| Chapter 3 Hardware Technology . . . Don't Worry, I'll Go Really Slow and Draw Lots of Pictures
What Do You Need to Know to Buy a Computer?
If you already have everything you need, or don't plan to buy a computer, skip this section. Otherwise, you're stuck. As I've already told you (I really sound like a mother, don't I?), you don't have to be a car mechanic to drive a car . . . you don't have to know how to program a VCR to play a tape. All you need to know, really, are the basics. Computers are major investments, though, and you should know what you actually need before you waste money on bells and whistles you'll never use. You will need a computer, a monitor (preferably color), a modem, a phone line (preferably a separate one from your main phone line), a mouse, a keyboard and, if you can afford it, a printer and a CD-ROM drive. (As an alternative to a computer, you could use an Internet appliance, like WebTV, which allows you to get online, but it can't process data the way a computer can.) I suggest that first you ask your friends what they like. That way, if you buy the same kind of computer that they buy, you can both get confused together. (It's always better getting confused in groups of two or more.) Often my friends give me better advice when they tell me what not to buy. If they tell you they bought a lemon, or the tech support and customer service of one company or another is impossible to reach, listen carefully. You might also want to ask the librarians at your children's school. (Librarians are the secret weapon of anyone smart enough to consult them. They know everything there is to know, although they are often too modest to tell you so.) They know what systems your kids are using, what works and, more importantly, what doesn't. Then armed with my explanation of computer specifications, start trying out different computers wherever you can. Take your time. You'll be living with this purchase for a long time. Take a tip from Goldilocks on this one. Not too big, not too small . . . you want one that's "just right." Ready? Armed with this book and lots of antacid, you're ready to take the big leap. You've put it off as long as possible. You even went out and bought one of those cool ergonomic chairs so you'd be comfortable surfing. Anything to delay the inevitable: computer shopping! This is a good time to apologize to my Mac-user friends (actually, if I didn't, it's unlikely this book would ever have seen the light of day . . . research team members, our book designer and our graphics designers are all Mac users . . . ). We're only talking about PCs (that's computer talk for an IBM or IBM-compatible personal computer), not Macs, in this chapter. I've tried to include Mac tips whenever I can elsewhere in the book, though. So, no more delays. You're ready, trust me. Repeat after me . . . "computers are my friends . . . computers are my friends . . ."
Where do you shop for Hardware? . . .you won't find this stuff at Home Depot
There are many places that you can go to buy your PC. Usually, electronics stores (like ones that sell TVs, VCRs, stereos etc.) and large department stores sell computers. There are also specialty computer stores, which don't sell anything but computers and computer accessories. Many of them will let you test drive a PC in the showroom to see what it's really like before you purchase it. Then, there are mail-order companies. You order your computer through a catalogue, online or from an advertisement, and it is delivered to you. You can only judge the computer by the name brand (if it has one) and the specs and technical data advertised. It's usually less expensive to buy a system from a mail-order company than from a computer retail store. A third place to buy computers is a computer fair or show. At computer fairs, run periodically around the country, computer vendors from all over gather at a large site (often a college or convention center) to display their wares. These fairs are analogous to car auctions: while there is a chance you will get a very good deal on a brand new computer, there is also a chance that you will get a lemon and not be able to return it. (The prices are usually much lower at computer shows than at retailers, though.) These fairs are okay for buying software or peripherals (that's computer talk for computer accessories, such as printers, scanners and keyboards), but I would be careful about buying an entire system unless you're a computer geek. (In which case, why are you reading this chapter?) The best place for non-geeks to shop is the specialty computer retailer or a brand name mail-order company like Gateway or Dell. They usually have knowledgeable computer salespeople who can answer your questions. If you insist on buying a clone (a non-name brand) at a computer show or fair, or through mail-order, put it on your credit card. If anything goes wrong, you may be able to get some help from your credit card company in enforcing the warranties or getting a credit if things don't work as promised. As enticing as the "cash price" may be at the computer show, pay the extra 3% to get the added protection of being able to assert whatever consumer rights may be available to credit card purchasers if things go wrong.
How do you know what to buy?
Wherever you buy one, though, the computer system will probably be labeled or advertised roughly like this:
Brand name and model. 300 MHz MMX® Pentium® processor. 32 MB RAM. 6.0 GB HD. 12X CD-ROM. 56 voice/fax/data modem. SoundBlaster 32 AWE. 3-1/2" drive. 15" monitor. Mouse. Keyboard. Windows 98 and software package.
