Metricom is about affordable mobile internet connectivity. DirectPC is about expensive high-speed downloads (it's upload-channel is a regular phone modem) to a stationary computer. If you are interested in affordable stationary high-speed access to the internet, ADSL will soon be the way to go. $40/mo and 2+ times faster than ISDN.
I own a mini-dish and have watched DirectPC closely, but they've never gotten the price point down to where it needs to be.
But both ADSL and DirectPC are aiming at a totally different market than Metricom - stationary vs. mobile computing. It's hard to understand unless you have a Metricom modem velcroed to the back of your laptop. Within its service areas, Metricom is about never being without the internet - bed, bathroom, den, kitchen, car, mall, park, office, traffic jam, restaurant, bike ride, etc.
Chip
Wireless in Seattle via MCOM Ricochet |
