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The information device (otherwise known as the $500 computer) is quickly becoming a reality. The need for such a device is prime, the market place is ready, it is bulging with opportunity and latent demand. The entrepreneur who can make such a device which connects to global information resources will reap huge rewards. The information device will not be a computer as we know it. It will be an information delivery device for individuals who haven't the need for creating information but have the need for obtaining it.
Such a device will be a household necessity very soon. Today's pre-schoolers will tomorrow be required to have access to information resources which are today only beginning to be recognized as legitimate. Tomorrow's information miners will use information devices in public and school libraries, at home, and even in the office. Information kiosks placed in city plazas and in shopping malls will not need computers with disk drives and huge amounts of memory. These kiosks will only need to provide the information.
The information which will be retrievable by such a machine is endless as many resources continue to come on line daily and many existing sources upgrade and add to and their information content.
The information device will be a precursor to the video phone. As we become accustom to an information device to retrieve information, a natural progression of use will be the application of video for use as a video phone device.
An information device will have a low price because it won't need huge amounts of disk space and memory to support massive operating systems and office productivity software. The information device will only need a minimal amount of memory (a very small amount required for the operating system), a CD-ROM for playing video games (or in the case of a kiosk operation, a CD-ROM can provide information for a city or mall area). It will need a reasonably good monitor, hence the purchaser can use their own television or purchase a monitor separately, which will of course raise the cost a bit.
The information device will eventually become a modular device that can be upgraded for use with video telephone, game playing, or digital satellite reception.
The computer as we traditionally recognize it provides more than is necessary for simply delivering information. It's kind of like using a dump truck to bring home a loaf of bread. The computer as we know it is an over-kill when needed for simple information providing.
As the need for on-line information by the average person increases, the market demand for the information device will become evident.