 A Popcom modem plugged into the wall | |
| Design firm |
|
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Prentice Communication |
| Introduced | 1984 |
| Discontinued | 1989 |
| Type | Modem |
| Speed |
|
Popcom (an abbreviation of Popular Communications[1]) was a line of modems marketed by the Prentice Corporation of Sunnyvale, California, introduced in 1984. The line comprised six models—X100, X150, C100, C150, C200, C250—the C models being internal modems meant to plug into a free ISA expansion slot of a PC compatible, while the X models were compact external units intended to be plugged into a wall indefinitely and connected to the computer via a serial cable. The X100 and X150 were noted by the press for their very small physical footprint among its contemporaries in the market.[2]
The whole line-up of modems were largely compatible with the Hayes command set for modem–computer communication, although Prentice programmed an extended feature set onto their ROMs, which allowed the modems to recover from temporary hiccups in transmissions and switch between voice communication and data transmission nearly on-the-fly. Although a successful product for Prentice, making the company one of the top manufacturers of modems for IBM PCs and compatibles,[3] it could not save the company from filing for bankruptcy in 1989, after which the Popcom modem line was discontinued.
- ^ Rosch 1987, p. 192.
- ^ Phillips 1985, pp. 75–76.
- ^ Scanlan 1989, p. 55.