THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, April 1, 1996 TAG: 9604010003
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: TECH TRACK
GADGETS AND GIZMOS FOR THE NEXT CENTURY
SOURCE: BY JAMES SCHULTZ, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines
Kate and Jack are cooing and chirping. Not aloud; rather, the pair appear in a magazine ad as the hosts of mail-order manufacturer Gateway 2000's fictional radio-chat show, touting the company's latest computer gear.
``Hey!'' Jack exclaims after a deliveryman drops off a ``gigantic'' box. ``It's a huge charcoal-colored monitor and a wireless keyboard and remote! Did they give us info on this stuff, Kate?''
They sure did, Jack. It's called the Destination ``big screen PC,'' a $4,000 combo television/personal computer that the South Dakota-based Gateway (now building a manufacturing plant in Hampton) hopes will become the country's first true ``telecomputer.''
Just think: After Pop, Mom and the brood finish watching favorite Nick at Nite reruns, they'll be able to zip into cyberspace and cruise for the latest goings-on at web sites, home pages and chat rooms.
The device has a 31-inch screen and a wireless mouse and keyboard, which control both television and computer functions.
Gateway is applying for more than 20 patents on Destination, which it says can be hooked up to cable-TV, traditional antennas, VCRs, laser-disc players and home stereo systems.
A 120-megahertz Pentium processor, a speedy modem, large hard drive, a CD-ROM drive and generous amounts of Random Access Memory, or RAM, make up the computer part of the device.
Gateway claims Destination's picture is far superior to images seen on traditional TV. As one of the company's press releases sniffs, ``It's like comparing an old phonograph record with today's audio CDs. The quality of the digital recording is light years ahead.. . . ''
Which is good, because at this point you may be asking why you need to plunk down four bills for stuff you can buy separately and more cheaply.
Gateway admits that it's shopping Destination to the high end of the market: people who want CNN and Internet on one machine. But prices could drop if competitors emerge.
If you're old enough, you'll remember how (relatively) expensive color TVs were when they were introduced - as were VCRs and compact-disc players.
But let's not linger over money. As faux radio host Kate puts it, ``All this talk is making me crazy to play with our new products!''
Gateway will be happy to send you info on Destination. Call (800) 846-5235 and leave your name and address to receive a promotional package. MEMO: Visit Tech Track's new home page on the World Wide Web. Download the
movie. Meet and hear the reporters. Discover your favorite past columns.
It's on the Fun page of Pilot Online at:
http://www.infi.net/pilotonline.com/
ILLUSTRATION: Gateway 2000
It's not cheap: The Destination model will run for about $4,000. But
if competition develops, prices might drop.
by CNB