H-Bomb, big trouble for box makers when you can buy a hybrid PC that provides Internet access and Email for $199 + monthly. Who really buys a PC nowadays for Excel and Word? Once the bugs are worked out the 2nd-3rd generation models will rock.
>>January 27, 2000
Simple New Gadget
Lets You Go Online
By WALTER S. MOSSBERG
For years, I've been a staunch supporter of the new type of digital device called an "information appliance" or "Internet appliance." That's a specialized, simplified computer that does only a few things -- such as traversing the Internet or exchanging e-mail -- but does them very well, with far fewer hassles than a personal computer inflicts.
This year many such devices will finally be rolling out. But just because it's a good concept doesn't mean that each entry will be worth buying. Some, perhaps many, will be failures. I intend to judge them case by case, and so should consumers.
First up this year is a promising device from Netpliance, a start-up company in Austin, Texas. It's the first full-function, full-color desktop Internet appliance to hit the market. It goes by the ungainly name of i-Opener and costs $199, plus $21.95 a month for the Internet hookup. If you're interested, however, you should move fast, because the price rises to $299 starting Sunday. The i-Opener is currently sold only at the Netpliance Web site, www.netpliance.com, or by phone at 1-800-iopener. In a few weeks, the company says, it will be on sale at Circuit City stores.
The i-Opener is small enough and good-looking enough to go in a kitchen, bedroom or family room. It consists of a crisp, vivid, 10-inch flat-panel color screen mounted on a plastic base via stainless-steel rods.
In front sits a small keyboard, decked out with special keys for e-mail, news, weather, shopping and the like. There's even a pizza key, which brings up the Web page for a pizza-delivery company. The keyboard also contains a pointing device that's meant to replace a mouse, but it works quite badly so I recommend you order the optional mouse for $20. You can hook up a printer, but only one Canon model is compatible.
I like the i-Opener. Despite a few drawbacks, it's a good option for both novice Internet users who disdain a PC and veteran PC owners who want a cheap, second Internet-access device that can be used in rooms where a PC would be too large or would look out of place.
Unlike a PC, the i-Opener starts right up when you turn it on and shuts right down when you turn it off. There's no operating system to learn, no files or folders -- and no crashes, in my tests. It automatically dials into the Internet six times a day to fetch e-mail and update its news and other content. It will also dial in whenever you call up a Web page or want to check e-mail manually. If you have e-mail waiting, a light goes on.
Netpliance's I-Opener
The user interface is very clean and understandable, and the small screen is sharp enough to pack in at least as much of a Web page as a typical PC. Using the i-Opener, I checked my stocks, ordered a book at Amazon.com and used many popular sites, including Yahoo!, The Interactive Journal, CNET, Slate and CNN. I was able to receive photos sent by e-mail, but not able to send photos out.
The I-Opener offers three types of Web content. First, it has major channels, such as news, sports, shopping and finance, that are arrayed in a circle of icons on the home page. These are proprietary Web services, produced by Netpliance, and they are updated all day so you can read relatively recent versions offline.
The second level is called the Web Guide, and it's a large collection of recommended Web sites, arranged by category. The third level is the wide-open Web. The i-Opener lets you go to any Web site you choose, even if it's not in the Web Guide. And you can create a list of your favorite sites for future reference.<< |
