At PC Expo in New York, JCC USA today formally presented its own entry in the Internet appliance sweepstakes.
The iBox, which connects to a standard phone line and a television set, is designed to give users Net access and, as with similar devices from other companies, is designed to sell for under $500. While the device is already shipping in Japan, the company is still negotiating distribution agreements in the United States but expects to have some kind of deal in place by the end of summer.
In addition to signing with a retail outlet, the company is considering licensing the iBox to a third-party manufacturer and will sign agreements with distributors in specific industries, such as hotel suppliers and real estate firms.
The basic unit features a built-in 28.8-kbps modem and CD-ROM drive, along with 4MB to 8MB of memory. Keyboards, floppy disk drives, and printers can plug in through serial and parallel ports but are all sold separately.
In an effort to promote the use of the iBox for Internet shopping, JCC has equipped the device with a secure digital system that features RSA Data Security cryptography.
Discuss: iBox links phone, TV, Internet
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