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Articles -
The
Impact Fax Pro in the CTI Test Drive.
 Black Ice Software offers a scalable fax development
toolkit for Windows, Windows 95, and Windows NT. This is the
Impact Fax line of products, which includes Impact Fax Pro,
Impact Fax On Demand , Impact Fax From Web, and Impact Fax
Server for the Internet. We brought Impact Fax Pro into our
labs for testing . This product is aimed to compete directly
with WinFax Pro and provide an alternative solution for VARS,
OEMs , and advanced end users. It is designed to run on the
NT 3.5, 4.0, and Windows Win 95 platforms as standalone software.
INSTALLATION
We decided to install the Impact
Fax Pro software on a PC running Windows 95. The installation was
extremely simple , requiring us only to insert the CD that came
with the package and run a setup file . The prompts that followed
were brief and uncomplicated, with the entire process taking no
more than five minutes . When we ran the program we noticed our
oversight, as we had installed the software on a PC with no modem.
So , we moved over to another computer and reinstalled the software.
Luckily, this only cost us five minutes of our time.
DOCUMENTATION
Everything that Black Ice sent
to us came on the same CD as the installation file, including the
documentation for the software . Often we have noticed that manuals
supplied in a digital format rather than on paper tend to be more
meticulous in nature , and in this case there was no exception.
The documentation covered everything we hoped to learn about the
software , as well as some things that are only pertinent to developers
and advanced users . We also took a look at Black Ice’s Web site
and found this to be complete as well . It provided us with another
means of downloading Impact Fax Pro, as well as many of Black Ice’s
other products , through their HTTP or their FTP site. Information
on all these products was also easy to find , and there was even
a section of safe-fax jokes. One thing we think should be made
available is the documentation for the software.
FEATURES
Impact Fax Pro comes in three different configurations. These are a 4-port
or 4-channel version, a 12-port version , and an unlimited port version. All
of these configurations require Windows 95/98 or NT 3.5/4.0 . Impact Fax Pro
supports any Class 1, Class 2, or Class 2.0, BICOM, Brooktrout, Dialogic, or
GammaLink board , and is compatible with most modems.
With the software, users have the following capabilities:
- Multi-port faxing, voice
mail, fax on demand, and fax broadcasting.
- Send and receive picture-quality
color faxes with industry standard ITU T.30E.
- A cover page editor.
- Fax and fax queue management
There are also fax annotation capabilities, such as:
- Automatic printing of incoming
faxes.
- Automatic faxing of files
dropped into directories.
- The ability to view, print,
import, or export many different file-formats.
- Phonebook with export and
import.
OPERATIONAL TESTING
We tested the features of Impact
Fax Pro by setting it up to do some simple faxing . We faxed a couple
of documents both in black-and-white and color to our existing fax
lines in the office , and also received a few faxes from the other
direction. Each of these faxes succeeded , and the quality was definitely
there. What we especially enjoyed was the automatic faxing ability
. By dragging and dropping files into a reserved folder, Impact Fax
Pro was able to automatically send these files to the destination
fax . The GUI for the software (Figure 1) was also good quality,
with plenty of buttons for easy access . The menu system for the
interface is extensive, and the options are plentiful. It provides
both a Send Log and a Receive Log for the management of files , both
sortable by date, time, ID, fax number, and the type of fax. This
makes it easy to locate faxes. From the GUI , we were also able to
access the phone book for the software.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
For the most part, the Impact
Fax Pro software from Black Ice is a deployable solution for faxing
in the workplace . We found this especially the case in the small
to mid-sized company. About the only thing hindering the software
is the pricing for the installations with board support . With four-port
fax capabilities at $79.95 for modem support, the pricing is reasonable
. When moving up to a four-port system with board support , the savings
become less of a factor. Of course, as more ports are added, the
price per port is mathematically better . Since so many companies
have fax products, the pricing seems a little steep. This, however,
does not detract from the software itself , which is very good.
CONCLUSION
While we were impressed with
the abilities of Black Ice’s Impact Fax Pro, we must stress that
this is one of many solutions for faxing from the PC . Potential
buyers should plan on looking deeper into their needs and assessing
some of the products. Many of these products have passed through
our hands and performed very well . Evaluating these products with
your company’s specific needs is something that should be done on
a case-by-case basis . When determining these needs for your company,
be sure to consider Black Ice’s product as it excels in its faxing
capabilities.
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