Complete Bookshop/CompleteWorkshop.iso/lists/reviews/faxport.txt

Text File | 1991-06-20 | 4KB | 67 lines

                           The Complete FAX/Portable
                         Copyright 1990 David Batterson

     The laptop/notebook PC market continues on an upward spiral, as more
businesses realize the importance of using computers on the road.  Two of the
leading remote PC uses are for e-mail and FAX.
     Stand-along fax machines keep shrinking, and they will eventually be
used routinely with cellular phones.  Right now, most cellular phone owners
don't use them for FAX messages.
     Most laptops have limited slot availability, so internal FAX cards may not
be practical.  The Complete FAX/Portable is designed for laptop use in hotel
rooms, remote offices and warehouses, at airports and similar locations.
     It's a true pocket-size unit, measuring 5 3/4 x 3 x 1 inches.  It uses a
standard 9v battery [for up to three hours continuous use] or the AC adapter.
It comes with cable, 25-pin adapter and phone cord.  FAX resolution is standard
98 x 204  or fine resolution (196 x 204).
     Requirements include 640K RAM, hard disk with 3MB available, PC- or MS-DOS
3.1 or higher, analog (not digital) phone line, and Hercules, CGA, EGA or VGA
monitor.  You'll need a printer, of course, if you want hard copies.
     More than 100 dot matrix and laser printers are supported, so no problems
there.  If you want to send hard copies, you'll have to carry along a page
scanner, like those from DEST, HP, Microtek, The Complete PC and Canon.
     The Complete FAX/Portable [abbreviated as CFAX/P] allows conversions of
FAX files.  You can convert to FAX from: .PCX (PC Paintbrush), .CUT (Dr.
HALO), .MSP (Microsoft Paint), .PRN (Epson FX) and ASCII formats.  You can
covert from FAX to: .PCX, .CUT, .MSP. and .TIF (scanners).
     You don't have to convert any of those files before sending.  The software
converts them to FAX format automatically.  You have the option of converting
them beforehand, as it speeds up things somewhat.
     Like a FAX machine, you can broadcast a FAX to multiple locations,
schedule for later transmission, and perform polling (to and from).  One handy
feature is the ability to fax from within your word processor or spreadsheet
program, using a pop-up FAX window.
     Installation of the CFAX/P software is not difficult.  Configuration
requires selecting your COM port, printer, page scanner (if any), phone system
information and hot key choice.  Changes will be made in your AUTOEXEC.BAT and
CONFIG.SYS files, with the old ones saved.
     I didn't especially like software used by The Complete Communicator
(reviewed last year).  The CFAX/P software is also somewhat awkward, and needs
a major updating.
     It does the job, but users will find it dated.  There are no pull-down
menus, for instance.  You use F-keys and/or menu bars to select commands, and
there is no mouse support.
     There's another drawback with the CFAX/P.  It cannot receive or send FAXes
in the background, like The Complete FAX and Connection CoProcessor internal
boards do.  However, it will convert or print files in the background.
     Therefore, when CFAX/P sends/receives a FAX, your other applications come
screeching to a halt temporarily.  Depending on how you configure CFAX/P,
you either get a pop-up FAX status window or beep tones during transmissions.
     Displaying received FAXes is competent enough.  You can change the view
from the default half page to full page, or zoom in to see detail.  You can
reverse and flip the FAX images too.
     As for hard copies, you can configure CFAX/P to print automatically, or
just manually print the ones you wish.  CFAX/P lets you create cover sheets,
and you can customize these with a logo, via a scanner or paint program.
     I did like the ability to send just a cover sheet, as there is adequate
space for average-length text messages.  There's a phone book, which can
contain up to 999 entries.  This lets you select groups or individuals for
your automated FAX transmissions.
     The CFAX/P has its uses, but I still prefer FAX cards to the portable
external models.  It might serve your needs just fine.
     The list price is $499.  For more information, contact The Complete PC,
1983 Concourse Drive, San Jose, CA  95131; 408-434-0145, FAX: [phone].
                                       #
     David Batterson reviews various PC hardware and software.  Send comments
via MCI Mail: DBATTERSON.