Sit and surf: MSN UK tests portable potty

[ARTelevision]

I got this from CNET
They don't do humor.
So, I gotta believe it's true?

..............................................
CNET News.com
May 2, 2003, 10:44 AM PT


How far will MSN go to get new subscribers? Apparently to the portable potty at your local summer concert or festival.
MSN UK is creating what Microsoft calls the world's first Internet outhouse, or iLoo, complete with flat-screen plasma display, wireless keyboard and broadband access. MSN UK spokesman Matthew Whittingham described the portable toilet as the first "WWW.C," referring to the term W.C., or water closet.

"This is another demonstration of Microsoft moving into new product areas to expand its revenue base," said IDC analyst Roger Kay.


The iLoo isn't Microsoft's first attempt at a festival-oriented public PC. "We've had the world's first-ever cyber park bench we launched two years ago," Whittingham said. Like iLoo, the park bench served up Internet access.

The portable lavatory is being tested and will debut at festivals around Great Britain this summer. Microsoft plans to build a single prototype MSN iLoo that will travel the festival circuit, and may build more if the response to the pioneering potty warrants it, Whittingham said.

MSN UK is negotiating with toilet paper manufacturers for special rolls with Web addresses, or URLs, printed on them.

"Reading in the loo, or the bog, is a traditional English pastime," said Jeremy Davies, an analyst with U.K.-based market researcher Context. "We've all seen the magazine racks, loo paper with jokes and cartoons on the walls in toilets up and down the land. You've got to hand it to the creative--and uniquely English--minds at Microsoft."

From the outside, the iLoo is little different from other portable toilets. But inside, Microsoft serves up accoutrements that might rival some iLoo users' home PC setups. A Windows XP- powered computer resides under the sink with connection to 6-channel surround audio. A flat-screen plasma display swivels out from the side of the cabin, and a waterproof wireless keyboard can be placed on the lap for comfort.

The iLoo is equipped with 802.11b wireless networking for providing broadband Internet access. The toilet uses vacuum suction to dispose of waste.

"It's a bit of fun, and it allows younger age groups access to our key services, like Hotmail and MSN Messenger in a fun and interactive way," Whittingham said.

As strange as the iLoo might sound, Davies sees something appropriate about the invention. "We have a pretty unique toilet humor in the U.K.," he said.

A portable john with Internet access could, of course, present some problems at crowded summer events.

"It could induce a certain amount of queuing due to excess browsing on the part of users," Kay said.

To address this problem, the iLoo will be outfitted with a plasma display and waterproof keyboard outside the box, so that those waiting in line can check their Hotmail accounts.

Davies also raised concerns about the long lines. "Like my father always said: 'Get in, get it out, get out,'" he said.

Whittingham agreed that people might take longer in the toilet because of the Internet access. "If they take too long--say, hours--we'll probably bang on the door or something," he said.

Security is another issue. Because of the expensive hardware inside, Microsoft plans to post a guard to protect the iLoo.

"If we didn't post a guard, somebody would probably just lift the whole thing up and walk away with it," Whittingham said.

It's uncertain whether the MSN iLoo will do much for winning new subscribers, but the portable toilet certainly presents a unique way of promoting the brand. Worldwide, Microsoft has about 8.7 million MSN subscribers, a 300,000 decline in the first quarter from the fourth quarter.

The iLoo isn't the only new concept PC that Microsoft has under development. At next week's Windows Hardware Engineering Conference, the software giant is set to show off "Athens," which is intended to be hub for communications and collaboration.

[MSD]

I still don't believe it. Nothing anywhere else on the net.

[Antagony]

I read it somewhere else. Don't remember where though, sorry.

[ARTelevision]

here's the original link:

http://news.com.com/2100-1041_3-999509.html

CNET is pretty darn reliable...

I agree it stretches credulity.

