On the Software Side

Vendors provide software utilities that enhance their telephony hardware. An easy-to-use interface lets typical SOHO users get up and running within minutes of installation. All the telephony boards we tested have software packages that include three main components: voice, fax, and data. The easiest-to-use programs are those that provide an icon-based central location where you can launch the applications; these include Trio Information Systems' Trio Communication Suite 5.0 (shipped with Aztech's board), Hayes' Smartcom Message Center LE, and US Robotics' QuickLink II.

Voice mail is one of the most attractive features of telephony. All the software packages we saw let you easily create multiple voice-mail boxes with both prerecorded and pers onalized greetings. They also offer password- protected remote access for mailbox users.

Digital Simultaneous Voice and Data (DSVD) allows data transmission during a normal phone call, which lets you do things like discuss changes to a file while simultaneously transferring it to another location. DSVD technology may become more popular as a way of conversing with opponents on modem-run multiplayer games.

You can easily create, view, send, and receive faxes from within the same application. The packages also allow fax broadcasting (i.e., sending a fax to multiple locations without manually dialing each number).