3...2...1...Lift Off With Urocket; Packard Bell NEC and Lycos Partner to Provide Easy to Use Internet Access Service for Consumers.SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 8, 1999-- ISP (1) See in-system programmable. (2) (Internet Service Provider) An organization that provides access to the Internet. Connection to the user is provided via dial-up, ISDN, cable, DSL and T1/T3 lines. Service Builds On Packard Bell See Packard Bell NEC. NEC's Long History of Tailoring Solutions Designed for Consumers Packard Bell NEC (Packard Bell, The Netherlands, www.packardbell.com) A major PC manufacturer that is the consumer brand of NEC Computers International and the home computing market leader in the U.K. and much of Western Europe. Inc. (PBNEC), today announced the upcoming availability of Urocket, an ISP service jointly developed by Lycos "Your Personal Internet Guide," with network services supplied by UUNET (UUNET Technologies, Inc., Fairfax, VA, www.uunet.net) Founded in 1987, UUNET was the first commercial Internet service provider. Originally offering e-mail and news, it became a full Internet service organization providing dial-up and leased line accounts as well as archive space for , an MCI (1) (Media Control Interface) A high-level programming interface from Microsoft and IBM for controlling multimedia devices. It provides commands and functions to open, play and close the device. (2) (Microwave Communications Inc. Worldcom Company and the world*s leading Internet communications provider. Urocket makes the process of getting online simple by eliminating the cumbersome tasks of installing software and configuring network settings, thus enhancing compatibility. The service will be formally launched and available to the public in late summer 1999. Consistent with Packard Bell NEC's history of understanding and addressing the needs of the home user, Urocket takes the headache out of getting on the Web by allowing the consumer to access the Web with as little effort as a click of the mouse. UrocketSM will open the door to the online world of eCommerce, provide heightened levels of parental control, and offer direct access to online PC technical support, including a knowledge base of troubleshooting tips to enhance the experience with Packard Bell and NEC (NEC Corporation, Tokyo, www.nec.com, www.necus.com) An electronics conglomerate known in the U.S. for its monitors. In Japan, it had the lion's share of the PC market until the late 1990s (see PC 98). NEC was founded in Tokyo in 1899 as Nippon Electric Company, Ltd. branded computers. "The biggest obstacle for online access is that most Internet service offerings are difficult for the average consumer to use," said David Chamberlain David Chamberlain, born December 25, 1975, is a cross-country skier from the United States. He was born and raised in Wilton, Maine and was a standout in cross-country skiing in high school. He then attended Bates College, and was an All-American in skiing. , vice president of Internet Services, Packard Bell NEC. "Urocket provides our Packard Bell NEC customers with an easy to use, affordably-priced service that enables them to gain reliable Internet access See how to access the Internet. , to explore the world of online shopping, educational programs and endless other Internet opportunities." Urocket offers to family households an unlimited number of E-mail accounts plus the ability for each member of the family to customize a personal start page with favorite sports updates, news and weather channels, stock reports, etc. "This combination of easy, affordable and personalized access, coupled with the service and support offered by Packard Bell NEC, is a truly unique offering," said Chamberlain. Urocket offers consumers a wide variety of features and benefits, including: -- Easy Access: To launch into the endless possibilities of the Internet, customers simply plug in their computers, register and they're online. Software is pre-loaded so there is nothing to configure and technical support is readily available online. -- Multiple E-mail Accounts: Urocket provides customers with the ability to set-up multiple E-mail accounts for no extra fee. Urocket allows each member of the household to have an individual E-mail address See Internet address. e-mail address - electronic mail address . -- Personalized Start Pages: Urocket customers can personalize the content, layout, page style, colors etc. of their Internet pages. Customized content might include local weather, sports scores, current events and financial news. Additionally, each family member will be able to design an individual and personal start page. -- Customized Web Sites: Using Web publishing Creating a Web site and placing it on the Web server. A Web site is a collection of HTML pages with the home page typically named INDEX.HTML. Web sites are designed using Web authoring software which provides a graphical layout capability or by hand coding in HTML or both. tools provided by Lycos' Angelfire community site, Urocket customers can create their own web sites. Up to 11MB of space is included at no additional charge and may include favorite links, photographs and personalized text. -- Search Function with Safety Features: -- Lycos' SearchGuard offers parents access to advanced search and filter technology. Includes features which allow parents to filter adult content and assist parents in reducing the risk internet in children and teens participating in unsupervised chat and E-mail exchanges. -- Online Shopping: It's easy to explore the world of eCommerce with Urocket. Customers will be able to link to the best sites available for online shopping. -- Extra Benefits: Users can learn more about their Packard Bell NEC computers and the Internet through special chat