The faster modems can easily cut your connect time in half. Some of the commercial services currently offer only the slower speeds, and when they do offer higher speeds, they tend to charge more for them. All in all, a faster modem will cost more initially, but save money in connect time - and you'll spend a little less time waiting as files come in. Modem brands don't seem to matter much.
Modems are usually easy to connect to computers.
Modems usually come with software to run them, and alternative software is available cheap or even free. Start with what comes with the modem. The commercial services usually provide special software to be used for connecting with them. The only trouble with changing is that everyone who knows your old e-mail address loses track of you until you notify them of your new one. They all interconnect with each other via Internet, the gigantic worldwide network of networks, so if you are on one service, you can e-mail to anyone on any of the others.