I live in Alaska and my family is scattered all over the lower 48. Recently, some members of my family have gotten computers and would like us all to stay in touch via e-mail. I think this is a great idea, but some of my relatives are not interested in buying a computer just to send e-mail. I see their point. What are the pros and cons of recommending to them that they buy a less expensive device like WebTV or some such? I have seen a few places on the 'net offering caches for members to use. Is this sorta like memory on a computer? Would that be helpful for someone who doesn’t have a computer but is using a WebTV or similar device? I have seen the WebTV system for sale at some of the discount stores for as little as $150 - are there better or cheaper devices available? Any help you could give me on this would be greatly appreciated.
Better yet is a little email only gizmo. Its about 99 & 10/month. It sits right next to your phone, easy to hook up & use. ALthough I forgot the name of it. it gets your email & you can type back some.
Very small too, like the size of your phone I think…
You can get a Sega Dreamcast (video game system) that allows you to web browse at 56K (doesn’t handle complicated JavaScript though) as well as allowing you to send and receive e-mail. The system runs $170-200 (plus $20 for the keyboard although you may find some deals where they throw the keyboard in for free). You would also need to sign up for an ISP. I’ve seen WebTv for as cheap as $100 (not including ISP) which only allows internet access- for the extra $100 you get a kick-ass video game system.
Some observations about webtv:
- Make sure they have a local sevice dial up in your area, if not you will have to sign up for both webtv ($20-25/mth) plus an isp (15-20/mth).
- Don’t bother with the older 36K
modem system, too slow. Get a webtv plus, 56k modem and interactive tv. - You may need a adapter if you don’t have a stero tv or vcr, cost about $35.
- You will want a keyboard , about another $35.
- The webtv plus has a printer adapter with it, the standard webtv needs a separate adater (about $100).
I like it, I don’t download stuff and can surf the net and get email. By not being able to download I don’t worry about virus.
For about $250 in hardware and 25/mth you get a decent system connected to your tv. I switch back and forth from tv to web constantly. I work in front of a tube all day, the last thing i want to do when I get home is sit directly in front of another one.
I like my Webtv. I am on the computer all day at work and couldn’t stand the thought of coming home and sitting in front of it all day.
The biggest drawback of WebTV is NO JAVA.
Also we get things like Real Audio upgrades so slow that by the time we get the upgrade the next one is out.
But in all it was well worth the money I spent
Hey, we hillbillies likes our new-fangled WebTV’s!
In all seriouseness, I really do like WebTV. It’s not that I can’t operate a computer - I get paid to do that all day long. It’s not that I can’t afford a computer - I waste more money on less important things. What I like is that it’s simple (our 8 year old can send e-mail to his Meme in Florida by himself), it’s small (we have three kids, two adults, two cats and a 6-foot snake in the house already - a “spare” room for a computer is a joke). I can drag the keyboard out during the kids’ naptime and be connected in under a minute. I like being able to kick back on the couch with my grilled cheese sandwich and iced tea, and surf with my feet up. The screen (32" in the living room) is much larger than most computer monitors. I don’t need to downlad; I barely have time to take a bath. For now, at least until our oldest starts middle school, WebTV is all we need.
Oh, and one other really neat thing we can do is take pictures with the camcorder to e-mail to grandparents. Grandpa in Fla. called to say he had printed the last pictures of the kids we sent him.
So, to all the techie-snobs who poo-poo WebTV and like to insult folks by saying “Oh, go play on your WebTV and sit in your trailer…” - I say bah! I like it. You don’t have to buy one if you don’t.
I meant to post this when Carl Berry first asked if anyone else used WebTV to access the internet, and never got around to it.
Careful with that axe, Eugene.