From PC Magazine.
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Internet Appliances
By Michael J. Miller
February 17, 2000
Internet appliances were the hit of the recent Winter
Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. As I went
from booth to booth, everyone seemed to have some
new gadget dedicated either to the convergence of the
Internet and other technologies or to just plain
inexpensive access.
I was amazed by the number of companies offering new
set-top boxes that work with TVs or wrist devices that
get Internet content. There were even combination
satellite TV and Internet-access devices from both
Microsoft's WebTV and America Online.
I certainly do think there's a need for a simpler device
that is always on and is good for checking Internet
information, even if it isn't the primary device. One of the
neatest products I saw was the CMi Worldwide Icebox,
an Internet access device designed for the kitchen that
can play CDs, show TV, and let you access the Web.
Of course, it requires its own access provider, but so do
most of these devices. The neatest part of the demo:
when the company reps put the keyboard in the sink to
wash it. They understand where these devices will be
used.
But whether any of these devices are quite ready for
prime time is a big question. They require their own
ISPs, and most don't integrate with other services you
might already have, such as POP or IMAP e-mail
accounts. Many have unusual operating systems and
browsers and thus can't take advantage of the many
popular plug-ins such as Real-Audio, Shockwave, and
QuickTime.
There were lots of approaches. Companies like
Microsoft and Compaq seem to think that consumers
want a simple Web surfing device with Windows CE
and a low-power processor. Their model is a small
sleek device that looks more like a kitchen appliance
than a computer, but until it ships, who knows how well
it will perform? Intel goes in the other direction: a
machine with an Intel processor that runs Linux instead
of Windows. Again, the device should be powerful, but
we won't know until we see it. And Linux still needs
some plug-in and Web-browsing support.
This is a little confusing: Both companies seem to think
we need easier-to-use, lower-cost devices, and they're
right. But Microsoft seems to think its OS is the most
important feature, and Intel thinks its processor is.
Stands to reason. Of course, the Internet appliance
most people use today — and will continue to use for
the foreseeable future — has both: a Microsoft OS and
an Intel-compatible processor. You guessed it: It's a
PC.
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