3Com Corp, Santa Clara has announced PCMCIA versions of its EtherLink III parallel tasking Ethernet adaptors, which it says are up to 110% faster then competing offerings. 3Com is basing its claim on research conducted by LANQuest Labs, which it says has demonstrated that they out-performed competing offerings from Xircom Inc, IBM Corp and National Semiconductor Corp by 45% to 110%. The adaptors incorporate the company’s Parallel Tasking technology, originally announced in 1992, and for which 3Com has applied for a patent. Another aspect of the products which 3Com is keen to push is their ease of installation: it says that, by using its AutoLink installation software, users can simply plug the boards in and select the install a NetWare DOS client option from the EtherDisk menu. The adaptors are available immediately, and are to have estimated street prices of $225 for the twisted pair version, and $270 for the Combo (twisted pair and thin coax) versions, both in a five-pack.
