Word: 56k
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Ever since people started buying 56K modems, we've seen goofy attempts at TV-Internet convergence, from play-at-home websites for game shows to Internet-shopping tie-ins. But the kind of convergence people really want is dishing about Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin's duologue with their Facebook friends. It's doubtful people tuned in by the millions to see the Oscars' interpretative-dance number, in which performers did the robot to the score of Up. Or maybe they did, but to make fun of it together. (In a way, social media are better for bad TV than...
...huge chunk of the market is still up for grabs: namely, the 40 million-plus homes using dial-up to connect. For some of these users, a 56K modem is plenty. But budding BPL providers are betting that a significant number of consumers really do want broadband service but are simply holding out for a better offer...
...wider Wi-Fi world. These are the field sales reps, insurance adjusters, real estate agents and delivery managers. There are more than 11 million road warriors in the U.S. alone who regularly dial in remotely to corporate networks, and 90% of them are using slow-as-mud 56K modems via standard phone lines. The advantage of untethering office workers is relatively unproved (Won't they just instant message one another during meetings?), but even the most technophobic CEO can imagine the benefit of her top salesman's being able to tap into the database minutes before he sits down with...
First, get yourself a computer with a decent sound card (built-in on all Macs and most new PCs) and a fast Internet connection. Cable or DSL is best. In a pinch you can use modems as slow as 56K or even...
...tempted to pass my hands over my computer like a magician's assistant: Look, no wires! I access a website that lets me benchmark my download speed; it clocks in at 2,920 kbps, comparable to my home cable-modem connection and 55 times as fast as the standard 56K dial-up modem. This is impressive. Heartened, I head off to my next destination: Pasadena and two free NANS (neighborhood access networks) operated by private users for the public good. I am filled with good cheer and the promise of a wireless future...