"Larry, I ahve been reassured by a VERY knowledgable person that USRX will be able to
conform "EASILY" to WHATEVER standard is established."
I believe it, Jeff. Modems are "standardized" now, to a great extent; they are all built around pretty much the same general architecture no matter who makes them. That will "force" the firmware standard such that I suspect ALL modems will be firmware upgradeable to the standard (if the chips are designed that way at least). In the past modem chip sets could be quite different, but that is not the case now. Fortunate, too, because the cost of changing hardware to meet new standards is prohibitive.
I also know some people "inside" USRX, as I was involved with one of their subsidiaries from it's start-up. They have done a good job of jumping on market opportunities, and they don't look like they are going to let up or drop the ball on this one.
Again, because the modems themselves are architecture-ally (sp?) so similar, I think the "standards" issue is being overblown. I'd be surprised if anyone brings out a modem in volume which is not flash upgradeable. These two features in combination will make 56 kbps modems a commodity product faster than any product in history!
Larry |