I've got to be kidding, right? I promised you easy reading . . . nothing too tech-y. Sorry, I lied. (After all, I am a lawyer.). But I did it for your own good, remember that. (Now I really sound like your mother, don't I?) Computer specs are the real revenge of the nerds—trust me. Computer specifications are filled with numbers and acronyms designed to intimidate the non-geeks among us. But bear with me just a little longer. I'll teach you what you need to know to bluff with the best of them. If you look at the chart below, you'll see a simple breakout of the terms and specifications and what they mean. After the chart, I explain each in more detail. I've compared the components to parts of a car. Since a computer costs as much as a small car (well, maybe a very small, old car), I thought it would be easier to understand this way. (Frankly, I didn't think it would be easier, but one member of our research team did and I wanted to humor him . . . )
Brand and model the make and model (make sure it's a name you trust, but since I bought an AMC Pacer once, what do I know?) 300 MHz the speed (like horsepower)—the higher the faster Pentium® the power (like the number of cylinders)—Pentium® is the equivalent of a "586" MMX™, etc. a multimedia turbocharger (the jury's still out about whether it'sworth the extra money, but if speed's your thing. . . you should consider it) 32 MB RAM the amount of space available while the computer is on (like headand legroom in a car)—the more memory, the more comfortablyprograms run (buy at least 16 RAM if you're using Windows 95). If you use games often, I'd even suggest getting 64 RAM. You'll see the difference immediately. 6.0 GB HD the amount of permanent space available on the computer (like the size of the car's trunk)—the higher the number, the bigger the space. The extra size doesn't usually cost much more. Buy at least 3 gigs or you'll run out of space fast. Kids' games take lots of space. 56 modem the computer's telephone—in theory, the higher the number, thefaster it is. Don't buy anything slower than a 28.8 modem . . . you'll regret it.
The CPU (central processing unit). . . the core of your computer
Brand name is important, especially to a first time computer buyer. I've bought many no-name clones, and have been burned almost as often. You want a company you can call when things break down, or when you have questions. Customer service and tech support are key factors in choosing your brand name. A lot of the big companies manufacture different models and lines of computers for different needs. They often come in no frills, standard and premium models. Depending on the type and amount of usage, you have to decide what model you need. For a family computer—one that will sit in the den or family room and be used by parents and kids alike—a desktop model is better and cheaper than a laptop. (A notebook is merely a smaller laptop.) The "300 MHz MMX™ Pentium processor" tells you about the engine of the computer. Horsepower is to a car as MHz (megahertz) is to a computer. The higher the number, the faster it goes. For surfing the Internet or word processing, a blazingly fast computer isn't really necessary. (You don't really need 250 horsepower to commute to and from work.) But you may want to get the fastest one you can afford for those days when you feel like passing everyone on the highway, and so that you can brag to your friends about how much power your computer has. Pentium is actually Intel's trademark for the 586 processor chip. The number, (386, 486, 586, etc.) is like the number of cylinders your car has. A V-8 has more power than a V-6; a Pentium (586) has more power than a 486. (The new generation of Pentium is called Pentium II.) Although newer technologies constantly replace older ones, the best advice is to get the fastest computer that you can afford. Sometimes, along with the chip number the specs will say MMX™ (as above) or something else. The MMX™ is a multimedia booster, which increases your computer's speed in certain applications, like a turbocharger on a car. MMX™ speeds up all pictures, sounds, movies and animation on your computer. And since multimedia is the core of the Web, it is a good option if you can afford it. What we just covered is the most important part of the computer, so you can breathe again. Congratulations! You've made it through the hardest part.
Memory. . . . RAM and hard drive size
Now, just a few more numbers. Both 32 MB RAM (read "thirty-two megabytes of ram" or just plain "32 ram") and 6.0 GB HD (read "a six-point-O gigabyte hard drive" or "a 6 gig drive") refer to the computer's memory. RAM actually stands for "random-access-memory," but is just called "memory." This is how much headroom or legroom you have in the car. The more you have, the more comfortable you'll be. The more RAM (remember, memory . . . ) your computer has, the more applications you can run comfortably. For normal everyday surfing and typing, 32 MB RAM is plenty. (I wouldn't use Windows 95 unless I had at least 16 MB RAM, even though Microsoft tells you 8 MB RAM is okay.) It's always a good idea to have a little extra memory rather than getting caught short when you need it. The hard drive is the equivalent of the luggage compartment. The bigger your hard drive, the more programs and files you can store. This particular computer has a "trunk" that holds 6 gigabytes. To help you gauge what that means, a word processing program typically will take up about 30–50 MB (only about 1–2 percent of the entire space). For normal usage, a 6 gig drive is more than enough. By the time your family manages to fill it up, you'll be ready for a new computer.
