INSTANT INTERNET: WEBTV OFFERS EASY ROAD TO INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY

Instant Internet is simple. You buy the equipment, hook it into your television and plug it in.

Presto! Instant Internet and e-mail capability.

It may not be quite that simple, but WebTV is offering easy-to-use, on-(TV)screen interactive programs within minutes.

"It's very simple," said Doug Otto, of the Home Office Department of Sears Roebuck & Co., in the Plaza Shopping area. "It may be a bit slower than a computer, but it's very usable and handy."

Sears is one of many retailers with WebTV equipment in the Cape Girardeau area.

With a WebTV set-top box, surfing the Internet and sending e-mail can be as easy as watching television, said Tim Martin of Target Store, 202 Siemers Drive in Cape West Business Park.

You don't have to quit watching TV to surf the net, points out Martin.

"With one Web product you can view television programs in an on-screen window while you're browsing the Internet," he said.

All retail spokesmen agreed that WebTV is for people who don't to buy a computer but want access to the Internet.

A black box on top of the television set houses the technology that allows users to cruise the information superhighway without having to invest in an expensive computer.

"It's all in that little box," said one user. "It's remarkable. You can keep up with national and international news."

Users can click on to local newspapers (including the Southeast Missourian), as well as national and international newspapers.

"And it's simple to get on the Internet," said the user. "You push a button and you're there."

Retailers agree you can have a good setup for about $250, including the keyboard.

That's in addition to a monthly fee to connect to the Internet via the WebTV server. But you're looking at a monthly Internet fee whether it's hooked into a television set or a computer.

Most WebTV units today come with a remote infrared sensor.

Everything except the sensor can be hidden, said Otto.

WebTV, a subsidiary of Microsoft, also has some other special Web equipment which can be used with the television. Printers, including the four- and six-color jobs, are available.

WebTV terminals are built as pure surfing machines, said an editor of one magazine. "They're not designed to replace computers, but rather offer a relatively cheap alternative for people who just want to get e-mail, read newsgroups, chat on IRC and look at Web sites."

The WebTV box itself is about the shape and color of a VCR, but is a little smaller in size. This is by design -- it was intended to look familiar, not at all scary and newfangled and high-tech.

It connects to the TV via standard RCA cables and has a phone jack in the back. The WebTV box stores some key information, but most of the data comes from the WebTV Network, a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft.

Some may scoff and say that WebTV will soon go the way of the dodo, that no one wants to look at Web sites on TV.

Some retailers say inquiries and sales have waned some, but with the low price, (you can snag a WebTV hookup that works for about $100), don't write it off yet there are more TVs than computers in the world.