Vendors of inexpensive network PCs have shown proof-of-concept systems, and in some cases have begun limited field trials. Here's a look at the first $500 network PCs.
Dave AndrewsThe first prototypes of $500-and-under Internet appliances portend a new type of computer that might appear in places that don't have a standard PC or Mac today. Unlike today's more expensive x86- and PowerPC-based computers, these new network PCs eschew hard-drive storage and are based on low-cost ($35 or less) processors. Thanks to their low cost, network PCs may appear in places as public as a shopping mall information center and as private as a family's living room or bedroom.
Many computer companies still speak of Web PCs in the future tense; Oracle, for example, says the first Web PCs based on its referen ce design probably won't ship until September. But at least one company has already begun limited field trials of the type of Internet device that may soon appear in a living room near you. ViewCall America (Atlanta, GA), a developer of interactive home-shopping services for cable TV, is currently field-testing about 1000 network devices that include a custom Web browser with TV-style remote controls. ViewCall's Web PC , called Webster, is ba sed on Advanced RISC Machine's ARM7500 processor running at 33 MHz. Webster includes 4 MB of RAM, 2 MB of ROM, a built-in 28.8-Kbps modem, ARM's RISC OS, and a printer port. An infrared keyboard is optional since the browser supports an on-screen keyboard that you can drive with the remote control.
Colored icons on the remote-control keypad that correspond to buttons on the bottom of the screen let the user more easily perform actions--page up, page down, back, and forward--that one typically performs when navig ating the Web. Internet content developers can take advantage of dynamic "soft buttons" in Webster's browser interface to present actions (e.g., buy a product) for the end user. Because the browser resides in EEPROM, it is upgradable.
Thanks to its compact system software, Webster doesn't need a hard drive--the ARM RISC OS resides in ROM. Webster connects to your television, so you don't need a monitor. ViewCall expects to have commercial versions of the Webster ready in June. The asking price: about $300.
The Webster lacks a number of PC features, not the least of which is support for Mac and PC applications. But many new users who don't currently have a PC may be satisfied with just E-mail and the Web. "Our goal is to take the best of the Web and leverage it to the mass market rather than to just the PC literate," says Alan McKeon, president of ViewCall's parent company, Colorocs Information Technologies. "If the consumer wants applications like word processing, we'll put them in there. Our goal is continuous improvement rather than trying to hit the home run straight out of the shoot."
Teknema (Menlo Park, CA), a developer of networking products that include the TIBER multilingual Web browser, has also unveiled a prototype Internet device based on the ARM7500. The company is seeking to produce the machine in volume with manufacturing partners. Dubbed Easy Rider, the device will sell for about $500. It includes a VGA monitor, a mouse, a keyboard, and even an ISA slot that could accept a network interface card. The system software, windowing system, network protocols, and browser consume less than 500 KB, says Marco Graziano, president and CEO of Teknema. Graziano says the Easy Rider could have a variety of uses as an information kiosk, low-cost HTML client, or platform for vertical applications in an intranet. The system doesn't yet support Java applets, but Graziano says he is confident that ARM or some other company will develop Java virtual-machi ne software for the ARM7500 and StrongARM processors. Noel Hurley, ARM's Consumer and Multimedia Market Segment manager, confirms that a port of Java that will run across all ARM variants is underway.
Other companies will likely announce Web PCs as well. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison has been pitching his company's network computer reference design (see "Inside the Web PC," March BYTE) to manufacturers in the U.S. and overseas. Sun Microsystems has also demonstrated a prototype Web computer: It used a Sparc processor, had 8 MB of RAM, no hard drive, and can connect to a TV. But at press time, Sun officials weren't saying much about the system.
A division of Sun recently announced three chips dedicated to running Java applets natively (see this month's "Java Chips Boost Applet Speed" ). Sun might use Sparc processors in addition to these future Java chips. "Sun is evaluating all different kinds of opportunities for its Internet devices," says spokesman George Paolini. "We'll focus on businesses first and consumers second because businesses have the bandwidth right now that you don't find in most homes." But Paolini stressed that although most of the focus on Java is centered on computers and the Web, Java chips may also appear in personal digital assistants, cellular phones, and other devices.