The CD-ROM
The CD-ROM drive is like a hard drive but it reads CD-ROMs (they look like music CDs). (The "ROM" stands for "read-only-memory," in case you're dying to know.) That means that the drive can read from the CD but not save to it. (Just like your music CDs, you can play them, but not record on them.) Once the manufacturer puts the data on the CD, it's etched in stone (. . . or polyurethane as the case may be). CDs can hold a lot more information than floppy disks and are often used to store large programs or movies. (Your CD-ROM can play music CDs too, assuming you have a sound card.) The 12¥ ("12 times" or "12-speed") refers to its speed. In the olden days, CD-ROMs were single-speed (like music CD players) and took a long time to get from one "track" to another. Then double-speed CD-ROMs boasted they were twice as fast. After that, triple- and quad-speeds quickly followed, only to be replaced by 6¥, 8¥, 10¥, etc. There seems to be no end to this escalation. Once again, the faster the better. Don't try to save money by not buying a CD-ROM drive. Buy a slower one if you want, but make sure you get one. Too many kids' programs are only available on CD-ROM to be without one. You'll probably use your CD-ROM more than any other component of your computer.
The modem
The modem (the modulator-demodulator) is what usually connects your computer to the Internet. Modems are designed to be either installed inside your computer (an internal modem) or plugged into the back of your computer (an external modem). They come in different speeds, measured in "baud rate." When you see a reference to a modem baud rate or speed, it means that the modem can transmit a thousand times that many bits per second. A 56 modem is really shorthand for 56000 bits per second and is twice as fast as a 28.8 modem. For a few years, modem speeds were doubling every few months like the CD-ROM speeds are now. But with current technology reaching the speed limits of most of our POTs, plain old telephone lines (see how simple these acronyms are?), the modem speed race has slowed. Check with your ISP or online provider to see what modem speeds they can accommodate. Then, buy the fastest modem you can afford that your provider can handle. (When you get to our chart on ISP services, you'll see that a few offer premium high speed ISDN (56.6 baud and higher) access for an additional charge.) As you start using the Web, speed makes a big difference, especially when you're viewing sites with a lot of graphics. (A popular derogative of the World Wide Web is the "World Wide Wait." It's a reputation well-earned, even with high speed modems.) The most promising of all the new speed and access technologies is cable Internet access. Cable companies throughout the United States are jumping on the Internet access bandwagon, although they won't be available everywhere for a few years. Their cable access technology permits access at several hundred times faster than a 28.8 modem. (I've included more information on cable modems in How Do You Get Connected?)
The sound card
"SoundBlaster 32 AWE" refers to the computer's sound system. Ask any teenager and you'll know that "a car's gotta have a good sound system!" The same is true with computers. A 32 AWE is a great sound system. (A SoundBlaster 16 is okay for us old fogies, but expect to hear complaints from your kids.) The number used to identify the version of a sound card can be confusing though, because it means something different, depending on which brand of sound card you're talking about. For SoundBlaster, the numbers stand for voices—the maximum number of sounds that can be played simultaneously. For other sound card manufacturers, this number stands for bits—the quality of the sound instead of the number of voices. The best way to decide on the sound, however, is listen to the sound and let your ears do the judging. Just be sure that the sound card is a SoundBlaster or is SoundBlaster-compatible—that's the standard these days. With the standard PC speaker, you'll only hear beeps and chirps. Who wants to be stuck in a car where the only sound you hear comes from that annoying chime that rings when the door is left open or you forget to put on your seat-belt? Not my kids!
Floppy drives and other stuff you need
The 3-1/2 inch drive is the regular floppy drive that reads from floppy disks. (They're actually not floppy, since they're made from hard plastic, but never mind . . . ) This drive is usually standard and many companies don't even mention it in their advertisements. The same is true for the keyboard and mouse. They should come with the computer, but it's a good idea to make sure anyway. Sometimes the manufacturer will list these components as well as things like "1 parallel port, 1 game port, 2 serial ports" to make the computer sound like it has more than it really does. (A port is a socket that lets you plug extra equipment into your computer.) These are standard devices that should come with the computer anyway. It's like a car manufacturer passing off "high-beam headlights" and "a glove compartment" as options.
