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SOFTWARE REVIEWED: Quick Link Message Centre
RELEASED BY: n/a
PRICE: $15
REVIEWED BY: G-String
REVIEW: -
QuickLink Message Centre is a voice, fax and telecommunications software utility for Windows. Made in 1995, I was given this software free with my modem, a USRobotics Sportster Voice 33.6 Faxmodem with Personal Voice Mail. This modem was not made for the Internet, in my view. I'm with AOL, and I keep trying to move, but none of the other ISPs will recognise my modem. They all use this Internet Connection Wizard which doesn't work well on my PC. (If anyone knows how to solve this problem, please, please email me). But, what am I drivelling on about.
QuickLink enables you to send and receive faxes, have audio conferences, have an answer machine on your computer, and other utilities as well. There is a slight snag with this software. You can't receive faxes from a normal fax machine, they have to be from a computer fax, cos it would be like a picture if it were from a normal fax, or something along those lines. From when you install the software, which comes on one floppy disk, you can be sending a fax in less than five minutes and in five easy steps.
You start QuickLink.
You run notepad from within QuickLink
Save the file and then convert it from text to a QuickLinkFax file (.qfx which is done automatically).
Enter the phone numbers and details for a cover page.
Switch your modem on and press send.
I have tried other fax programs since I got QuickLink, but this piece of software takes up such little room and is so quick and easy to use. With a lot of other programs you have to customise the settings, put in some user ID to start up it settings accustomed to your preferences and all that shit. It really does piss me off. You should be able to install it and then run it. When it says "installation complete", it should be complete! This is the case with QuickLink.
To use the voicemail facilities, you need a microphone or a phone handset. This is to record your greeting for when someone calls. Alternatively you could let the computer use it's own message which is dull and boring and lifeless. I like it better when someone calls and hears this message: "Hello, Hello? HELLO? I can't hear you, no, no you're breaking up. Ah, you're back, never mind. I'm not available, but you can talk to my computer because, it's kinda upset. Yeah, had another fight with the motherboard-in-ternal. Bye." Long and pointless, but it drives people crazy and I like it!
A bad point about fax programs is that you have to have it operating to receive faxes or calls. But I think that this is true for all fax programs and not just QuickLink. Sandy's got SuperFax/SuperVoice/SuperVoice Pro and I can never fax him when he's not got it operating.
Another feature about QuickLink is the DataComm. With this utility you can logon to a remote system, upload and download files, and use Data Phone Lists. I never knew this until a few weeks ago and it is not that simple to use. I don't really understand all this Host Server and Host Mode crap. Anyway, I don't need it so it's useless to me. In my mind it just makes the program look professional and when people watch me using it, they think, "Cor! Blimey! Look at him! He's bloody professional!" and it makes me proud to see them looking at me like that. Ahem! umm... .... . . . . . . .
If you're thinking about fax software there are many new programs around. This is almost 4 years old, and there are newer versions of it, so you might want to look at them. This is very dated and old and not young. But, it is simple, easy and quick to use. It is also very reliable and has never crashed on my computer. The interface is easy to get into and I'm sure there isn't anyone out there who couldn't understand it. The newer version, which is printed in the manual is called QuickLink II Fax. There is also HotFax. These are all available from Smith Micro Software Inc.
SCORE:
70%
MINIMUM HARDWARE REQUIRED:
CPU: 486
RAM: 4MB
?MB HD Space
Windows 3.11\98\95\NT
Modem
LINKS: USA (714) 362-2345