Simpler interfaces
At the same time the PC maker wants to make the interfaces on devices easier to use. To do so Gateway has teamed with America Online Inc. to use a customised instant-on version of AOL service. The interface is being used in the US$599 Connected Touch Pad, Web terminal, that Gateway, AOL, Broadcom, and Transmeta announced last week. The terminal is expected to ship on December 15 at Country Stores; orders will be taken beginning the 1st.
In the same announcement, the quartet announced the $299 Connected Music Player. The player uses a Broadcom HPNA chip to connect to the home network via phone lines.
Products down the line include a tablet appliance and connection boxes using Broadcom's HPNA chip to allow legacy TVs and telephones to connect to a home network. The boxes are meant to complement devices already in the home and will convert digital signals from the network in analog to be used by devices.
The tablet appliance called the Connected WebPad is expected in the first half of next year and will come with 802.11b wireless networking capabilities. The tablet will be in the $799 to $1,000 range and will come with a graphical keyboard. Gateway officials said that plans for incorporating Palm's graffiti handwriting technology into the WebPad were in the works.
Both the TouchPad and the WebPad use a Transmeta processor.
"We expect this to be a huge opportunity," said Hell. "But we expect ramp up to be slow."
The Microsoft Home in New York has currently shipping products, including an Ultimate TV, Pocket PC, and an MSN Companion device. The devices use CAT 3 cables, HPNA, and 802.11b connections for networking the home.
Microsoft's apartment will be open for 5 months starting this holiday season.
More announcements regarding a networked home are expected from Microsoft at this year's CES.
