The title of this article, "An Unsung Hero," will give you a hint as to why I'm starting this series with a discussion of the PalmModem, pictured in Figure A.

FIGURE A

Connect to the Internet using the PalmModem. Click picture for a larger image.

The PalmModem is a fairly low-tech device for Internet access, yet it's a very useful one. It's a relatively inexpensive and simple device to use for your first attempts to access the Internet, so, although it doesn't get as much press as those high-tech wireless modems, I consider this device to be an unsung hero for Internet connectivity.

The primary point in favor of the PalmModem is its low cost. It's relatively cheap to buy and very cheap to use. There certainly aren't any airtime minutes expended when using it! If connecting to your ISP (Internet Service Provider) is a local call for you, the only cost to use it is the price of batteries.

Because it's basically free to use, I often end up using my PalmModem more than the wireless solution I have for connecting to the Internet (more on that in next month's article). In fact, when I'm at home, my PalmModem sits right next to my recliner in the living room. That way I can plug it into the phone line each morning, attach it to my Palm IIIc, and use it to pick up email. It's certainly far easier and faster to use than going upstairs and booting up my Compaq desktop PC. When is Microsoft ever going to come up with an "instant-on" desktop operating system anyway?

Well, I'm getting a little ahead of myself. First, I should tell you a little more about the PalmModem and how you can use it to access the Internet.

Technical details
The PalmModem is a 33.6K modem that snaps onto the bottom of a Palm device. I must admit to being a little surprised that the PalmModem is only a 33.6K modem. It's getting pretty hard these days to find any modem that's slower than 56K. In reality, for the data volumes I typically deal with on my Palm device, 33.6K turns out to be fast enough.

Different versions of the PalmModem are available for Palm III-series and Palm V-series devices. I bought my own PalmModem directly from Palm, Inc. Palm will sell you a Palm III-series model for $99 plus shipping. The official name of the product is the PalmModem Connectivity Kit. It's found at http://www.palm.com/products/palmiii/modem.html.