Word: pc
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...never been a sucker for freebies, knowing all too well that they're usually more hassle than they're worth. So when I heard about all the new free-PC offers, I couldn't help wincing. Companies like Gobi, Intersquid and ePCdirect require you to pay up to $30 a month for Net access and are rife with hidden fees for basics like a monitor, tech support and one-time "start-up" charges. And then there's the nagging fear that these newcomers will vanish into cyberspace long before your three-year contract is up. Would you really want...
...deal tempted even cynical me. Free-PC is offering 333-MHz Compaq PCs with full Internet and e-mail access to anyone willing to fill out a questionnaire, watch ads onscreen and use the computer for 10 hrs. a month. No hidden fees, everything included--even speakers and a fancy Internet keyboard. But hold on: Who in her right mind would suffer through a barrage of onscreen ads just to get a free computer? Or submit to all sorts of prying personal questions, down to your income? Next thing you know, these "free" computers might be coming with built...
...still plenty of room left to browse websites and use the included word-processing software. What's more, when I had trouble getting online, I got through to tech support in just 3 min. And since I'm not a gamer, I wasn't worried that my new PC lacked a 3-D graphics accelerator or top-of-the-line processor. Compared with my poky, four- year-old 75-MHz Pentium home PC, even this low-end model (by today's standards) is a screamer...
...what about my principles? Had I gone soft when presented with a gleaming new PC? Not quite. The company had no idea I don't drive a BMW or own a cell phone or make $150,000 per annum, contrary to my claims on the application. And I decided I didn't really care if Free-PC knew which websites I frequented, so long as it kept its promise never to tell a marketer that I log on to cnn.com three times a week and check my stock portfolio every day. I even found a simple way to make...
Lately, however, 64-bit consoles like Nintendo and PlayStation have lost a little of their punch. Maybe it's because PC games have improved so fast--along with PCs themselves--while the quality of the consoles has stood still. Or maybe it's the advent of the more powerful 128-bit Sega Dreamcast that my pals and I have been testing...