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[Image] New definition for NC: not complicated
ÊNEWS [picture]By Nick Wingfield and Tim Clark
ÊÊTop storiesÊ July 29, 1996, 6 p.m. PST
ÊÊCNET radioÊ
As the first Network Computers chug toward store
ÊREVIEWS shelves this fall, start-up companies as well as
ÊÊHot listÊ established players such as AT&T are preparing
ÊÊJust inÊ services and standards intended to make the
ÊÊAll devices easier and more attractive to use.
comparisonsÊ
ÊÊCD-ROM For its part, AT&T is working with a number of
centralÊ undisclosed partners on standards that will
ÊÊBest of the enable NC users to sign up more easily with
WebÊ Internet service providers and to download
ÊÊList allÊ software extensions such as a video viewer or
audio plug-in, said Tom Evslin, vice president of
ÊFEATURES AT&T WorldNet Services. "What we're looking at is
ÊÊTechnoÊ ways to make life simpler so NCs can be cheaper,"
ÊÊHow toÊ he said.
ÊÊDigital lifeÊ
ÊÊList allÊ But while ISPs like AT&T are tentatively
endorsing NCs, they aren't yet rushing to
ÊGAMECENTER distribute the devices. Such concerted sales
ÊÊGaming newsÊ could significantly improve the chances of
ÊÊShoot-outsÊ survival for the NC, a stripped-down device
ÊÊGaming designed primarily for Internet access at a
guidesÊ relatively affordable price of around $500.
ÊÊExclusives!Ê
ÊÊReviewsÊ "We don't think [NCs] will be a hugely important
ÊÊSneak peeksÊ factor in driving Internet usage in homes,"
ÊÊList allÊ Evslin said. "My guess is that we'll see
lower-priced PCs in homes before NCs. We can see
ÊPERSONALITIES a clear path to adoption in business though."
ÊÊJohn C.
DvorakÊ While AT&T and others collaborate on NC
ÊÊChristopher standards, one start-up company, NetChannel, is
BarrÊ tailoring Internet access services to NC users.
ÊÊRafe
NeedlemanÊ Using a scaled-down version of Navigator,
ÊÊMovers & NetChannel plans to provide Internet access,
shakersÊ email, selected Web pages based on an
ÊÊTV hostsÊ individual's interests, screening sites and
ÊÊList allÊ shopping opportunities to fit the individual's
profile.
ÊCNET TV
ÊÊCNET Central That profile is stored partly on a Web site,
ÊÊThe Web partly on a "smart card" that the user carries
ÊÊThe New Edge with them. Each time the user inserts the card
ÊÊAir times into a reader connected to a NC, the device knows
automatically who that user is and directs them
ÊCOMMUNITY to the sites and services featured in their
ÊÊAbout CNETÊ profile. The company has not finalized fees, but
ÊÊFeedbackÊ they are expected to be about $20 a month.
ÊÊLive studio
camÊ The company is predicating its strategy on the
ÊÊMember widespread availability of NCs, both in homes and
servicesÊ in public places where users will access the Net
ÊÊPostingÊ in the same way they use payphones now.
ÊÊToday's pollÊ
"For the mass, prime-time market, the customers
ÊRESOURCES want information delivered to them that is
ÊÊSoftware relevant to their personal profiles or
centralÊ preferences, and they want it refreshed daily,"
ÊÊGlossaryÊ said NetChannel president and CEO Dave Atkinson,
was formerly an AT&T vice president and executive
ÊMARKETPLACE with EO, the now-defunct pen-based computing
ÊÊHot dealsÊ company.
ÊÊSponsorsÊ
The first NC device to offer the NetChannel
ÊHELP services will be Acorn Computer's NetStation, one
ÊÊSite mapÊ of the first implementations of Oracle's NC
design. Herman Hauser, NetChannel's chairman and
[Image] chief investor to date, also founded Acorn.
ÊSEARCH.COM
ÊSHAREWARE.COM Oracle is helping NetChannel resell its services
to other NC manufacturers as well, with
NetChannel offering to give them a percentage of
service fees. The company also expects to offer
similar deals to content providers and to
existing Internet service providers it contracts
[back to top] with for Net access. NetChannel itself expects to
generate revenue from online marketers that sell
to its subscribers.
While NetChannel is the first service provider
announced for the NC, it faces competition from
companies such as WebTV, which will offer a
similar service for TV set-top boxes for the
Internet.
Related stories:
Oracle to ship groupware for NC
WebTV plans to live up to its name
Oracle to name telecom partners for NC
AT&T intensifies assault on the Net
[IU.S. chip makers may lose CDA loses again in New[Image]
way in Japan York
[links]
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