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Technology Stocks : METRICOM - Wireless Data Communications -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dan Packer who wrote (560)	12/11/1997 3:36:00 PM
From: Lewis Edinburg	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 3376

I've only been a subscriber for a month or so. I'll give some of my observations based on being a user rather than from the business side. A key reason I use Ricochet is to have access to the WWW at work without tying up my phone line. Same reason at home. For a fixed price I can stay connected to the internet all day long, for mail retrieval and be connected to things like PointCaste. I get frustrated at the slow throughput (approx same perf as a 14.4 modem) and if I do need to download large files I will switch to a 28.8 modem and use an account assigned to me at work with an ISP. I truly believe that if Metricom could provide internet service at 56K today they would find lots more users. When their 128K service starts in a year I think they will be a real winner. A mobile user can't consider alternatives like cable modems or ISDN because they can't control what facilities they will have. Thus they must rely on modems over PSTN or cell phones. Another aspect I plan to experiment with in the future is using ricochet modems talking to each other (ie not via the internet) to get dial in access to our corporate network. It is my understanding that the modems will work at 56K throughput in this mode. Another possibility, which I don't know if it will be supported or not, is that my company has an office in the Seattle area. Our corporate headquarters is in San Jose CA. I plan to see whether we can use ricochet modem to modem to go between these two locations. So far I do not regret signing up for Ricochet service.

To: Dan Packer who wrote (560)	12/12/1997 1:52:00 PM
From: Tim Kenney	Respond to of 3376

>This new majority investor gives them access to cash. But I would assume at a price. That price could well be a recapitallization which would destroy current shareholder equity.< Hardly. Paul Allen was foolish enough to pay 12 bucks ("I bought my MCOM for 12 bucks") for newly issued MCOM shares. For a company with only an iddy biddy bit of book value, I would say that that amounts to building shareholder equity. An MCOM shareholder now owns a little less of the technology that no one seems to want, but a little more cash. I would take the cash anyday. Unfortunately, MCOM management will probably try to pay it to themselves before Allen finally gives them the boot.