Computer and Technology

A recent FCC report indicates that AT&T may soon offer the Nokia Internet Stick CS-12. While this is not confirmed by either company, the technical specs of the device show that it will support AT&T's GSM and WCDMA bands. The stick is capable of 14.4Mbps download speeds, though AT&T's network can only support 3.6Mbps in most markets.

Did you know that by changing a few settings you can make your dial-up modem run better? That's right—you might have a fast modem and a good connection, but you're not getting the best performance. With a few adjustments, you can get faster connection speeds.

NOTE: Since every PC configuration is different, these adjustments might not work for everyone.

With Windows 95, 98 & ME you'll need to open your Control Panel ( Start / Control Panel ). Click "System" then choose "Device Manager". Open up "Ports", highlight your modem port (should be COM2), and choose "Properties" near the bottom. When you click "Port Settings", you will see the modem speed listed under "Bits per second".

With Win XP , just hold down the Alt key and double-click "My Computer" to bring up System Properties. Click the "Hardware" tab, then choose the "Device Manager" button. Scroll down to "Modems" and click the little (—) to show your modem, then double click it.

Selecting the "Modem" tab will allow you to adjust the port speed.


Usually, the Maximum Port Speed is on the highest setting (115,000 bps), but sometimes you will find it on a slower default of 9600 bps. If you have a 56k modem, you can crank it up to the maximum setting without any trouble (in most cases). If you live in a cave and have a 28k modem, then the fastest you can do is 57,600 bps.

Win 9x users should also adjust the "Flow Control" near the bottom. The default for this is usually Xon/Xoff which is the software control—change this to "Hardware" if you want to get the most from your modem. Next, click the "Advanced" button to adjust the Receiver Buffer to its highest setting (all the way to the right). If you run into any problems, just turn this one back to the 2/3 setting.

To check/adjust the Receive-Transmit buffers in XP, click the "Advanced" tab of your modem properties then choose the "Advanced Port Settings" button. Make sure that both are set to their highest settings.

There are many more tweaks that can be done in the registry, but the potential for disaster is too high for the average user. Some folks install dial-up accelerators, which basically tweak these registry settings for you and perform other routines to optimize performance.

Just by changing these few settings, though, you should see better performance.

Sprint at CES has rolled out a quartet of new devices, including the first-ever hotspot router to mix both 3G and 4G. The Sierra Wireless Overdrive can tap into either the EVDO-based 3G network or the WiMAX-based 4G network and, much like its rival the MiFi, share the cellular link over Wi-Fi to as many as five nearby devices. Sprint pitches it as a way of getting Wi-Fi only devices like the iPod touch on to a network without sacrificing speed or coverage.

The router can geolocate itself when on 3G and is rare in having a microSDHC slot that can be used as networked storage. Sprint says the Overdrive should be available Sunday the 10th and that it will carry a $100 price tag after both a $50 rebate and signing a two-year data plan.

The phone lineup is headed by LG's Rumor Touch. It replaces the outside physical buttons that dominated the earlier Rumor with a 3-inch touchscreen and has a relatively high-end feature set for the price that includes GPS, 32GB microSDHC support and a 2-megapixel camera. It ships sometime before the end of March and will have its price revealed closer to the launch date.

Also involved is the Lotus Elite, a new version of the wide messaging clamshell that adds a larger 2.4-inch external LCD in addition to a same-size display on the inside; it also takes up to 32GB in microSDHC storage and has dedicated buttons for messaging and social networking. Like the Overdrive, it should ship on the 10th for $100 following a contract and rebate.

Wrapping up the news is word that a version of the Samsung Moment has been outfitted with a Mobile DTV tuner and can pick up free, digital over-the-air broadcasts without sacrificing its Android platform. Sprint is trialing these versions of the smartphone in the Baltimore and Washington, DC areas in winter but hasn't said whether it will make this regularly available.