computer science

Internet appliance

Internet appliance is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Internet appliance rather than just read about it. In short: An Internet appliance is a consumer device whose main function is easy access to Internet services such as WWW or e-mail. The term was popularized in the 1990s, when it somewhat overlapped in meaning with an information appliance, desktop computer, network computer, or even thin client, but now it has fallen out of general use.

Key takeaways

Internet appliance belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Internet appliance to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Internet appliance from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

An Internet appliance is a consumer device whose main function is easy access to Internet services such as WWW or e-mail. The term was popularized in the 1990s, when it somewhat overlapped in meaning with an information appliance, desktop computer, network computer, or even thin client, but now it has fallen out of general use. Internet appliances were contrasted with any general purpose computer, but unlike personal computers, internet appliances were low cost and low margin products, usually using highly optimised low power silicon specifically built for internet use. Modern smart phones and tablet computers do approximately the same things, but are more powerful, more successful in the market, and generally not classified as Internet appliances.

History Internet appliances were promoted by a variety of technology companies during the 1990s but, as the price of full-featured computers dropped, never met the market expectations. Jim Louderback would later describe the concept as one of the "eight biggest tech flops ever". An Internet tablet is a type of a mobile Internet appliance. Examples include the Sony Airboard and the Nokia Internet Tablet series (including the Nokia N900). Early in the 21st century a new breed of household devices, such as Vonage Internet Phones, PenguinRadio's Internet radio, and IPTV boxes, began to use the broadband connections in PC-independent ways.

Notable devices

Current aigo MID Chromebook Litl Webbook MailBug Personal Internet Communicator

Discontinued 3Com Audrey Amstrad E-mailer CIDCo Mivo/MailStation Compaq ePod GlobalPC i-Opener MSN Companion MSN TV New Internet Computer Nokia 770 Internet Tablet Nokia N800 Nokia N810 Nokia N900 Pepper Pad Sony Airboard Sony eVilla Sony Mylo Virgin Webplayer VTech Companion

See also Computer appliance Ubiquitous computing Mobile Internet Device (MID) Server appliance Netbook

References

External links

Linux-Hacker.net Community Page pertaining to getting Linux to run on older Internet Appliances

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Internet appliance

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Internet appliance claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Internet appliance before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Internet appliance ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Internet appliance

In research: Internet appliance appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Internet appliance in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Internet appliance is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Classes of computers, Information appliances, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Internet appliance outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Internet appliance in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Internet appliance means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Internet appliance out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Internet appliance in simple terms?

Why does Internet appliance matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Internet appliance?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Internet appliance.