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Thoughts on the MSN Web TV Device?
elmore asks: "I was watching television tonight and saw a commercial for the new MSN web TV device. Normally I completely dismiss anything Microsoft comes up with but this seems pretty nifty. I like this device because my grandparents and my mother are fairly...'challenged'...when it comes to the internet. Sticking with my gut, I'd like to ask the Slashdot community what web TV devices you've seen and/or given to your internet 'challenged' family or friends."
...if you want to keep them permanently challenged.
You may initially not have to provide tech support, but you will eventually. Grandma will want to know how to do all the things her friends can with their PCs, and you'll not only have to teach her how to use a computer, you'll have to un-teach her WebTV.
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I bought a WebTV for my grandmother. Its great, she can get on and send email around, surf the web, shop for her antiques on ebay and do cool stuff.
The downsides : No local storage for images or emails. She has to re-download stuff every time. And her email gets purged after a while, so she can't save that new grandchild picture forever
No games (not a big deal for my grandmother, but dont buy it for your 15 year old cousin!)
No wordproccessing/excel/etc. My grandmother would have some use for Word, so she could write letters to her lawyer, or to different companies/groups, but she doesnt have this.
The deal with WebTV, is know what you are buying, and what you need. If its just for email, and surfing, its great. If you want more than that, go buy them a 300$ computer at best buy, or (shudder) a mac!
Oh, and make sure you buy the keyboard, it makes everything MUCH easier than typing with a remote control