This holiday season may not have been all that retailers dreamed of, but one product certainly caught consumers' attention--WebTV, a set-top box manufactured by Philips Magnavox and Sony Electronics that allows TV viewers to access the Internet.

"It did very well. There's a lot of interest in the product," said Raymond Navarrete, vice president of Tops Appliance City, in Edison, N.J.

The device, marketed heavily by the two manufacturers, was aimed mostly at Internet novices, although retailers said it was also selling well to computer-savvy buyers.

"It wasn't limited to people who don't have computers," Navarrete said. "There are people who said, 'My computer is in my office' or 'It's over in the corner.' This becomes a product that can easily be added. It's like buying a VCR."

Neither Sony nor Philips has released sales figures for the device, but it did make it onto the list of "hot gifts" put out by the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Some retailers suggested that buyers were captivated by the novelty of the device.

"Mostly it's people who've come in and have already heard about it. Usually the sale's made in a second," said an official at Circuit City Express, in Cambridge, Mass. "The newness is what's selling it."

Installation of the device is similar to setting up a VCR. It automatically dials into WebTV Networks Inc., a Palo Alto, Calif., Internet access provider that charges a flat rate. Users surf the World Wide Web via a remote control, although peripheral devices, including keyboards, are offered.

Source: PC Week