Including wireless keyboards and pointing devices, Bast's products are found in hotels, major apartment complexes and in financial institutions. Bast Inc. recently has completed a deal with CMRx2 of Portland, Oregon, a company providing high speed Internet access in mid-level hotel chains such as Red Roof Inns. Mr. Pincus noted an initial commitment of 10,000 units. Not everyone owns or travels with a laptop, but with these devices, customers can still send and receive e-mail and browse the Web. Bast Inc. Internet appliances differ from offerings such as Web TV primarily by the high speed access the former provides.
Web TV is analog modem speed only.
And, once again, cost was a major selling point. The ability to change operating instructions in our unit via open source Linux, plus the ease and cost of implementing the changes was not matched by any other operating system. Elitegroup Computing , based in Taipei, Taiwan, will manufacture the hardware for the set-top devices.