Our weekly omnibus of short takes, brief notes, and general weirdness.
AOL - Coming Soon to a TV Near You?
America Online, already the world's largest Internet Service provider with 17 million reported members, has announced plans to expand its market by producing PC-alternative access devices, including a settop box and Net Phones. Part of a corporate initiative called "AOL Anywhere," the settop devices will be produced by Philips Consumer Electronics and will have email, Internet browsing, and other AOL services such as Chat. The boxes will use Network Computer Inc. [NCI} software. NCI is partially owned by AOL through its recent Netscape Corporation purchase. Details on features and pricing of the settop boxes are not yet available as both AOL and Philips have declined to discuss the joint venture, but sources say the boxes could be ready as early as this summer. AOL also plans settop boxes manufactured by Hughes Network Systems, the company that produces DirectTV, the leading satellite TV service. AOL has reportedly agreed to a trial run of AOL software on French manufacturer Alcatel's WebTouch phone.
Depositions in MS Trial Next Week
Although the ongoing Microsoft anti-trust trial remains in recess until at least May 10, public depositions will be taken from two executives next week. Peter Currie, an executive vice president for Netscape Corporation, now part of America Online, and Mike Popov, vice president and chief operating of Staff Operations for Sun Microsystems Inc. will deliver testimony at separate locations on two different days next week. These will be the first public depositions taken, previous depositions were closed but have now been opened due to a ruling in appellate court.
NetGem Premieres Linux-based Settop Box
European manufacturer NetGem announced a Linux-based settop box with cable modem at the National Association of Broadcaster show in Las Vegas this week. The box, called Netbox Cable, has email and Internet browsing capabilities. The company already offers a dial-up settop box with a 33.6-kbps modem, microphone, smart card reader, and remote, as well as an optional infrared keyboard. The Netbox and Netbox Cable are built by Bull Electronics, and use NetGem's browser software. Both boxes conform to European television standards and are not available in the US.
Web Sights for the Wee Hours
Proving once again that the Internet is weirder than you can imagine, dancing hamsters are joined by...d_mn near everything at The Centre For the Easily Amused. Or curl up on a lazy evening with this reference tothe entire US legal code. Not weird, but wonderful, is Days of Naze, a site of personal reminiscence, essay and online journal. Spend some time with Naze, he's a keeper.
