Pricey Compaq Appliance Runs MSN
Compaq, Microsoft team to expand IPaq line and offer surfing to the masses (at a price).
Compaq and Microsoft are taking the Internet appliance plunge together,
unveiling on Tuesday a simplified but pricey all-in-one computing device designed
for the Web, same-time messaging, and e-mail access.
Compaq supplies the hardware, called the Compaq IPaq Home Internet Appliance, which is part of its larger rollout of new members of the IPaq family of devices also being announced Tuesday. The IPaq Internet appliance is the first MSN Web Companion, a new class of devices that run Microsoft's Windows CE 3.0 operating system to connect directly to a simplified version of the MSN.com portal.
The Compaq appliance is available now and priced, before any MSN rebate, at $599 but gets cheaper if you make a long-term commitment to MSN as your Internet service provider. Rebates range from $400 for a three-year contract with MSN to $100 for a one-year contract. Internet access through MSN costs $22 monthly. But that's not really a choice: MSN is hard-wired into the appliance as your Internet access provider; you cannot use another ISP with this unit.
The Compaq device has no hard disk, CD-ROM drive, or floppy drive. Inside is a 266-MHz AMD K6-2 processor, 32MB of SDRAM, and 16MB of flash memory. The unit has support for a small number of Universal Serial Bus devices.
Other MSN Companions from companies such as Acer, EMachines, Philips Electronics, Thomson Multimedia SA, and Vestel USA are expected to hit retail shelves in the next year.
Compaq is also announcing expansion of its IPaq family today. The new members are consumer devices, including handhelds and the Internet appliance, as well as a home networking unit. (See "Compaq Expands IPaq Family.")
Taking a First Look
The appliance itself is small and designed to go anywhere in the house. It consists of a crisp, 10-inch flat-panel color screen mounted on a plastic base about the size of a notebook computer. It comes with a wireless infrared keyboard with shortcut keys to Web sites for retrieving e-mail, shopping, and conducting Web searches.
The keyboard also contains a pointing device that's meant to replace the mouse, but optionally you can purchase a mouse along with peripherals such as a printer and speakers.
During a preliminary review of the device, it took less than five minutes to set up. But getting connected to the Net was not so simple. An abridged sign-on procedure enrolling me as a MSN member took some tinkering.
After finding a local POP to dial into in San Francisco, the software refused to drop the area code prefixes from the dialing string, causing error messages. Unlike desktop PC dial-up networking software, the Compaq Home Internet Appliance does not easily modify the telephone number. A call to tech support ironed out that problem in about 15 minutes.
- Page 1 of 2
- Next ยป
Save on Printing Costs
Full Windows 7 coverage
- Great year-end deals for small business!

-
Get 24/7 live remote AT&T Tech Support 360* service along with select Lenovo* PCs (with Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processors and save up to 200!
-
HP EliteBook* 6930p Notebook with Intel® vPro™ technology and a free HP Basic Docking Station - $641 instant savings!
- *Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others. ©2009 Intel Corporation. Intel, the Intel logo, vPro and Core trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries. All rights reserved.
People who read this also read:
Best Prices on Laptops
XPS M1330 Notebook - CustomizablePrice: $599.00
VAIO VGN-NW270F/S NotebookPrice: $729.99
MacBook NotebookPrice: $954.99
Compaq Presario CQ61Z Notebook - CustomizablePrice: $399.99
G71-340US NotebookPrice: $579.98
Eee PC 1005HA Seashell NetbookPrice: $289.83
- Perfect Printing Solutions Find just the right All-in-One Printer for you from HP. Visit the HP Resource Center.
- Acer Laptop Center Forget the Mouse...check out the next generation multi-gesture touch screen technology from Acer.
- Dell Shopping Center Check out great deals from Dell!
Cameras
Camcorders
Cell Phones
Components
Desktops
HDTV
Home Theater
GPS
Laptops
Monitors
MP3 Players
Networking &
Printers
Storage







