The shape of things to come

IS it a toy - or a PC? A genuine doubt is likely to occur when some of the new "information appliances" reach shops worldwide. Earlier this month Sony launched its PlayStation-2 entertainment system, in Japan, a games console for kids whose specifications are as awesome as a professional personal computer. Complete with 32 megabytes of main memory, a DVD drive, and advanced multimedia capability, the $380 "toy" has video game graphics to match the best professional workstations. It can also access the Internet.

Only three months ago, Sony's main competitor, Sega, launched its own games console, DreamCast, to similar acclaim. The capability was almost identical complete with instant Net access through a phone jack. Children were expected to get on the Internet and play against each other "online".

Toymaker Mattel launched a multicoloured rainbow of "baby" PCs last year for the "Barbie" generation. But this year, it's mummy who is being targeted: Swedish refrigerator giant Electrolux has test launched a "Frigidaire" in the U.S. where you get a PC embedded in the door, for free. The machine has a bar code reader that tracks the contents of the fridge and tells you if you are low on milk, or bread or cereal. It then helps place an order direct with a local supermarket, which arranges home delivery of replenishments. The business thus generated is expected to recover the cost of the PC to the makers.As Stephen King's newest novelette was released exclusively last week in an online edition, media watchers were foretelling the end of printed literature as a we know it. But the warning signals were already there throughout 1999 when "E-Books" made their appearance - souped up palm top computers with a telephone connection which allowed you, for a monthly subscription, to download dozens of books of your choice from a library of nearly 100,000 titles. And the March 2000 issue of the Indian PC Quest magazine includes a free CD-ROM on which one can find the full text of 151 classics of English literature and fiction. Is it time to say goodbye to the local library?

Indian government agencies have been trying to stem the use of Internet connections to make cheap International Subscriber Dialling (ISD) calls at local rates. But they know this is next to impossible to police. Last month, the Department of Telecom Services was said to be setting up a legal Voice-Over-Internet- Protocol system of its own, to be operational at Mumbai, Delhi and Calcutta by end 2000. Meanwhile, U.S. makers like MediaRing, have prototyped attractive units where you can directly call long distance numbers from hand held units which go through the Internet.

A.P.

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