VisorCentral.com - Whats an Ideal Internet Appliance?

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Posted by Matthew Nichols on 04-21-2001 06:23 PM:

Okay, I know this has been disscussed before (Audrey threads etc...) but I thought maybe I'd give it its own thread & share what I think would be the best net appliance.

Has anyone seen Compaq's iPaq desktop computets? They've been out for roughly a year . They start at $500 for 700MHz Celleron with 64mb RAM, are legacy free. I personally think this would be the ideal computer to build a net appliance out of.

My Perfect Internet Appliance would have:

Small, about iPaq size
500Mhz
6 gig Hard Drive
64mb of RAM
2 PCMCIA slots
3 USB Ports (1 on the front)
2 Firewire Ports (1 on the front)
Built-in Ethernet
TV & RGB out
Run on QNX or BeOS, or another great OS
Pricepoint $500

You should be able to choose between standard or touchscreen versions of CRT & LCD monitors, or simply use the TV out to use it with your current TV.

The system would also have "upgrade" packs, such as a personal Video Recorder which would allow you to add a second larger hard drive and a TV tuner. The PCMCIA slots are great for expandability since you can purchase things such as Media readers, modems, wireless ethernet, bluetooth, etc... that won't have a mess of cables.

I'd personally be willing to pay $25 a month if they were my ISP, or $10 a month if they weren't (They shouldn't FORCE you to use their ISP). This would also allow them to bring down the price from $500. As part of this subscription I'd expect push technology which would update the machine automatically as well as my favorite web sites & alert me of world news, stocks, TV guide listings, local movie times, and e-mail. It should include some sort of exclusive content.

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Posted by lennonhead on 04-21-2001 08:29 PM:

A cheap iMac would make a nice easy net appliance for Grandma's and Grandpa's. The low end Indigo version that came out last summer could probably be sold for about $600 now, maybe less.

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Posted by DBrown on 04-23-2001 04:41 AM:

It has got to be able to connect to the internet from your lap anywhere in your house. In other words, it should come with a 802.11b base station and 802.11b built in.

There should be a real keyboard, but perhaps one that self-hides into the body of the unit. The screen would be touch sensitive and fingerprint-proof.

It should run for a full day (8 to 10 hours) without recharging, and recharge in the base station overnight.

It should weigh no more than my Visor Platinum does, but have a screen at least 8.5 x 11 inches. That screen should be readable in any light. Glarefree, and bright (or contrast-y) enough to be seen in full sunlight.

Color, HDTV resolution screen. Built in TV tuner, or perhaps the ability to show video via 802.11b from the base station which could be hooked up to your house's A/V sources.

Earphone jack and built-in microphone, as well as a microphone jack.

<$500.

I'll take two.

Dave ;-)

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