Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : WAVX Anyone? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bill Fischofer who wrote (8722)	8/14/1999 10:36:00 PM
From: cm	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 11417

If All That WAVX Had To Offer Was A Usage Meter... I might be worried. Thankfully, the "usage meter" will be, among other things, a doorway to new, exciting digital content offerings. The token or USB or chip will be my ticket to things that either I can't get right now... or ways of getting those things that aren't available at present: try before you buy, pay to play by the hour, etc. Perhaps, for one part of the market it will end up being the key to accessing distance learning courses or digital libraries from a particularly respected university. For another, it may be a pass to live concerts by premier music artists. And those are the tamer, more predictable possiblities, in my opinion. (Hey, I ain't no futurist. Most days, I'm not even a presentist.) A while back, I cited the SIGM example. One way that they will be selling their product is through a Web site that offers news producers and broadcasters clips of "filler" material and special video features. Tease them with the prospect of accessing compelling or useful or engaging content, then get them to buy the device... whatever that device happens to be. Now, further on... I noted an interesting passage on the HP World web site that, I think, had changed from a prior iteration. It said, in effect, that if authorized by the owner of the EMBASSY-enabled device, the customer's web interactions could be collected and analyzed. Advertisers, of course, want this kind of data to create more personalized offerings. Privacy advocates fear that this is Big Brother, although it apparently doesn't bother them their card purchases are similarly analyzed and monitored. I think there will be trade off here. I may opt for a free device or free service or both in exchange for having my interactions and click streams monitored. Now, if only WebTV users had been offered such a tradeoff! Their interactions are studied and parsed (at least, that was the case a while back)... and they're still paying for the privilege of the service. For me, I could care less who's watching where I go on the Web. If it results in product offerings and opportunities that better reflect my interests, I'm all for it. After all, the very definition of spam in my books at least is... STUFF I'M NOT INTERESTED IN. I look forward to next week, if only for the chance to hear the conference call on Monday... and to gauge the company's progress through its answers to investors' questions. Best Regards, c m

To: Bill Fischofer who wrote (8722)	8/16/1999 12:22:00 PM
From: Sophie Janne	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 11417

Bill, Wave's attention is squarely focused on ensuring privacy for its users. It is one of the company's highest priorities. The fact is that EMBASSY enables usage-metering only if the user agrees to the metering. Wave allows this kind of metering when, for example, the user agrees with an OEM to trade free internet access for the right to meter the user's surfing. In other words, it is not a foregone conclusion that EMBASSY will meter anything, yet some users are not averse to providing personal information in exchange for a PC or access or something they believe has value. EMBASSY will enable these transactions to have more trust, efficiency, and privacy. Sophie