As internet usage started to reach critical mass in the early 2000s, long before smartphones effortlessly connected us to fast wireless networks, several companies sought to create or augment devices that would allow web browsing without a PC, so-called “internet appliances.” In the consumer market, the most successful of these was WebTV, which survived as MSN TV until 2013. But there were plenty of swings and misses from startups and giants alike, including the Virgin Webplayer, 3Com’s Audrey, Sony’s eVilla, and Microsoft’s Web Companions. In the commercial market, Oracle spinout Network Computer, Inc. attracted the most attention, but its product was slow and came to market as PC prices were in freefall.