The monitor
The monitor is very important, much more so than most people realize. It's like a television screen but is often designed to be clearer and brighter because it is meant to be seen from a closer distance. Because you will probably be staring at it for hours on end, you want it to be comfortable. Just imagine driving a car where all of the gauges and meters are tiny, badly lit and impossible to read. The monitor's ability to show detail is called "resolution" and is often expressed as a combination of numbers ("dimensions" actually). The dimensions you'll see most frequently are 640¥480, 800¥600, or 1024¥768. The higher the number, the more detail is visible, but the smaller the image. Many monitors allow you to switch between modes as necessary. The other dimension usually mentioned is the physical size of the monitor—here, 15 inches—and is measured on a diagonal the same as television screens. For home use, a 15- to 17-inch will do. (I prefer a 17-inch, if you can afford it, especially if you'll be looking over your kid's shoulder.) Many find anything smaller uncomfortable, and anything bigger a waste of money. There are many other things that determine the quality of a monitor (dot pitch, white point, refresh rate), the description of which would cause your eyes to glaze over and your head to spin, even before you look at the screen. The best thing to do is look at the monitor at the store. Look at pictures, fine text, and movies. Stand or sit as close to it as you would in your home. If you feel that the monitor causes too much eye strain or is difficult to see, don't buy it. Remember, you and your family will be sitting in front of that screen—buy what you think feels best.
"Included" software
The last item on the list, "Windows 95 and software package" is what the company puts on the computer's hard drive at the factory. (They should also give you the disks, even if they are preinstalled.) Windows 95 is the operating system (or OS) in our example. It is what you first see when you turn on the computer, and is what makes the computer work. Windows 95 is the standard nowadays for all new PCs. The software package consists of other programs that the company feels you should have. Often it includes a word processing program and some Internet software. It's best to ask exactly what programs the package contains. If you don't know what a particular program does, ask to see how it works. If you think you have a use for it, get it. If you think it's something that you'll never use, ask if you can switch it for another program. Sometimes, the salesman will be flexible in letting you choose your own programs.
Price
The final factor, and probably most important, is price. It is almost impossible to give an exact price for any type of computer, because in less than a week it will be cheaper, as this week's technology replaces last week's. The best course of action to follow is call around. Buy a copy of Computer Shopper at your local magazine or book store. It will help you get a rough idea of how much a computer with the features you want costs. (I'll warn you in advance, Computer Shopper can be intimidating, and is not written for non-geeks. But the prices are the best you can get, outside of a computer show, so it's worth the intimidation. Besides, if you leave it out on your coffee table you can impress your friends and family who'll think you actually read it.) Then find a local retailer and ask the salesperson to beat that price. While the speeds of computers are surpassed everyday, the price for a "good" family computer has held relatively constant at about $2000–$2500. What you will have to keep in mind is that you are almost guaranteed that the day after you buy your brand new computer, you will see another one advertised that's cheaper, more powerful, and faster. Don't be discouraged and think that you were cheated out of a good deal. It's not necessary to buy the biggest, fastest computer that's out there. Just buy the biggest, fastest one that meets your needs and that you can afford. (None of us really need the power we have in our computers . . . it's just an "ego" thing most of the time.)
