Hewlett-Packard Co’s test and measurement operation is creating a $200 embedded Java device called Big Foot which will monitor internet activity and usage and transfer data between all types of Java, browser-based devices, whether in the home or at work. HP’s aim is to eliminate the need for a central PC to manage and direct activity so that the concept of hooking together multiple devices in homes and businesses becomes feasible without a PC. The notion is analogous to the scanning/printing/digital photo devices it’s creating which can transfer information and work together without requiring a PC sitting on the network to marshal resources. HP expects that businesses and consumers will quickly come to regard internet service as a utility like gas or electricity