|
|
|
By James E. Powell
Click Here to see a
52.3 KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Profits? What Profits?
What do an answering machine, VCR, Post-it notes and e-mail have in common? "Once you have them, it's hard to imagine your life without them," says Charles Ardai, president of Juno Online Services. His company's offer is tough to beat-free e-mail. The Win 3.1x/95/NT software provides a simple interface to send text-only mail using a local or toll-free number. There's no minimum, no per-message charge and no sign-up fee.
Juno has a ripe target audience: the huge number of users who have a modem but don't subscribe to an online service or the Internet, plus those who subscribe only so they can send and receive e-mail. Not surprisingly, the service has attracted 100,000 subscribers within two months of operation.
The interface has two screens: one for reading e-mail, the other for writing. There's a spell checker, minor customization settings and folders to organize mail. There is no support for binary attachments, and messages cannot be encrypted (as is the case with most Internet mail).
So what's the catch? To sign up, you must provide demographic data (income level, hobbies, etc.), which is used to target your PC. You'll get an ad that changes every 30 se-conds, and a showcase ad while you connect. Since you work offline, connect-time costs to Juno are minimized.
To enroll, call 800-654-JUNO; if you already have e-mail, write to signup@juno.com, or visit the company's Web site ( http://www.juno.com).
Cost-of hardware this time-is also at the heart of SetNet, from the Palm Springs, Calif., company of the same name. The software lets users on any Windows-compatible LAN send and receive local and Internet mail without the temptation of the Net, using a single line and one modem. SetNet sends and receives messages, including attachments, without using a dedicated server. It doesn't need Internet routing to the LAN, so security is preserved without firewalls. Furthermore, SetNet requires no TCP/IP stack on network PCs.
|
|
|