If you are not able to type or do not spell well or do not feel up to learning about computers? None of these concerns should keep you off the web since new advances make them of little consequence in your being able to make the web work for you. You can now surf the net like 800,000 (and rapidly growing number) of other folks now making full use of the
net on their living room tv set. Main stay is Microsofts Webtv, with Gateway, cable industry, and American Online all entering the "web on Tv" market in a big way in the near future. Microsofts lowest priced model is currently available on sale at Wall Mart and other big
electronic retailers for $70. The on sale model is slightly smaller then most VCR's but will soon be superceded by a $100. model rumored to be the size of a vhs cassette. A remote comes with it that you can do most everything with but a wireless keyboard for $50. puts you in high clover. You can also get a standard wired computer keyboard for just $12.95 or a total of under $100. For $200. you get a Plus model with a lot of fancy happenings with yourTV viewing that we wont get into here and a little faster modem. Optional wireless keyboard 50 bucks more for a total of $250. FOR UNDER $100. YOU WOULDN'T EXPECT MUCH, BUT YOU WILL BE AMAZED

          Many computer proffessionals have bought mom back home a Web tv unit so they can E-mail mom and she can enjoy the internet without having to learn about computers. Many of these computer pros have discovered they liked surfing the net on mom"s
TV set with this unit so well they got one for themsleves. This is not necessarily a second class "do it because it is cheap" appliance. We use these many hours daily in our office, prefering it over a computer.

HERE IS WHY YOU WILL LIKE SURFING THE WEB WITH WEB TV, AND WHY IT WILL WORK
BETTER FOR YOU THEN AN EXPENSIVE COMPUTER.....  

1. None of this one person going off in a little room and hiding from the rest of the family for hours a day. This is all done from the comfort of your best easy chair and with the plus model the entire family can watch what you are doing on the net and watch tv on the same screen at the same time.
2. No extra phone line needed. Cost is $20. a month for the plain jane model and $25 a month for the plus with all nifty tv featrues. When the phone rings (you must have call waiting) it puts your internet on hold
and your phone rings. Go back and with one click, pick up exactly where you where. You can go off the net, eat supper, with one click pick up right on the page where you left off., no matter how long you were off.
3. No bifocal related problem stretching your neck so the computer screen is in focus. You can adjust the type size setting as large as you want and it is always reproduced in one easy to read text. Watching the
screen here is no more tiring then your normal tv watching.

4. You can surf the net from anywhere in the room with the remote control, and even type email with it by selecting from an alpha5bet it puts up on the screen. If you can not spell worth a hoot, not to worry....the spell checker will tell you what is spelled wrong if you ask it with a click. The wireless keyboard is even handier. Some like the feel of a standard full size computer keyboard, and that just plugs in on the low cost model but requires an accessory on the plus model. You can take turns controlling the net. One with the wireless keyboard and the other with the remote.

5. You can attach pictures shot with your camcorder. Click pictures live from the camcorder, from a tape or even live network. You get full screen size and it looks just as good on the recieved end as you sent it. We use a camera easel and send still photos, drawings,
marked up corrections, whatever. Pictures work only with the present plus model and it even allows you to send 30 seconds of sound along. The whole family singing happy birthday to grandma would be kind of nice.
6. The best e-mail feature is a skinny black doughnut that sits on top of your tv and has a red light that
comes on when you get an e-mail. (the vcr size unit itself can sit behind or under your tv.) Plus it even makes a distinctive little sound to catch your attention. You wont see that on the $3,000 computer.  Another nifty fun feature is you can put graphics and great backgrounds, funny animations and terrific background music with and on your e-mail page. You can have up to 6 seperate e-mail addresses free, one for each member of the family. After 6, more costs extra.

7. Some of The best web pages on the internet are made on and with Web tv units. The latest update makes lt easy. You can get your own web pages for free. (suggestion, put up a family album and let the relatives send you pictures and they can all access the album from anywhere in the world) you can put music with that too Put wedding music on the new brides wedding pages..you can figure out how to do all this in a few hours. There are lots of web page chat groups and you just dive in there and type in " how in the world do you make this thing do what I am trying to
do"? Somebody will have a typed answer for you on the screen in a bit...Later, you will have fun helping others.

8. You can take it with you. It is small enough to fit in your suitcase without a problem and it works almost anywhere. Connect it to the back of your motel tv, connect the phone and punch on. It will put a thing on the screen that asks if you have moved. You answer yes and it automatically figures out where it is and calls in on a local number. If you are really out in the boonies it will tell you if it is going to be long distance, and do you still want to hook up. You have taken your e-mail with you and nobody knows you ever left home. You can get external e-mail serv ices that will do that, not near as convenient, and then you don't have all the click on e-mail addresses you have stored or the favorite net sites you go to every day. Taking it along, you just click on the "Favorites" button on your keyboard and it puts up 30 little thumbnail pictures and names of your favorite "just one click"sites. Sorted in 20 seperate titled folders, (600 site capacity all together) Now the disadvantages. One you can't do spread sheets or your bookkeeping. You can't download but there are external sites that let you go in and do a lot of things for free that people do on a computer. Only two different printers work with the units, but they are standard printers and do a great job so for $150 you can print out anything you find on the web. ( You can use it as a typewriter too.) Printers only work with the plus. You can pick up and store stuff on external sites for free. Click on it just like it was in your computer. More next issue on why your farm should be on the net, Try out our site at US Farm Network. com now in development. Make it your home page. ( Home pages show up automaticallly   on the screen on when you turn on your computer) We will have 360 farm links fast click buttons on our farm switchboard when fully operational and direct to over 12,000 two click sites.

Harlan Jacobsen Editor




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