Printers
Printers have come a long way from the modified typewriters they once were. There are three major types of printers used by homes these days: dot-matrix, ink-jet or bubble-jet and laser. Dot-matrix printers are slowly being phased out in homes. While they are versatile in printing text, their low print quality and inability to print discernable graphics have kept them from being an ideal printer for the home. They work by moving a head across the paper. Little pins in the head hit a ribbon, which makes dots on the paper. These dots then form letters. Dot-matrix printers are usually very inexpensive—$100–$200—but shouldn't be used for anything other than plain text. The next step up is ink-jet or bubble jet printers. These are the most popular for home use. They function like a dot-matrix printer, but shoot little drops of ink (ink jet) or boil a drop of ink to form a bubble (bubble jet) to make very tiny dots on the paper. Their advantage is that they allow you to print in good-quality color. While their color output won't be mistaken for photographs, it can be quite impressive. These printers usually cost from $250 to $550 and are a good buy. But expect to go through your color ink cartridges quickly printing out copies of Elmo and Arthur for your toddlers. This can be an expensive hidden cost. Many generic ink-refills are available, though, and may save you money over the name brand refills. But be careful, since cheaper-quality ink may run and/or bleed if the image is very colorful. The final type of printer is a laser printer. Laser printers work very much like a copy machine and use lasers to mark off the areas to shade. They use toner (laser ink) which is fused with intense heat onto the paper. The toner won't smear like an ink jet printer's ink may. Laser printers provide exceptional quality (and may rival the text found in magazines). If you are looking to print primarily text and some grayscale (black-and white) graphics, these printers will work wonders. Be prepared to spend some money, though. Even black-and-white laser printers run about $400–$1000. (Color lasers run several thousand dollars.) Okay, let's do a quick review:
Printer type Good Bad dot-matrix • cheap • text only • fast for plain text • slow on formatted text • noisy ink-jet or • fairly inexpensive • slow in comparison to bubble-jet • good quality on text laser and graphics • ink may run • can do color • ink used up quickly on full- • quiet color images (but you can buy compatible nonbrand refills) laser • exceptional quality • expensive, even in black- • very fast and-white • quiet • color is so costly it's not practical for a home printer
Scanners. . . . computer photography
A scanner is like a camera for your computer. It can take "snapshots" of a document, a photograph, a graphic, etc. and display it on the monitor. Once there, you can edit, print out, and save the graphic, as your programs allow. It's a good way to put your children's artwork, family photos and other memorabilia online. There are many different types of scanners. Most come in two types, color and black-and-white. If you are going to be scanning text only, black-and-white will do. Photographs will require a color scanner. The cheapest are hand-held models. These look like a mouse and scan as you run them over the image. The quality isn't the greatest because your hand may shake as you are rolling the scanner across the image. And though they only cost between $100 and $200 they are slowly being phased out. The next type is a roller-type desktop scanner. These look like little fax machines and are great for scanning forms, letters or sheets of graphics. You simply put the paper on the feeder and it's fed through automatically, just like a fax. Often these can scan color photographs as well. The only disadvantage is that, since the paper must be fed through, you can't scan a page from a book without ripping it out. Still, these scanners are versatile and often provide good image and color quality. They also take up very little space (often taking up only as much space as a box of aluminum foil), and cost from $200 to $300. If you plan to scan photos and drawings to share them online, this is the best kind of scanner to buy. Don't waste your time with a black-and-white scanner, though. If you can't afford a color scanner, office support businesses like Kinkos can do the scanning for you, in full color to be used online. Your photograph developer can also save your photos to digital form which works just like a scanned image. The best (and most expensive) type are flatbed scanners. You probably won't need a flatbed scanner for home use. These look like the top part of a copy machine—you lift the cover and place the document or image to be scanned on the glass, and it is scanned quite quickly. Many have automatic document feeders, too, allowing you to stack several sheets to be scanned. These scanners combine the best of both worlds in that they perform steady scans and can scan from virtually any source. Their only downfall is their price, although prices have been coming down lately. They run from under $300 all the way up to $1000 or more.
Plug and play
Plug and Play (often abbreviated PnP) is a new technology that lets you install new hardware easily using Windows 95. Mac technology was always known to be easier, basically because Apple made everything you used with a Mac, so all the Mac technology was compatible with each other. Because IBM-compatible machines are manufactured by many different companies, installing new hardware was always a real problem for PC users. That's because your computer has to be instructed to "find" the new hardware electronically, so that it can be integrated with the rest of your computer setup. It is very aggravating to have a new printer properly plugged in, and then have your computer insist that there is no printer installed. (When I began using AOL, I couldn't configure my modem for over three months. Plug and Play would have fixed it immediately.) Plug and Play identifies products that, as its name suggests, only require you to plug in the device to use it. Many new peripherals carry the Plug and Play logo and work with operating systems, especially Windows 95, to ease installation. For most products, once you install them, Windows 95 should automatically be able to find and configure them so them so that they "fit" your computer setup. Now once again, the operative word is "should." Neither Windows 95 nor the manufacturer of the computer part makes any guarantee that this will always work. If it doesn't, you're back to square one and have to configure the printer, modem, scanner, etc. the old fashioned way . . . by calling a friend who knows how.
What If You Can't Afford a Computer?
