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[ Go to March 1997 Table of Contents ]
WinLab Reviews
-- by Marc Spiwak
With expansion slots at a premium in your PC, you will eventually face the tough choice of deciding among peripherals. One way to get around the problem is to use Amquest's Commando, a sound card and modem combination that provides a 14.4 fax, a 28.8 modem, a Sound Blaster-compatible wavetable sound card, a speakerphone and voice mail. It even has a game port for a joystick. An IBM Mwave digital signal processor powers the card. Installing the Commando was a snap. I initiated an Add New Hardware session, told it not to search for hardware, chose Other Devices and selected Have Disk. Three installation floppy disks provided the necessary drivers. On rebooting, Windows 95 recognized all the hardware options and installed the needed software. Another reboot, and wavetable sound, a fast modem, fax machine capability, a game port and other features were at my fingertips. I added all those options in one shot, and even freed up a slot. Communications software, IBM Mwave software, MIDI files, conferencing software and online starter packs are included. This comprehensive package offers good functionality and saves expansion space in a tight system. Price: $139 Platforms: 3x, 95 Amquest Corp. 800-577-3335, 717-569-8030 Circle #680 or visit Winfo Online WinMag Box Score: 3.5 Copyright (c) 1997 CMP Media Inc.
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