It s like having a video store in your living room, Pietri says. Push a button and a menu pops up. Choose a movie and purchase it on the spot. You have a pause button, fast-forward and rewind capabilities just like a VCR, Pietri says. Microsoft Corp. recently mailed millions of Internet software CD-ROMs containing the new MSN Messenger Service, and America Online users have long enjoyed the technology.
Lands End online and use instant message as an alternative to a phone call or e-mail order.
The instant text messaging allows you to discuss available sizes and colors with a sales associate. Pick up your phone to automatically receive the lowest available rate each time you dial a long-distance number. The Long Distance Manager service, launched this spring by Uniden America Corp., seeks the least costly long-distance rate from hundreds of available plans before the actual call is routed. Send a group message to virtually any number of people through your existing CallNotes service from Southwestern Bell. The people you are calling to an important meeting or to an impromptu luau don t even have to be CallNotes subscribers to receive your message.