rooms. These rooms are designed to share "how-to" knowledge to help troubleshoot problems or to share tips on computing with other Packard Bell and NEC computer owners. "To offer customers a great Internet experience, we are proud to announce this partnership with Lycos and our networking services relationship with UUNET," said Packard Bell NEC Chairman, President and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. , Alain Couder. "We want to build solid, long-term relationships with our PC customers. Providing them the power of the Lycos Internet services in a personalized version with the Packard Bell and NEC brands integrated into the pages enables us to provide an excellent user experience and to maintain our relationship with the customer," said Couder, "while UUNET operates one of the most rigorously-engineered IP networks in the world." "Lycos is currently one of the most visited hubs on the Internet reaching one out of every two Web users," added Chamberlain, "These agreements with UUNET and Lycos allow us to provide our customers with the highest level of ISP service available today." Pricing and Availability Urocket will be available to the public in late summer 1999. Packard Bell NEC computers sold after July 15, 1999 will be equipped with the Urocket personalized Internet solution. A special introductory offer of $9.95 per month for the first three months, the Starship Plan, offers unlimited Internet access in most areas of the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . After the first three-months, the Starship Plan's monthly subscription fee will be increased to $19.95. Other pricing plans will be available to meet individual customers' usage requirements. About Packard Bell NEC, Inc. Packard Bell NEC, Inc., (PBNEC) is a leading producer and marketer of a broad range of desktop and mobile computers and network servers in the Americas. The company's consumer division serves the retail market through the Packard Bell and NEC brands, and claims one of the highest installed bases of home computers of any producer in the industry. Its commercial division, NEC Computer Systems Division (NEC CSD CSD Commission on Sustainable Development CSD Serbian Dinar (ISO currency code) CSD Christopher Street Day CSD Circuit Switched Data (Sprint) CSD Computer Science Department CSD Community School District ), serves the commercial, government and education markets with highly rated NEC-branded Versa Versa Versatile System Architecture (Genrad) (R) notebook computers, PowerMate(R) desktop computers, Express5800(TM) servers and MobilePro(TM) handheld personal computers. With headquarters in Sacramento, Calif., the company is privately held by NEC Corporation and Groupe Bull Groupe Bull (also known as Bull Computer or simply Bull) is a French computer company based in Les Clayes-sous-Bois, outside Paris. The company has also been known at various times as Bull General Electric, Honeywell Bull, CII Honeywell Bull . Through these shareholders and its alliance with affiliates Packard Bell NEC Europe and NEC PC in Japan, the company offers global reach and capabilities as well as leading-edge technology. Packard Bell NEC, Inc. and its affiliates comprise the fifth largest PC vendor in the world (IDC, April 1999). For more information on Packard Bell products visit www.packardbell.com. For more information on NEC products visit www.nec-computers.com. About Lycos Founded in 1995, Lycos, Inc. is a leading Web media company and owner of the Lycos Network, one of the most visited hubs on the Internet reaching one out of every two Web users. The Lycos Network is a unified set of Web sites that attracts a diverse audience by offering a variety of services, including leading Web navigation resources, homepage building and other Web community services and a comprehensive shopping center shopping center, a concentration of retail, service, and entertainment enterprises designed to serve the surrounding region. The modern shopping center differs from its antecedents—bazaars and marketplaces—in that the shops are usually amalgamated into . The Lycos Network is composed of premium sites: Lycos.com, Tripod, WhoWhere, Angelfire, MailCity, HotBot, HotWired, Wired News Wired News is an online technology news website, formerly known as HotWired, that split off from Wired magazine when the magazine was purchased by Condé Nast Publishing in the 1990s. Condé Nast later purchased Wired News on 2006-07-11. , Webmonkey, Suck.com and MyTime.com. Lycos.com (http://www.lycos.com), *Your Personal Internet Guide,* is dedicated to helping each individual user locate, retrieve and manage information tailored to his or her personal interests. Headquartered near Boston in Waltham, Mass., Lycos, Inc. is a global Internet leader with a major presence throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia. For more information on Lycos, visit www.lycos.com. About UUNET UUNET, the Internet services division of MCI WorldCom, is a global leader in Internet communications solutions offering a comprehensive range of Internet services to business customers world-wide. Providing Internet access, web hosting Making a Web site available on the Internet. Many ISPs host a few personal Web pages for an individual at no additional cost above the monthly service fee, but the address is subordinate to the ISP; for example, www.friendlyisp.com/pat_smith. , remote access and other value-added services, UUNET offers service in 114 countries, to more than 70,000 businesses, and owns and operates a global network in thousands of cities throughout North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. , Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information on Lycos, visit www.uu.net. |
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