Date: Fri 02-Apr-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

iinfo-free-PC-Brand

Full Text:

INTERNET INFO FOR REAL PEOPLE: Free PC

By Bob Brand

Need a free nearly-state-of-the-art PC and no cost access to the Internet?

Well, Idealab Inc will be giving away 10,000 machines.

What's the deal?

A website (http://www.free-pc.com) has been created for people to enter name

and personal information about buying habits and interests. Applicants must

agree to watch cyber-ads and allow Idealab (and its advertisers) to track and

monitor all web/computer related activities on the free super-snooper.

Essentially, when the PC user turns on the machine, Idealab owns a user's

every keystroke and mouseclick. Yikes! In spite of Big Brother intrusion,

500,000 fearless folks swamped the website during the first week Idealab

opened the site for volunteers. Within the first three weeks, the number

exceeded 1.25 million requests. Internet privacy advocates are stunned. More

keep coming. Idealab screeners are sifting through the mountain of

applications. Initial PC distribution is anticipated for May or June.

The Computer System

A lucky recipient receives a Compaq Presario sporting a 333 MHz processor

(manufacturer not specified), a 15" monitor capable of 1024x768 resolution,

32MB RAM, 4 GB hard drive (2 GB available -- oops), 33.6 kbps modem, CD ROM,

speakers, and 3.5" floppy drive. The operating system is Windows 98. Free

Internet access is provided by Netzero an (ad supported) ISP. Buying at the

10,000 unit level, Idealab pays under $600 per system. Today, prices of

similar systems (sans monitor and freight costs) on eBay are being bid in this

same price range. However, prices keep dropping. Many people in the US live

close enough to a Netzero POP (point of presence) to qualify for free ISP

access.

My Experience

After the initial frenzy of the early February announcement, I visited the

website where I completed and transmitted the qualification form. In early

March, e-mail from Don LaVigne CEO Free-PC Inc. acknowledged my application

and suggested that I could be kept updated on the progress by reading the FAQ

(Frequently Asked Questions) posted on the website. Frankly, I have a better

chance of winning a cash prize at Greenfield Online (read: slim odds) than

having the brown truck show up with a shiny new Presario. But then again, one

never knows. Stay tuned.

Troubling Thoughts

Let's be honest, since we know that there is no such thing as a free lunch,

Idealab and its advertisers want this first wave of 10,000 PCs in the hands of

"high-roller cyber-spenders." Frankly, I use the Net to find bargains, listen

to oldies rock and roll, and stay in touch with friends and cyber

acquaintances. I probably will not make the cut -- at least initially.

However, by careful placement of this electronic IP-spy network, when 2 GB

(gigabytes) of collected data (remember 2GB for the user, 2GB for Idealab) are

processed through AltaVista-styled mega-databases, the benefactor, bearing the

packet-transmitting-Trojan horse, will know far more about receivers of the

largesse than they know about themselves. Scary.

The Idealab website continues to accept applications for the free PC. For

those who are willing to part with a piece of their soul (and privacy),

Idealab happily continues to gather the demographic data. (BTW, filling out

multiple applications does not improve chances for the freebie.) There are

rumblings that many more free PCs will follow if the pioneer experiment finds

success. Already, an iMac program at One Stop Communication is underway.

(Warning: read the find print before taking the plunge.)

We could be on the front end of a new 'toaster trend' (open a savings account

and walk out of the bank with a free appliance.) As Linux (free PC operating

system) heads toward the mainstream desktop, coupled with falling hardware

prices, free computers with Internet access could become as commonplace as hot

food samples at Costco.

URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) of interest:

http://www.free-pc.com

http://www.wired.com/news/news/business/story/17783.html

http://www.news.com/News/Item/Textonly/0,25,32087,00.html

(This is the 148th of a series of elementary articles designed for surfing the

Internet. Next, Google 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: http://www.thebee.com. Please e-mail comments and

suggestions to: rbrand@JUNO.com or editor@thebee.com.)