Coollogic, a Dallas-based electronics design and engineering company, has developed two new advanced Web access terminals. The products, CL-1000 and CL-3000, are the first aimed at consumers wanting high-performance, unrestricted Internet access through a television, and added printing, storage and e-mail functions. Coollogic plans to bring the new products to market through OEM agreements with well-known electronics manufacturers.

The CL-1000 should retail at about $399 and the CL-3000 at about $599. Both are the size of a VCR, include high-speed internal modems, and come with a wireless keyboard with a built-in mouse. The products are geared primarily toward private consumers who want a basic Internet access device, but who were limited to one Internet service provider with earlier Web access "set-top boxes." The CL-1000 and CL-3000 smart terminals provide a better value than simple Internet set-top systems because they are preprogrammed with the software needed for unrestricted access to the Internet, which offers customers the freedom to use any Internet service provider. Depending on the software installed, the two products also support call waiting and caller ID information if the consumer subscribes to the services.

"We watched the market during its infancy and learned from the early successes and failures," said Rob Wood, president of Coollogic. "We've applied those lessons, and worked with a PC architecture because the PC is still the best way to access the Web. We believe the new type of Web access device we've created meets the consumer market's expectations."

The new Coollogic products also satisfy customers who have been disappointed with the lack of storage and printing functions in previous set-top Web-surfing products. In addition to e-mail communications, the CL-1000 and CL-3000 allow customers to download and print information from the Internet. Both models offer 16-bit audio capabilities and higher quality screen resolution using the latest video chip processors.

For the more experienced computer consumer, the CL-3000 builds on the standard features of CL-1000. It uses today's standard PC technology, is compatible with the most prevalent operating systems and PC software, and can easily be upgraded for improved performance and greater flexibility. The CL-3000 includes an internal 100-megabyte zip disk drive and can accommodate a CD-ROM drive.

To bring its new products to retail stores, Coollogic is developing original equipment manufacturer agreements with some well-known names in the retail electronics industry. Through terms of the OEM agreements, Coollogic will supply the technology and manufacturing for CL-1000 and the CL-3000 while the electronics firms, which will be announced later, will market the products under their own brand names. Because Coollogic has invested the time in developing the technology and working prototypes, the OEM partner companies benefit by eliminating design time and the manufacturing process, which allows them to rapidly mass market the products.

Coollogic also has developed a new intelligent terminal, priced about $800, designed to replace expensive corporate work stations. The product, called the CL-5000, answers the needs of businesses that are tired of spending $1,500 or more on a high-powered network client computer when an employee rarely uses more than 10 percent of the PC's capacity. The new product is available to the value-added reseller channel, which will offer the CL-5000 to the business market.

Coollogic was founded in 1996 to supply a market niche ignored by mainstream computer manufacturers. Coollogic fulfills this untapped market by adapting standard PC technology to produce low-cost work station replacements and Internet access terminals.

Source: Coollogic