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Technology Stocks : America On-Line (AOL) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Vendit™ who wrote (29952)	8/24/1999 9:06:00 AM
From: ANANT	Respond to of 41369

All roads lead to Internet at Berlin high-tech fair By Deborah Cole BERLIN, Aug 24 (Reuters) - When the curtain rises on the International Consumer Electronics Fair in Berlin on Thursday, firms from around the globe will unveil cyber-age gadgets to make life on the eve of the new millennium easier and more fun. The IFA fair, billed as the world's largest showcase for new consumer electronics, will draw nearly 850 companies from 36 countries and highlight the blurring lines between computers and TVs and the seemingly unlimited ways to access the Internet. Vendors will show consumers the way to the World Wide Web via cable lines, satellites, television antennae and even mobile phone networks. "The focus of the IFA is digital evolution," said Klaus Juergen Dreier, head of the fair organising committee. "The convergence of consumer electronics, telecommunications and computer technology, which has become a watchword of the industry, is based on this digital development." Television will also be at the forefront of new ways to access the Internet as the industry battles to determine whether interactive televisions with online connections or television via computers will rule the market in coming decades. Key to the issue is the development of a broadband cable network, which promises to vastly improve the speed and quality of images and sound carried over the Internet, leaving behind eternal waits and tinny reception that mar the service today. The issue has thrown the spotlight in Germany on Deutsche Telekom's sale of its cable network, one of the largest in the world serving 17.5 million households. Media companies and telecommunications groups have lined up for the right to upgrade the network for more sophisticated data transfer. AOL Europe, the joint venture of America Online Inc <AOL.N> and German media giant Bertelsmann AG <BTGGga.F>, will introduce a flat monthly rate for Internet service in Germany at IFA in a move to undercut market leader Deutsche Telekom AG <DTEG.F>. AOL launched subscription-free service in Britain on Tuesday, challenging Britain's market leader Freeserve Plc <FRE.L> and some 200 small Internet competitors. The IFA, held every two years, is expected to draw 400,000 visitors in 1999, its 75th anniversary. Electronics companies use the event to show off up-and-coming technology and to give new products a boost before the Christmas season. Digital Versatile Discs (DVD), which are said to offer a leap in sound and picture quality over standard video cassettes, are one of the products preparing to take the IFA by storm this year, industry analysts said. Sales in the United States are expected to reach four million by the end of the year and 97 percent of German consumer electronics retailers and manufacturers said in a recent survey that they expected DVD to help revitalise the market. Meanwhile cellular phones the size of a credit card and a two million mark stereo system promise to draw crowds hungry for the state-of-the-art in consumer technology. The giant stereo system is the focus of an attempt to stir up interest in hi-fi systems, where sales have been flagging in Europe due to the rise of the Internet and the popularity of outdoor sports like inline skating among young people. The major German television networks, which been a focal point of the fair in past years, are largely boycotting the event this year. They plan to stage a rival show from August 31 to September 2 in the German capital. Big computer manufacturers have also stayed away in droves this year, saying that the IFA has developed primarily into a forum for consumer entertainment technology. ($1=1.867 Mark)

To: Vendit™ who wrote (29952)	8/24/1999 9:15:00 AM
From: Annette	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 41369

I'll keep my eye on my DTV channels...maybe AOL TV will be between CNBC and Bloomberg TV!

To: Vendit™ who wrote (29952)	8/24/1999 9:46:00 AM
From: eCurl	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 41369

I definitely believe that wireless access will be ATLEAST as crucial as broadband. However, I think that Hughes DTV will only solve part of the problem for AOL, i.e. there is only that much you can expect from satellite mobile access. I would love to see AOL strike a deal with guys like Phone.com, Qualcomm, as well as some of the major GSM service providers in Europe and Asia. That would really secure their dominance at a Global level. eCurl >>>>Yes......wireless Internet as well as AOL web TV will be >>>delivered thru Hughes DTV. AOL struck a deal and invested 1.5 billion >>>dollars into Hughes earlier this year. Expect AOL wireless this fall. >>>Vendit