Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 7, 1995 TAG: 9511070023
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAVID BUTLER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A: Multimedia is not just for games! Throughout the '80s, the personal computer evolved along a fairly straight path. Apart from incremental (though sometimes dramatic) performance gains, the basic components remained fairly constant: a processor with memory, disk drive, keyboard and monitor. Not so any longer.
Today's PC is beginning to look and act more like a household appliance than an office machine. Sure, computers are great for playing games or surfing the 'Net. But who would have thought that a home computer would be answering the phone and taking messages while it plays selected tracks from your favorite CD.
Right out of the box, the latest personal computers know how to talk, create and record music, display photographs, and replay full-length movies. Now that multimedia has become the status quo, some very interesting peripherals are beginning to turn up.
For example, your computer can wake you with the local weather forecast or morning traffic report. All you need is a board-mounted FM radio. From the on-screen control panel (which looks just like a real radio), you can adjust the volume, scan for your favorite stations, or assign presets. One PC includes a radio as a standard feature - complete with a hand-held remote!
Or if you would prefer to keep an eye on the morning news while finishing up that report you meant to do last night, no problem. A growing number of PCs come with a built-in television tuner. You can relegate the TV image to a corner of the screen. Just be sure to leave room to type your report! Some computers even have an auxiliary video input for connecting a VCR or laserdisc player.
The PC has also become a formidable platform for all types of communication functions. Just about every computer is now sold with a fax/modem. No surprise here. What's new is this: With the right software, a multimedia PC can serve as a call processing center. Each family member can have a private mailbox - complete with features previously found only on commercial voice mail systems.
A computer equipped with a microphone and speakers (or a multimedia headset) can be a full-duplex telephone (unlike most speakerphones, which cannot send and receive at the same time). A keyboard is available with a special numeric keypad that supports both "10-key" and telephone layouts.
Before making your decision, consider some of the tasks a properly equipped computer can perform: CD-librarian, weather station, video editor, video phone, lighting controller, whole-house controller - the list could go on. As for the latest video games, don't knock something you haven't tried!
There's little doubt that the line separating computers, audio/video components, telephones and other consumer electronics is beginning to fade. In retrospect, multimedia may ultimately deserve the lion's share of the credit as the PC fulfills its long-awaited destiny as an everyday appliance. Only one question remains: Where 'ya gonna put it?!?! - are both necessary?
To receive a list of companies that manufacture the products referenced in this article, please send $1.50 (please don't send cash) and a self-addressed envelope to David Butler F-537, Department TWN, 14713 Pleasant Hill Road, Charlotte, N.C. 28278-7927. The list includes both system and peripheral manufacturers along with toll-free phone numbers and summaries of each company's products.
by CNB