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Strategies & Market Trends : Three Amigos Stock Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LTK007 who wrote (11169)	12/10/1998 8:30:00 PM
From: LTK007	Respond to of 29382

Get ready to have to pay for ClearStation--evident they are getting ready to charge,for at least a premium service--Max

To: LTK007 who wrote (11169)	12/10/1998 8:34:00 PM
From: RCJIII	Respond to of 29382

Max and other BOCI holders, here is a recent article about AOL which may lend credence to the BOCI rumor of a collaboration on SetTop boxes. First of all let me tell you that Microsoft was inches away from using BOCI for the same purpose about 6 months ago, but chose someone else at the last minute. AOL/Netscape are now aiming to compete with the Microsoft/WebTV alliance. I hear BOCI is their choice: America Online hopes to extend its reach beyond the PC, and even beyond the Web. (ABCNEWS.com) By Michael J. Martinez ABCNEWS.com Dec. 10 — America Online isn't just thinking outside the box. The company is desperately trying to escape from it. The “box” in question is your home computer. More than 14 million users worldwide have America Online's proprietary software loaded on their hard drives. AOL, despite traffic jams, frustrating Internet access and other complaints, remains the undisputed champion of online services for the home user. But there's a growing sense within the company that as the Internet explodes, that might not be enough to sustain AOL's robust growth. “The AOL customer growth rate has been slowing down, but they still have 14 million people,” says Russ Rubin, an Internet analyst with New York-based Jupiter Communications. “They need to take advantage of the user base they have on home computers to drive other platforms, like television and PDAs (personal digital assistants).” Into TV Land What's next? Abandoning the PC altogether. AOL has always lauded the simplicity of its service to lure beginning users. Now it is hoping that a television set-top box, already under development, will increase market share. In May, AOL spent $29 million to purchase NetChannel, a small, San Francisco-based creator of Internet content for television. According to spokesperson Tricia Primrose, AOL's television version will likely be a scaled-down version of the service in an inset screen, perhaps including Instant Messaging and/or chat — allowing the user to discuss the football game in progress, for instance, or call up team Web links. AOL's new alliance with Sun, and the access to the popular Java programming language it affords, could jump-start AOL's set-top efforts. Java-powered AOL services could appear, for instance, in Internet appliances similar to the Palm VII. These small, portable computing devices incorporate minimal functions like e-mail and/or messaging, personal organization programs, and often provide limited Internet access. “We already have new companies involved in our new licensing model for Java 2,” says Alan Baratz, president of Sun's Java division. “I think you'll see faster, smaller devices coming soon, and of course we'll be looking at them as part of our work with AOL.” One AOL advantage: Palm and other small-computer makers are aiming at business markets. AOL's primary focus remains the home. “The Internet appliance technology has been for business users, not everyone else,” Gilpin says. “AOL has everyone else, and they can easily market new devices and new services to them.” So while AOL may be playing catch-up again, 14 million users is a nice place to start. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------