>>>Exactly. But the telcos won't be the ones buying them. Neither will people that see what their monthly phone bills will be. Compare that to the cost of a cable modem, that doesn't use any phone line, is 10 to 20 times faster and is connected 7 by 24.
I must have missed a technical point here with the shotgun. I know you can call out using one of your lines. But just how does a call come in when you are on your shotgun, or is that what you then need a third line for?<<<
You misunderstand the Shotgun II. It operates on one phone line, employing existing 56K support at the ISP. Using existing telco technology, it doubles the throughput rate of data to 128Kbps. Meanwhile, you can still carry outgoing/incoming phone calls over the SAME single line, while you are on the Net.
Therefore, telcos and ISPs do not need to invest in any additional gear to support the Shotgun...all they need is 56K support and ASND equip. And as for their monthly phone bills, the only bill after the purchase of the modem is their ISP access fee.
Advantages: Double the speed of 56K. Employs a single existing phone line, without impeding phone calls. Reasonable one-time price of $200 (prices will fall).
Disadvantage: If your ISP does not use ASND RA gear, you will have to switch to a different ISP.
For the average Web surfer/family, the Shotgun makes far more sense than the much-hyped 56k modems. More speed and convenience, at a competitive price.
Cable modems, xDSL, ISDN, etc, are for serious Net users who crave nothing more than instant-access, page-flipping speed -- and more importantly, are willing to pay $40 and up per month for these advantages.
I believe the Shotgun makes fantastic sense. I would get one, but I am a wannabe Net speed demon...I'm waiting for TCI to bring @Home to central FL. Until then I will deal with 33.6, unfortunately.
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