There are two options for families who can't afford to buy a computer for their home—(a) use a community computer (from your children's school, the library or a local organization's computer lab) or (b) buy an Internet appliance or box, like WebTV. An "Internet box" or "Internet appliance" lets you surf the Web, access the Internet, send and receive e-mail and, with the right hardware, print. It doesn't have the "thinking" ability of a computer, can't play CD-ROMs and doesn't do word processing. But it also costs one quarter the price of a computer. (I'll explain more about them shortly, in Alternatives to a Computer . . . WebTV and Internet Box Technology.) In my opinion, buying a used computer isn't an option. If you know someone very well who's upgrading to a new system, that may be a different story. But, because so many people (including moi) have been burned by buying systems that don't work, die right away or are missing key components, I recommend that you wait until you can afford new equipment rather than buy used equipment.
Finding a computer to use in your community
If you don't have a computer and can't afford to buy one, . . . you're in luck. More and more communities have computers available for their residents. Finding them may not always be easy, though. Start with your local library. Many public libraries are already connected (44.6 percent of all U.S. public libraries were in 1996), and most librarians are well advanced on the cyberlearning curve. If they don't offer online access to the public, they will know who does. (Seventy percent of the libraries not already connected will be by the end of 1997.) While some people (obviously not in the know) think that the Internet marks the end of public libraries, the public libraries have used the electronic age to their advantage. Some libraries have paired parent-child workshops with their Internet access services. Others have scheduled "family-safe nights" where families can congregate at the local library for Web surfing, family discussions and community projects. Libraries' roles are expanding, not contracting. They're a great resource for learning about the Internet, and about how to get the most out of cyberspace. Sometimes you can make arrangements with your child's school or a local college to let your children use their computers after-hours or with a community group to use their computer lab. Many local community groups are partnering with the computer industry to supply computers and Internet access to schools and community organizations to get all children online. Local computer clubs have also been very active in getting community kids online. For example, in a town near Tampa, Florida, the Sun City Center computer club (at the local senior citizen community center) is committed to getting a public park's ancient computers up and running. And they're not alone. Computer clubs are great community resources. If there aren't enough computers in your community, go to work to get more installed. Contact your local retailers, community groups, computer and software manufacturers, computer clubs and the local telephone company to see if they'll help. Many businesses will support your plan to build a computer lab so every child in the community can learn and have fun online. It's good public relations for them, and really makes a difference to the community.
Alternatives to a Computer. . . WebTV and Internet Box Technology
Internet access doesn't require an expensive computer and modem. New (or "box") technology permits you to get online using Internet appliances. These appliances look like your standard cablebox and sit on top of your TV. (This is also a great way to get people who are deathly afraid of computers online . . . look Ma, no computer!) WebTV has already sold about 120,000 sets, and Jupiter Communications predicts that by the year 2002, WebTV and other Internet appliances will account for 22 percent of all consumer online usage. Although many earlier reviews of the current Internet appliances complained that the technology left much to be desired, the technology has improved rapidly. Using an Internet box, at a cost of about $600 (including a portable keyboard), is a very real and affordable option to spending $2500 or more on an entire computer. If you don't need a whole computer, why pay for equipment you don't need? Rather than using a mouse with an Internet box, you use a remote control or fully remote keyboard (no wires!) to move around the Web. Computer-experienced surfers find it awkward, having to scroll using buttons on the remote, rather than using a mouse. But newbies don't have to make the mouse-to-cursor adjustment. To them, it's just like using any game controllers or remote controls. The remote keyboard also makes it easier for bed-ridden surfing. A child can sit in her bed and surf on her TV and there aren't any wires to get tangled. I was very impressed with WebTV when we tested it—surprisingly so. I would strongly recommend it for grandparents who want to stay in touch by e-mail and want to get out there and surf the Web, but who don't need a whole computer. One of the best things about Internet appliances is the fact that you can surf the Internet from your sofa or easy chair and everyone in the room can watch the surf results together from your big screen TV. That makes them especially good for family surfing, since you can all join in. Even the most diehard technophobes will eventually want to join the fun. They're very compact, and can sit on top of your TV. Internet appliances are also easy to install. You connect them to your TV (rather like connecting a computer game player or VCR), and just plug them into the phone line. Some require that you use their designated online service provider; others allow you to choose your own. The leading brand in the Internet industry game is Sony's WebTV (www.webtv.com) but others have either introduced or are introducing similar products.
|
