from the Peddie Report, nov 30 1998:
Cyrix introduces the WebPad
As we hinted last week, Cyrix (Richardson, TX) stole their little piece of Comdex with the introduction of the WebPad (not the WebPal as we printed last week), a reference design put together by the Cyrix Conceptual Products Group in Colorado. This new device is built around the Cyrix MediaGX processor with embedded graphics and it's designed to provide ISPs the option of giving an access device away with Internet services. It uses QNX as an embedded operating system (though the company hastens to add that there's no reason it couldn't work with Windows CE or an embedded NT system). The WebPad relies on 2.4 GHz RF technology to connect to a base station that could be a set-top box, a PC, or a standalone base.
Cyrix also suggests a variety of Internet connection options from the readily available V.90 (56K) capabilities, to persistent connection options such as ISDN, xDSL, and cable modems. Cyrix' WebPad design comes with a charging pad and an optional USB keyboard (it has two USB ports).
Cyrix is so excited about this product that it's important to reemphasize that it is only a reference design. We went to the company's web page and it says "find out about the hot new concept that OEMs will soon be building." We hope so, but we're not going to talk any more about it any more until we see an announcement for an actual product. The company is very excited about the opportunities opened up by Information Appliances (IAs) and they're doing their part to make the market happen.
The WebPad represents the best in dedicated devices. It addresses a real need, the ability to cruise the web from a comfortable latitude (there are many comfortable latitudes, including on the couch, in the easy chair, and from the bed, but not sitting bolt upright in a chair at a computer). I do believe that what I liked best about this device is that the minute I saw it I knew what it was for and that I could definitely use one. It reminds me of the first time I saw a cassette recorder (I was 18 years old) and again, I knew exactly what it was for - to tape music off the radio - and I wanted it and look how that turned out. - KM