Net appliances make Web surfing easier: The perfect gift for grandma?
NEW YORK, Nov 12, 2000 (The Canadian Press via COMTEX) -- Want to do e-mail and
Web-surf without the hassle of a computer? You're a candidate for an Internet
appliance, a machine that doesn't force you to figure out the megahertz and
megabytes. Internet appliances are still taking shape conceptually, and
manufacturers are experimenting to find out what people will like.
Microsoft Corp. is getting computer manufacturers to make appliances that use
its software and Internet access network, MSN.
Compaq Computer Corp.'s iPAQ IA-1 and the eMachines Inc. MSN Companion both work
exclusively with MSN for Web browsing and e-mail.
Another appliance comes from 3Com Corp., mostly known for making computer
networking gear and for spinning off its Palm unit, maker of handheld
organizers.
Named Audrey, the 3Com machine departs radically from the accepted notion of a
computer - and differs from the Compaq and eMachines offerings in allowing a
choice of Internet service providers.
All three devices are much easier to use and are more reliable than personal
computers.
But they pay for simplicity with a limited range of features. They have no hard
drives, so you can't install software or save documents. Forget games, word
processing and spreadsheets. In fact, you can't do anything at all with the
Microsoft devices unless you are connected to the Internet.
The Audrey is more ambitious. When disconnected, it allows access to already
received e-mail, some saved Web pages, an address book and a calendar.
It is a tablet the size of a phone book with an eight-inch colour screen, and
can hang on a wall or stand free using a fold-out support.
Instead of a mouse, it comes with a pen that is used to tap on the
touch-sensitive screen. A small battery-powered keyboard communicates with the
tablet using infrared rays, much like a TV remote control.
The first part of the setup is easy - simply plug in a phone line and a power
cord. There's no fiddling with monitor cables, mouse cords or any of the other
half-dozen cords that stick out the back of a typical PC.
But getting the Audrey actually connected to the Internet is not as easy as with
the Microsoft devices - inevitably, since the software is not made by the
Internet service provider.
Setting it up with a local access provider requires finding out dial-in phone
numbers and mail server names. This isn't difficult, but it is an extra step.
Audrey will not work, however, with America Online, the biggest Internet service
provider.
AOL is partnering with computer manufacturer Gateway Inc. to ship an Internet
appliance of its own for the holiday season.
Impressively, the Audrey connects to the popular Palm and Visor handheld
organizers. This means that the handhelds' address books and calendars can be
made available on the Audrey - ideal for a family with busy schedules and a
couple of handhelds.
The Audrey could also appeal to someone who wants a Palm, but has balked at
getting one because they lack a PC to connect it to.
The Audrey costs $499 US in white, and $549 in other colours.
There are two big drawbacks to the Audrey. First, it has a tiny, miserable
keyboard. And it won't surf properly at some complex Web sites.
Another minus for the Audrey is its screen, which is smaller than the size for
which most Web sites are designed. Photos look grainy on it, and the
touch-sensitive layer reduces contrast.
The Microsoft devices may lack features like Palm synchronization, but what they
do, they do well. And most importantly, they could surf all the sites they were
tested on.
While they use the same software, the iPAQ and the MSN Companion are quite
different in design.
The iPAQ IA-1 is an all-in-one unit like the Audrey, with a flat laptop-type
display that flips up from a base and a good wireless keyboard. Setting it up is
a cinch and the screen is large enough to display most Web sites well.
The most serious shortcoming of the IA-1 is its pointing device. The user guides
the cursor around the screen with a rubber button on the keyboard, a trying
task. That can be fixed through a USB mouse, which can be had for $20 at any
computer store and plugs into the back.
Compaq includes a mouse with its second Internet appliance, the recently
released IA-2 which looks more promising than the IA-1.
The IA-2 replaces the laptop-type display with a built-in monitor of the
traditional tube kind, which improves legibility and makes it a dead ringer for
Apple's iMac computer.
Since tube monitors are cheaper than flat panels, the IA-2 also costs less than
the IA-1 - $499 US, less rebates from Microsoft and Compaq.
Emachines' $349 MSN Companion is a grey box half the size of a folded-up laptop.
It comes with a full-size keyboard and a mouse, but the buyer must purchase a
monitor separately.
Setup is not as easy as with the all-in-one devices, but if you don't mind the
size of the tube, any CRT monitor will beat the flat-panel displays on the
Audrey and the IA-1 for clarity and legibility. The mouse and full-size keyboard
are welcome, too.
Even though it's a fresh field, Internet appliances already give the consumer
plenty of choice, and we're sure to see plenty more variations on the theme in
the months to come.
PETER SVENSSON
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