Who needs a browser?

HP has done the unthinkable by releasing a Web device called the DreamScreen that is missing this vital component

When you do something very different, chances are high that you are either very clever or too stupid for words.
And before we look at what HP is, let us have a quick dekko at the DreamScreen, one of its latest offerings.

The DreamScreen is a device for the home, just as the PC is aimed at the office and the laptop at the road warrior. And since it is aimed at the home, it comes with what you need at home an alarm clock, a five-day weather forecast, music and videos. Stuff like that.



Good idea?

While HP has tied-up with Facebook to give you access to this popular social networking site, there is no browser as such bundled with the product, so you can't exactly sit in front of it and check your mail.

When one looks at it from both sides, both pros and cons emerge to justify such a move. For one thing, this is a good move because it is aimed at a home scenario. In fact, the product can be placed on a kitchen counter, coffee table, or other locations in a home. And in a home, if you want to browse, why not buy a laptop or a PC? This could well be HP's method of reasoning.

Why not include it?

Of course, there are also those who believe that anything that comes with a screen and has the ability to compute should have a browser. In the case of the DreamScreen, a browser might be very useful if you are in the kitchen and want to check out a cooking site for the latest recipe.

It is also great to have one when you are watching cricket on TV and want to check out the stats of a particular player and don't want to wait until that particular batsman comes to the crease to view this information on the TV screen itself.

Web rules

What angle do you want to take? Was HP right or wrong in excluding a browser? In some ways, contemplating an Internet device without a browser may sound interesting conceptually, but users don't want interesting concepts, they want practical products that perform certain required tasks.

All said and done, it might have been better to include a browser and perhaps a wireless keyboard and mouse along with the remote control so that people can also use it to browse the Web if they want to. HP and other companies that make products should just provide the technology and leave the choice to the user.

QUICK TAKE
>>HP has announced a new device called DreamScreen
>>It can show images and play video from the Internet
>>It however doesn't have a browser

The Specs
Displayu00a013.3", 16:9, 800x480
Memoryu00a01.5GB usable space
I/Ou00a02 USB ports, 6-in-2 card reader, 1 headphone output
Speakersu00a0Built-in stereo
Line Outu00a0Built-in line out for headphones or external speakers
Networkingu00a010/100 LAN and wireless 802.11 b/g
Source: hp.com