Whats the Use?

Whats the Use?

If you�re sitting on the couch, yawning, with your feet propped on a pillow, and clicking the remote control absent-mindedly to the beat of your wristwatch, it�s time to make a break for something new. You might think that you�ve exhausted all your entertainment options, since you�ve eaten the last tortilla chip, read the fine print on the credit card applications that cluttered your mailbox over the past month, and cleaned the cat�s litterbox for the second time in one day. Your mind flickers at the possibility of renting Silence of the Lambs for the third time, but before you rush out to the neighborhood Blockbuster, WebTV may be the medicine to cure you of old habits.

Laura and Greg Holladay are a husband and wife Web team living in Nevada. They used the WWW for the first time in December 1996, when they received the WebTV set-top box as a gift. So far, they�re having a blast Web browsing and e-mailing friends.

If you need to work with databases, spreadsheets, and word processors, however, WebTV gets you nowhere fast. The box enables you to search for Web sites, send messages, and visit chat rooms, but WebTV is not a computer. That�s just fine for the Holladay�s. They�re content to seek out their favorite sites, like Federal Express, USA Today�s sports page, and the plethora of ski resorts on the Web. �It�s fun,� Laura said. �I like going into the chat rooms. Yesterday, I was talking to someone from Australia.�

�It�s fun. I like going into the chat rooms. Yesterday, I was talking to someone from Australia.�

A.J. Mast, general manager at Kiva Networking in Bloomington, Indiana, expected to get serious with his WebTV set-top box. �I purchased WebTV to evaluate it for business purposes,� he said. Many customers of Kiva Networking see the WebTV commercials or hear a news peg on the radio. They want to know what WebTV can do for them.

Laura Holladay, for example, found a fringe benefit of having the WebTV appliance. Purchasing the WebTV box takes a wad from your wallet, but in the long run, the Holladay�s anticipate saving a few pennies on their long-distance service. �We do a lot of e-mail,� Laura said. �It cuts down on the phone bill.�

Further Information

WebTV Dukes it out with Computers	Cost	Ease of Use
Comfort	Flexible	Screen Size
Printing	WebTV a Hit on Television	Privacy
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