Subj : Net appliances To : All From : August Abolins Date : Mon Nov 13 2000 07:37 am Sun, Nov 12th Net appliances make Web surfing easier: The perfect gift for grandma? =========================================================== -by- PETER SVENSSON NEW YORK (AP) - 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. ======================================================== ....August icq: 46663869 http://www3.sympatico.ca/abo --- FMail/Win32 1.48b * Origin: __________________________ (1:229/1) .