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Connecting to the Net, Easily
By Reid Goldsborough
From all the hoopla, you'd think the Internet was about to do away with TV, radio, CDs, retail stores, telephones, fax machines, books, magazines and newspapers. While the Net does create competition and opportunities, a lot of people don't have, or want, Internet access. More than 60% of the U.S. population aged 16 years and older are still offline, according to a recent survey by market research firm IntelliQuest, and 44% have no intention to go online.
Most analysts point to the cost and complexity of personal computers as the reason. Prices may be falling and ease of use rising, but PCs, Macs and Internet access still cost money. And for many, computers aren't child's play.
Seeking to tap into the potentially lucrative market of the computer illiterate, companies are introducing devices designed for connecting to the Internet that are smaller, simpler and cheaper than PCs. Dubbed "Internet appliances," these devices can only accelerate the Internet's growth. I spent the past few weeks testing the one Internet appliance that, to me, looks the best on paper. I was impressed with its potential.
I-opener from Netpliance of Austin, Tex., distinguishes itself from TV-based devices such as Microsoft WebTV in that it uses a computer monitor for better viewing of text and Web graphics. It distinguishes itself from personal digital assistants such as 3Com's Palm VII and smart phones such as Motorola's i1000-plus in that it has a full-size keyboard for speedy text entry. And it distinguishes itself from e-mail devices such as the Cidco MailStation in that you can browse the Web along with exchanging e-mail.
The best thing about the I-opener is its automation. You just plug the power cord into an outlet and the phone cord into a phone jack, and the machine configures itself. Each time you use it, you just hit the power button and the machine connects you with its internal 56 kilobit-per-second modem, using either a local or a toll-free number. If you're not local to one of its 300 access points, you pay no more for 800-number access, unlike with a typical Internet service provider.
The I-opener costs $199, and there's a monthly charge of $21.95 for unlimited access, which is the same as America Online but slightly more than most Internet service providers.
For e-mail, you get an address book and the ability to send and receive attachments, though you can't automatically add a signature to outgoing e-mail or filter incoming e-mail. For Web surfing, you can save your favorite sites, and you can access news, weather and other preconfigured sites by hitting special keys on the keyboard. There's even a key for ordering pizza locally. The proprietary browser supports audio but not video.
The unit itself looks a bit like a notebook computer. The 10-inch flat-panel color display is similar to, though smaller than, those used with notebooks; with its 800-by-600 resolution, it's quite readable. The keyboard, though detached, has an integrated pointing device similar to those used in portable PCs.
Since one logical market for Internet devices such as the I-opener is people who came of age before the PC era, I gave the unit to my parents to test. Their technical ability is such that they have no problem turning on a light switch. They were able to get up to speed quickly enough despite stumbling a bit coordinating the pointing device. In the first half of 2000, Netpliance plans to release another version of the I-opener with a touch screen that should make navigating even easier.
Though Netpliance expects to sell I-opener through retail stores, it's currently available outside of New York City only from the company through its Web site at http://www.netpliance.com, by phoning (888)-IOPENER or from a smattering of mall kiosks.
This is a new product, and glitches are expected. Holding down the Caps Lock key crashed the system, forcing me to unplug and replug to get it started again. I sometimes had trouble connecting to some preconfigured Web sites. In testing technical support, I didn't always receive a call-back within two hours as promised.
Despite the snags, this is a clever product. A number of other companies are planning similar devices, including biggies such as Compaq and Gateway, and smaller companies such as WebMachines and Qubit Technology.
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