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Microsoft Updates Internet Appliance
MSN Companion 2.0, implemented in Compaq's IPaq, supports up to nine user profiles.
Agam Shah, IDG News Service
Tuesday, June 05, 2001 03:00 PM PDT


Microsoft has released MSN Companion 2.0, an update to its stand-alone appliance, which can now house Internet access profiles for up to nine users.

Companion 2.0 is a no-frills Internet access appliance, says Cory Curtis, a Microsoft spokesperson. MSN Companion 1.0 allowed the creation of only one profile.

"A user has to just plug the device into a phone line to connect to the Internet," he adds.

Compaq's iPaq appliance family, introduced last summer, is the first implementation of the initial MSN Companion. Compaq is now using MSN Companion technology in two new models--the IA-1 and IA-2. The IA-1 appliance, priced at $399, includes an LCD monitor, while the $299 IA-2 device comes with a CRT monitor. Both appliances have keyboards, a USB port, and modems, says David Albritton, a Compaq spokesperson.

The USB port enables the appliances to connect to secondary devices, which could let users create a home network, connect to external storage devices, or access a broadband Internet connection, Curtis says.

A stripped-down version of Windows CE designed to provide multiuser Internet access is built into the appliances, Curtis adds. Users connecting to the Internet using MSN Companion will get custom access to Microsoft's e-mail service Hotmail, business service Web site MoneyCentral, and instant messaging service MSN Messenger, he says.


File Sharing, Voice Support Added
The appliances let users share music files, and support voice communication over the Internet, Curtis says. Periodic software updates for the Companion service are downloaded from the Internet and installed automatically, he says.

MSN Companion was unveiled almost two years ago. MSN Companion 1.0 allowed a single user to connect to the Internet. Declining to give sales figures for the product, Curtis says MSN Companion 2.0 is a service upgrade to Companion 1.0.

The appliance is available directly from Compaq and from retailers nationwide, says Albritton of Compaq.

Also, Microsoft is offering six months of free Internet access through its MSN service as a bundle with new purchases of MSN Companion 2.0. At the end of six months, subscriptions cost $21.95 monthly. Users can cancel MSN's service and use an alternate ISP, but Microsoft will still charge a $9.95 monthly fee. The fee covers upkeep of the MSN Companion service, which includes software upgrades, Curtis says.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,51810-page,1/article.html

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