"Network NEC" Brings the Best of the Internet Directly to NEC Ready PC Desktops with Microsoft's Internet Explorer 4.0

Business Wire, Sept 15, 1997

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 15, 1997--NEC Ready consumer customers will now receive a personalized, easily accessible window onto the Internet through the launch of "Network NEC."

This premium "channel" -- now found on your PC desktop -- uses push technology to deliver Internet information through Microsoft's newly-introduced Internet Explorer 4.0 (IE 4.0) Web browser. Microsoft IE 4.0 has been selected as the Web browser of choice for Network NEC "webcasts" and makes the world of the Internet easily understandable through a "channel"-based, television-like format. IE 4.0 and Network NEC will be available through www.nec-computers.com beginning Sept. 30. All future NEC Ready PC models will offer IE 4.0 and Network NEC pre-installed.

IE 4.0 enables users to have information they care about delivered right to their desktop the way they want it, when they want it. In addition, IE 4.0 features an Active Desktop which redefines Windows 95 to provide Web-style controls and the ability to display Web graphics and run Web programs right on the desktop. Network NEC's offerings include technical support information, the latest product details relevant to a user's own computer, the most recent software updates and most frequently asked questions, as well as an abundance of business, entertainment and sports features.

"As second and third-time buyers, NEC Ready PC customers tend to be very Internet savvy," said Michael DeNeffe, director of product marketing for the NEC Ready line. "They have an `Internet life' and a `PC life.' With IE 4.0 and the Active Desktop, we're helping to merge their dual lives for the most efficient, informative and enjoyable computing experience ever. Others will find access to the Web and customized channel information is now as easy as pointing and clicking the mouse."

NEC Ready PCs feature premium and sophisticated computing for the home and home office users with a concentration on performance, new technologies and innovation in design. NEC Ready PC users' computing experience is enhanced through the use of design and the Active Channel technology built into IE 4.0, bringing NEC Ready customers relevant, compelling content in sub-channels on Network NEC.

The NEC Ready channel information is carefully selected, well-organized and readily available to users in one convenient location. They can do other computing tasks and know that information is readily available when they want it.

Active Channels

News flashes, baseball scores, stock quotes, entertainment, tips on NEC products and how to use your computer -- these are all available in the Network NEC channel presented in a friendly and accessible fashion in the following sub-channels:

Customer Support - The latest and greatest equipment and software upgrades are available here for NEC Ready, plus the latest drivers to accommodate such things as changes in the operating environment or video cards, a quick link to the company's main site, technical support contact information, links to technical support pages, company news and more.

The Daily News - This sub-channel is especially good for new users who don't know where to look on the Web and saves time for savvy users. In one place users can access general news as well as business, technology, entertainment and games, sports and recreation, lifestyles and travel information from the best news sources available today, including USA Today, Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.

Entertainment - Features on the latest books, movies, art, games and links to popular entertainment sites, gossip columns and soundbites from movies, film, music, television, are all available here. Future offerings will include access to radio stations outside a user's geographic area so they can listen to blacked-out sporting events, for example.

Newsstand - Looking like a corner newsstand, this site takes users with a single click to any of the more than 50 magazine and newspaper sites -- People, Sports Illustrated, Entertainment Weekly, Fortune, Money, George, Car and Driver, Cosmopolitan, Air and Space, Computer Gaming and numerous others. All available on the Internet if you know where to find them, but available here on a single "stand."

"ifind" channel - This channel provides an easy way to search the Internet. The channel includes an organized index highlighting the most popular topics such as arts, entertainment, business and investing.

Active Desktop Applications

IE 4.0 for NEC Ready customers features additional customization with an Active Desktop application that will let users move sub-channels from under the umbrella of the Network NEC channel to sit on the desktop for even easier access. As a bonus feature, a news ticker brings users up-to-the-minute news updates at specific intervals designated by the user.

IE 4.0

Along with better integration of the PC desktop and the Web and the customized NEC Ready channels for a productive, personalized Internet experience, IE 4.0 provides Security Zones to make it safe to "surf." A full communication and collaboration solution for e-mail, Internet telephony, video conferencing and application sharing is also a part of the innovation design into IE 4.0.