SPREADING ITS WEB

Dorothy Bertrand of Cape Girardeau uses WebTV instead of a computer to navigate cyberspace.

Dorothy Bertrand isn't concerned with what's on cable. She's too busy keeping up with the news via WebTV and the Internet.

Instead of sitting down at a computer, she sits down at her television set to send electronic mail to friends and family.

She receives e-mail addressed to "dorothyb." A red light blinks when she has e-mail.

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

"It's all in that little box," said Bertrand. The WebTV was a Christmas present from her son two years ago.

Bertrand sits across the room with a wireless keyboard, calling up everything from e-mail and musical Easter cards to the latest news from The Associated Press.

She has even played games on the Internet such as Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.

"It's remarkable," said Bertrand, who retired in 1991 from the Cape Girardeau School District where she worked as secretary to the superintendent.

Bertrand regularly keeps abreast of national and international news on line by clicking onto the home pages of several of the nation's major newspapers.

"I get all the national and world news off of this," said Bertrand. She also keeps track of the news on the Southeast Missourian's web page.

"The first thing in the morning and late at night I go through the newspapers," she said. She accesses the Internet via WebTV, which has a local telephone access number. A telephone line plugs into the black box, giving the user access to the Internet.

Through the Internet she can search for a telephone number, which quickly pops up complete with a map showing the location of the home.

Bertrand, who collects Beanie Babies, keeps up with her hobby on the Internet.

"You could spend all of your time on WebTV," said Bertrand.

Her husband, Harry, prefers regular television. They have a large screen television in their living room.

The WebTV set is in a bedroom in the home.

Dorothy Bertrand said she prefers WebTV to a regular computer with its associated hardware.

Bertrand feels she can get quicker access to the Internet on her WebTV.

"For just getting on the Internet, it's simpler," she said.

Because the system doesn't have a hard drive, Bertrand said she doesn't have to worry about computer viruses.

Bertrand said WebTV isn't designed to handle a lot of word processing, although it works fine for e-mail.

Like computers, WebTV does have a connection for printers.

Bertrand has a printer sitting beside her television set.

WebTV was unveiled by Philips and Sony in 1996 as an easy way to surf the Internet.

A WebTV unit costs about $200, said Scott Shivelbine. His store, Shivelbine Music, is among several Cape Girardeau stores that sell WebTV equipment.

Shivelbine said a wireless remote control costs another $49.95.

"You can get set up for $250 without a printer," he said. A printer could add a couple hundred dollars to the cost.

The user also must pay a monthly charge of $19.95 to connect to the Internet via the WebTV server.

Shivelbine said today's WebTV units come with a remote, infrared sensor.

"You can put the infrared sensor on top of the television and put the actual box in a closet somewhere with the door closed," he said.

For the consumer, it doesn't take long to get on line. There's a 1-800 number to call to activate the service.

Shivelbine said television screens don't compare with computer monitors. "Your TV sets don't have the resolution of computer monitors," he said.

But users like Bertrand aren't concerned with such comparisons.

They see it simply as a great way to jump onto the Internet.