[darkure]

Originally posted by ARTelevision
It's uncertain whether the MSN iLoo will do much for winning new subscribers, but the portable toilet certainly presents a unique way of promoting the brand.

Most companies would be afraid to associate themselves with shit. Microsoft doesn't seem to be so. I guess they have gotten used to putting out crappy products that shit doesn't bother them anymore.

[meanSpleen]

It is real, it is true. MS is making a toilet for surfing the web.

You won't be suprised, but the japanese have something like this already.

[wg2000]

What a complete waste of time.

I want a toilet with the colored fountains like in the Simpsons.

[ARTelevision]

for any residual doubters out there, the story is currently published on ZDNET as well:
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-999509.html

Will wonders never cease?

[juanvaldes]

Saw this last week I think it was slashdot.

Yes it is real. Yes it is stupid. Yes it's unbelieveable.

[ARTelevision]

Microsoft acknowledges 'ILoo' news release was joke

The Associated Press
5/12/03 11:46 PM


SEATTLE (AP) -- Microsoft Corp. has acknowledged that a news release in which it said the company was developing a portable toilet with Internet access, called an "iLoo," was actually a hoax, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The April 30 release, issued by the Redmond, Wash.-based software company's MSN Internet division in the United Kingdom, said the company was developing a portable toilet with a wireless keyboard and an extending height-adjustable plasma screen in front of the seat. The iLoo was to expected to debut in festivals this summer in Britain.

The fake release generated coverage by The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press and Reuters.

The Associated Press received confirmation of the project from both Microsoft Corp.'s Waggener Edstrom public relations firm and London-based Red Consultancy, a public relations firm in England.

In an e-mail sent last week to The Associated Press, Red Consultancy's Ben Philipson wrote "MSN is really working on building a prototype for the Summer festivals, perhaps Glastonbury ... This is very much a 'toe in the water' experiment to gauge interest so we'll have to see how it goes, although judging from response so far it's really captured people's imagination!"

Malina Bragg, who helps handle the MSN account for Waggener Edstrom, also verified last week that the project was true.

According to a Journal story for Tuesday editions, Waggener Edstrom was unaware that the release was a joke. "It was not sanctioned or known," Waggener Edstrom spokeswoman Kathy Gill said. "We are still trying to figure out what happened and why it happened."

The hoax came about a year and a half after Microsoft promised to dedicate itself to "business integrity" as one of the four tenets of its widely heralded "Trustworthy Computing" initiative. The initiative, announced more than a year ago by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, calls for Microsoft to show the public that it takes security, privacy, reliability and business integrity seriously.

While security focuses on strengthening the software against attacks, the other three tenets deal with how Microsoft treats personal and business data, ensures its software functions reliably, and builds people's confidence and trust in the company.
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I calls em as I sees em - I'm not psychic

[crashoverride]

microsoft stole the idea from a britain and now they are saying it's an april fool (one day late)
see the inquirer

[The_Dude]

yup, read that today

[ARTelevision]

Microsoft: i-Loo No Hoax Afterall, But Project Dead

AP: 7:16 a.m. EDT May 14, 2003

SEATTLE -- First Microsoft said it was for real. Then it said it was a hoax. Now it says it was for real, but is no longer on the drawing board.

It was called the "i-Loo." The story was, the United Kingdom division of Microsoft had been developing the i-Loo, described as an Internet-enabled toilet.

On Monday, representatives for the software giant told news agencies that a news release trumpeting the i-Loo was a hoax and apologized for "any confusion or offense."

But on Tuesday, the company reversed itself, saying the i-Loo was real but now has been killed.

It's a public relations embarrassment for a company famous for micromanaging news releases, interviews and promotional events.

The i-Loo was described as a portable toilet equipped with a wireless keyboard and a height-adjustable plasma screen with high-speed Internet access.

Several news organizations, including The Associated Press, carried reports of the project.
...............................................

credulity goes down an i-loo...again

(There is no Microsoft)