Because this device will be entirely powered by the MSN online service, the Companion will be so influenced by Microsoft that it might actually represent the next generation of online services. Yes, the Redmond software titan has operated its online service since 1995, but it runs on a PC with all its possible configurations of hardware and software. Although you'll still be able to browse non-MSN sites, it's really a portal and browser in one, as Microsoft says. It's inevitable that the Web will become more homogenized. Some consolidation is good, of course, as it helps organize the chaos and din of a thousand competing voices, but let's not go overboard.
Limited choice is never fun.
The experts predicted a portal shakeout as early as 1999, and most of them identified Yahoo, AOL and MSN as the inexorable winners. I agreed with them back and then, and I think this notion will still hold true. But the other portals will thrive in the short term by choosing specific niches and focusing on providing better search, which the Big 3 are not particularly good at. And this is good for the user. With both Microsoft and AOL poised to launch interactive TV services, portals are already extending their brands to the hardware and media arenas.