For Superhighway Late Starters

Sunday, July 16, 2000
    • Deluged by dotcom ads on TV, Diane Arbutis' 75-year-old mother wanted the Web and e-mail, but she didn't want a computer. "She has no place to put a complete PC system and doesn't want to buy another piece of furniture," Arbutis says. "And she's leery of spending a lot of money on something she doesn't know or understand." She could try the route to the info superhighway that a lot of curious but cautious seniors are taking: Internet appliances, like the three shown below. Smaller than PCs and easier to use, these devices provide e-mail and basic Web surfing for less money--and without the hassle that is keeping many greatest-generation types offline.