Date: Fri 16-Jan-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

iinfo-Web-TV-Brand

Full Text:

INTERNET INFO FOR REAL PEOPLE: WebTV

By Bob Brand

The latest figures indicate that 40 percent of the families in the US own a

computer. Does that mean that the remaining 60 percent are locked out of the

Internet? No. Some of these people may want to try WebTV. You may have seen

the ads. So far, 250,000 sets have been sold. Here is how it works.

A small set-top box (similar to a cable box) handles the information that

comes from the Internet. The television displays the images and text. A phone

line provides the contact to a local Internet Service Provider (ISP) such as

SNET, NetAxis, JavaNet, Erols or others. A cordless keyboard rests in the

user's lap. This configuration permits someone to use the two most popular

functions on the Internet: e-mail and surfing the World Wide Web.

Many people, intimidated by the complexity of operating a personal computer,

have avoided the Net. WebTV overcomes many of these fears. By sitting on a

living room couch, the entrance into cyberspace becomes an easy transition.

With WebTV, someone can watch TV and surf at the same time. When commercials

appear during a television episode, the user can instantly flip to the Net,

read e-mail, enter a URL of a location flashed on the television show, or

visit the website of the television show being broadcast. Surfing the Web on

Superbowl Sunday (January 25th) will be a disaster for everyone.

How To Navigate

On the keyboard, arrow keys allow rapid movement around the menus that appear

on the TV screen. Someone who has conquered mouse navigation may find this

constraining and cumbersome. Remember, the focus of the design is for the

techno-phobic. With the lap-keyboard, sending and receiving e-mail is easy. A

light on the WebTV box or a message on the screen alerts the user when new

mail has arrived.

Browsing the Web is accomplished with a built-in program similar to

Microsoft's Internet Explorer 3.0 (WebTV was purchased by Microsoft in April

1997). Website locations are reached by using the "favorites" button that

web-users call bookmarks. Much of the complexity of using the Internet has

been hidden away from the user. The idea is to make the Internet easy to use

for the newcomer. This simplicity and ease-of-use of WebTV will open the

Internet to many first-timers.

Cost

WebTV comes in two styles. The "Classic" (the original model) is $99. The

"Plus" carries a $179 premium which includes a 1.1Gig hard drive and 56K

(k56flex) modem. The keyboard is sold separately for an additional $70. Sales

tax must be added. There is an extra cost of $59 for an adapter that connects

to Hewlett Packard printers. In addition to the monthly ISP charges (in the

range of $15 to $20 per month), the user pays WebTV $9.95 per month for the

services they provide. Since WebTV handles the e-mail functions, a user would

have an e-mail address: ( someone )@webtv.net. The set-top "Classic" or "Plus"

models are manufactured by Sony, Philips Magnavox and Mitsubishi.

Disadvantages

The limitations imposed by the set-top box (remember this is not a

full-function computer) may be too constraining for people who have already

learned how to use the Internet. With no mouse, keyboard navigation places

limitations on flexibility.

The "Classic," with no hard disk, requires that all software programs reside

on the WebTV system. Downloading free software cannot be accomplished because

WebTV is not a computer. This means that newer versions of browsers and

plug-ins cannot be added to the system. There is another annoyance. WebTV will

have advertising. The screen size of WebTV is smaller than the regular

Internet viewing area. This can be another annoyance. WebTV is essentially

designed to bring the couch potato into cyberspace.

On Balance

If you own a computer, know how to send e-mail and navigate around the Web

with a browser, WebTV is probably not for you. For someone who does not own a

computer but has heard all the wonderful things that are available on the

Internet, WebTV offers a viable alternative. Caution: try before you buy.

Demonstrations should be available in places where televisions and stereo

equipment are sold. Because of the trade-off between ease-of-use and

complexity required for full Internet access, WebTV will disappoint serious

net-sters. For the techno-challenged casual user, however, WebTV offers a

low-cost solution.

URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) of interest:

http://webtv.net/ns/index.html

http://www.56k.com/compete/webtv.html

http://www.mindspring.com/~shait/brain-webtv.html

(This is the 86th of a series of elementary articles designed for surfing the

Internet. Next, "The Password Dilemma" is the subject on tap. Stay tuned.

Until next week, happy travels through cyberspace.

Previous issues of Internet Info for Real People can be found at

http://www.thebee.com. Please e-mail comments and suggestions to

rbrand@JUNO.com or editor@thebee.com.)