Microsoft plans to re-tool its entire product line, from Windows and Office to MSN, to work with the .Net strategy. APBNews, which laid off its 140-person staff last week, is back up and running with a minimal staff , at least until their cash runs out again. Intel has entered the toaster market with the Intel Dot. Station , a simplified PC running a Linux-based operating system. Unlike WebTV and similar systems, the Dot.
Station has a separate monitor capable of displaying full-sized web pages.
Besides its Internet access features, it has an address book and note-taking software. The latest net appliance to to be hacked into a PC is the Tivo . Making closed appliances work with PC operating systems is a new challenge. Freelane supports Macintosh, which most free ISPs do not. AltaVista will no longer offer free access in the UK .