3Com, Microsoft to Ship First Home Networking Products.SANTA CLARA Santa Clara, city, Cuba Santa Clara (sän`tä klä`rä), city (1994 est. pop. 217,000), capital of Villa Clara prov., central Cuba. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 29, 1999-- First in Series, Ethernet-based 3Com(R) HomeConnect(TM) Home Network Product Family Includes Microsoft HomeClick Network Software for Easy Installation and Setup 3Com Corporation (Nasdaq:COMS COMS 3Com Corporation (stock symbol) COMS Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist COMS Continuous Opacity Monitoring Systems COMS City of Manchester Stadium (UK) ) this week ships its first home network products co-branded with Microsoft Corporation (company) Microsoft Corporation - The biggest supplier of operating systems and other software for IBM PC compatibles. Software products include MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, Windows NT, Microsoft Access, LAN Manager, MS Client, SQL Server, Open Data Base Connectivity (ODBC), MS Mail, (Nasdaq:MSFT MSFT Microsoft (stock symbol) MSFT Movimento Sociale Fiamma Tricolore (Italy) MSFT Multi-Stage Fitness Test MSFT Master of Science in Family Therapy MSFT Macalester Students for Fair Trade ), the 3Com(R) HomeConnect(TM) Home Network Ethernet product series. Supplying the bandwidth required by today's most demanding users, 3Com's first home networking product family provides network solutions with speeds up to 100 Mbps (megabits per second (unit) megabits per second - (Mbps, Mb/s) Millions of bits per second. A unit of data rate. 1 Mb/s = 1,000,000 bits per second (not 1,048,576). E.g. Ethernet can carry 10 Mbps. ), with internal PCI (1) (Payment Card Industry) See PCI DSS. (2) (Peripheral Component Interconnect) The most widely used I/O bus (peripheral bus). and external USB USB in full Universal Serial Bus Type of serial bus that allows peripheral devices (disks, modems, printers, digitizers, data gloves, etc.) to be easily connected to a computer. connectivity options. To simplify network setup and use, 3Com's home network kits and adapters include easy-to-use Microsoft(R) HomeClick(TM) Network Software, featuring a step-by-step setup wizard and Network Center application. With HomeClick Network Software, complex network configuration functions are transparent to consumers, since they are completed behind the scenes. Users need only complete a simple series of steps to install their home networks. If necessary, HomeClick Network Software provides equally intuitive troubleshooting, helping consumers pinpoint and correct any errors. 3Com and Microsoft have incorporated several innovations in their home networking products to address today's computing needs. These include features such as device discovery - used when adding new printers to the network. When a printer is added to the network, driver installation occurs on each networked PC, via HomeClick Network Software. Another innovative feature of 3Com's home networking solutions is support for home and office network profiles. 3Com believes that more than half of multiple-PC homes will include a laptop that alternates between the office and the home. The HomeClick Network Software enables hassle-free switching between network profiles through a simple desktop shortcut (1) In Windows, a shortcut is an icon that points to a program or data file. Shortcuts can be placed on the desktop or stored in other folders, and double clicking a shortcut is the same as double clicking the original file. . When connecting to either network, saved network settings are loaded to match the appropriate network requirements. HomeConnect home networking kits provide all the necessary hardware and software needed to set up a home network for high-speed Internet See broadband. access, peripheral and personal file sharing Copying files from one computer to another. See peer-to-peer network, file sharing protocol and file and printer sharing. . Consumers will be able to leverage the latest networking features of the Windows operating system operating system (OS) Software that controls the operation of a computer, directs the input and output of data, keeps track of files, and controls the processing of computer programs. , including Internet Connection Sharing Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) is the name given by Microsoft to a feature in recent versions of its Windows operating system (as of Windows 98 Second Edition) for sharing a single Internet connection on one computer between other computers on the same local area network. , through an additional CD that updates the host system to Windows 98 Second Edition. In addition, each HomeConnect Home Network Ethernet Kit and Adapter includes trial editions of popular single- and multi-player games from Microsoft, such as: Age of Empires -- Rise of Rome The rise of Rome to dominate the overt politics of Europe, North Africa and the Near East completely from the 1st century BC to the 4th century AD, is the subject of a great deal of analysis by historians, military strategists, political scientists and increasingly also some ; Microsoft Golf `99; Microsoft Baseball 2000; Monster Truck Madness Monster Truck Madness (codename : Metal Crush, pre-release name : Heavy Metal Truck) is a PC game developed by Terminal Reality and published by Microsoft, in 1996. A racing game, Monster Truck Madness II; Close Combat III and access to the MSN (1) (MicroSoft Network) A family of Internet-based services from Microsoft, which includes a search engine, e-mail (Hotmail), instant messaging (Windows Live Messaging) and a general-purpose portal with news, information and shopping (MSN Directory). Gaming Zone. Today's announcement marks the first time Ethernet has been exclusively packaged for consumers' home use. Increasingly, high-quality wiring is offered during new home construction or remodeling remodeling /re·mod·el·ing/ (re-mod´el-ing) reorganization or renovation of an old structure. bone remodeling - a natural investment for computer-savvy households. In addition, home offices are increasingly prevalent, sometimes containing multiple PCs within the same room. 3Com's HomeConnect Ethernet home networking solutions are perfect for both scenarios. "3Com is synonymous with networking," commented Rich Redelfs, vice president of 3Com's Wireless and Home Connectivity Division. "Today's announcement extends that expertise into homes for the first time, connecting consumers to information that matters. What's more, 3Com stands alone in our ability to offer both an internal home network and an external network connection with our DSL DSL in full Digital Subscriber Line Broadband digital communications connection that operates over standard copper telephone wires. It requires a DSL modem, which splits transmissions into two frequency bands: the lower frequencies for voice (ordinary , cable, ISDN ISDN in full Integrated Services Digital Network Digital telecommunications network that operates over standard copper telephone wires or other media. and analog modems." "With more and more homes having multiple PCs, people want to be able to share files and resources such as printers and Internet connections," said Rick Thompson, vice president of Microsoft's Hardware Group. "The HomeConnect home networking kits make this simple." Providing consumers a wealth of options, 3Com HomeConnect Home Network Ethernet products include both kits and expansion products -- such as additional hubs and adapters. HomeConnect Home Network Ethernet Kits: All the necessary components for a two-user network in one box. -0-
-- 3Com HomeConnect Home Network Ethernet Kit/Internal (10/100 Mbps,
PCI) Contains: Two 10/100 Mbps internal PCI Ethernet network
adapters; One five-port, 10/100 Mbps dual-speed Ethernet hub with
110V power supply; two 25-foot Category-5 UTP cables; Quick Start
Guide; Microsoft HomeClick Network Software CD; Windows 98 Second
Edition Update CD; Microsoft Games Sampler CD. Estimated street
price: $179.99 (all prices listed are in U.S. currency)
-- 3Com HomeConnect Home Network Ethernet Kit/External (10 Mbps,
USB) Contains: Two 10 Mbps external USB Ethernet network
adapters; One five-port, 10Mbps Ethernet hub with 110V power
supply; two 25-foot Category-5 UTP cables; Quick Start Guide;
Microsoft HomeClick Network Software CD; Windows 98 Second
Edition Update CD; Microsoft Games Sampler CD. Estimated street
price: $189.99
-0- Additional HomeConnect Home Network Products: After a home network is in place, these products are used to add additional functionality and/or users. -0-
-- 3Com HomeConnect Home Network Ethernet Adapter/PCI (10/100 Mbps)
Contains: One 10/100 Mbps internal PCI Ethernet network adapter;
Quick Start Guide; Microsoft HomeClick Network Software CD;
Windows 98 Second Edition Update CD; Microsoft Games Sampler CD.
Estimated street price: $49.99
-- 3Com HomeConnect Home Network Ethernet Adapter/USB (10 Mbps)
Contains: One 10 Mbps external USB Ethernet network adapter;
Quick Start Guide; Microsoft HomeClick Network Software CD;
Windows 98 Second Edition Update CD; Microsoft Games Sampler CD.
Estimated street price: $69.99
-- 3Com HomeConnect Home Network Ethernet Hub (10/100 Mbps Dual
Speed) Contains: One five-port 10/100 Mbps dual speed Ethernet
network hub; 110V power supply; 3Com User Guide. Estimated street
price: $99.99
-- 3Com HomeConnect Home Network Ethernet Hub (10 Mbps) Contains:
One five-port 10 Mbps Ethernet network hub; 110V power supply;
3Com User Guide. Estimated street price: $39.99
-0- About 3Com Corporation With approximately 300 million customers worldwide, 3Com Corporation connects more people to information in more ways than any other networking company. 3Com delivers innovative information access products and network system solutions to large, medium and small enterprises; carriers and network service providers; PC OEMs; and consumers. 3Com -- More connected.(TM) For further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site at www.3com.com or the press site at www.3com.com/pressbox. Microsoft, Windows and HomeClick are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. 3Com is a registered trademark and More connected. and HomeConnect are trademarks of 3Com Corporation. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Note to editors: contact Dave DeVries for industry analyst references. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion