TransPhone LLC, Ottawa, Ontario has already deployed its eponymous Internet transaction appliance, a forerunner of the Network Computers that Oracle Corp and Sun Microsystems Inc have spent so much time and money talking about. The 80286-based appliance gives home and office users access to online applications, content, and services, as well as secure point-of-sale transaction capabilities. Aimed at consumers who cannot afford a computer, it enables users to surf the Web and send electronic mail or facsimile messages. The TransPhone Internet Web browser function works via Citrix Systems Inc’s Intelligent Console Architecture Windows presentation services protocol and the Citrix WinFrame Windows NT-based multi-user server software. The Intelligent Console protocol enables an application’s user interface to execute with minimal resources on the client device. This enables standard 16 and 32bit Internet utilities such as Netscape Communications Corp Navigator and Microsoft Corp’s Explorer to execute on the server, with the user interface appearing on the TransPhone. As new Internet services, utilities, and protocols emerge, only the TransPhone servers in the data center need to be updated, not the TransPhone appliance itself. The company claims it will roll out the TransPhone in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, followed by eight other US markets this year and up to 50 more in 1997. The TransPhone is slightly larger than a telephone and includes a magnetic credit card swipe so that customers can make purchases online and optionally print out a receipt. The credit card security system used in the Transphone is from Secured Electronic Commerce of Omaha. Its features include a VGA liquid crystal screen that displays graphics and pictures, two PC Card slots, a keyboard and ports for a mouse, printer, communications, and video peripherals. It has two telephone lines, a high-speed facsimile modem and an optional ISDN interface. The system includes real-time credit and debit protocols, enabling it to interface with banks and financial clearing houses. The device can also be used as a telephone with built-in digital answering machine, caller ID and speakerphone. TransPhone is a privately-held, US- organized, venture capital funded company founded in 1995 in Ottawa.
