Broadband Alternatives to WebTV?

tlon asks: "A friend recently approached me asking if there are any hardware alternatives to WebTV that allow for high speed internet access. For the unaware, WebTV is a dial-only solution, and does not allow for broadband. While there are several promising digital dish solutions cropping up, I've found none that leverage high speed cable networks. What set-top solutions are available for the computer illiterate consumer that allow access via a broadband network (aka Cablemodem). Perhaps some of these solutions leverage Linux on the back end?"

Re:Forget surfing the internet from your TV

[hether]

But what if you're someone who DOES just want email and web browsing? Some people do you know. And the TV type option, with a remote, seems a lot more comfortable for the technologically impaired.

Re:Forget surfing the internet from your TV

[Hector73]

Actually, its surprising enjoying to sit back on a couch or in bed and surf the web.

WebTV -> The greatest porn finding machine ever invented.

AOL Set Top Box

[Ledge]

http://extratv.warnerbros.com/dailynews/cool/06_01 /aoltv.html

Saw a story about this the other day

[Anonymous Coward]

Wired ran an article about this [wired.com], while it was primarially centered around the failure of internet appliances such as the I-Opener, ePods, Audrey, Sony eVilla and Virgin Webplayer, it offered some good insight into the future of web devices and broadband.

A portable web tablet or accesing the web through HDTV never looked cooler, just a shame no one is making a profit doing it.

Dish PVR 701

[moosesocks]

Sometime in Jan-Feb 2002, DishNetwork will be releasing it's new set-top box, the DishPVR 701. It will be a TiVo like unit with webtv functionality built-in. It will have HD outputs (it's key selling bullets) as well as ethernet connectivity, a 120 gb hard drive, possibly have USB ports, AND will be linux-powered.

Preorders being taken [dishdepot.com]

3com Audrey

[cymen]

Check out the Audrey but it was end of lifed by 3Com so yadda yadda. TigerDirect.com was selling them off for $100 so you can probably pick one up on eBay. You'll need a USB network adapter. The Audrey runs QNX and can be upgraded. TigerDirect has some other interesting devices too (like some MSN thingy right now?) so look around there.

Unfortunately surplus seems to be the best bet as no sane company is producing such devices at this time... AFAIK, YMMV, etc etc etc (god I hate this stupid disclaimers)

free rant:
Why do we feel the need to use all these disclaimers? Shouldn't any intelligent person recognize that anything one says is ones opinion unless it is explicitly backed up by fact? Wouldn't we just note the facts and if no notation is made there are no facts so it is obviously a personal opinion? Does this have something to do with the lawyers? Argh!

Get an IPAQ IA-1 and USB ethernet adaptor

[Llama Keeper]

For Christmas I am getting both sets of Grandparents and Compaq IA-1 w/ USB ethernet adaptor and a DSL connection. This way they get e-mail and the ability to surf the web without calling me 2 to 11 times a day for tech support like with a PC. I picked the boxen up for $99 a pop from Tiger Direct last weekend. Just got then yesterday. They are sweet little instant on devices. Get one if you can.... or e-mail me I'll sell yah my last 2.

LLAMA

dreamcast?

[toast0]

well... you could get a dreamcast with a broadband adapter (good luck finding a broadband adapter for a decent price, but...) and with the proper browser disk (some are downloadable) you could use that to surf the web.... and play video games when you get bored of the web

NIC

[Gill Bates]

Take a look at the NIC [thinknic.com]. It's a relatively inexpensive 'internet appliance' that runs Linux off the CD-ROM.

x-box???

[ryusen]

well not really, but i think that's where ms is headed with x-box... it's already got the pc internals, a striped down os, an ethernet connecor... it just needs software really (.net??)
ingenious really... if you're willing to wait a few years... heck sony might be doing the same with ps3...