Ginger Announced

Earlier this week Ginger was unveiled -- the first voice- and touch-driven PK or "Personal Kiosk" that offers instant usability in a simplistic, electronic tablet design.
You can use Ginger to:

Do basic Windows™ computing without a mouse or keyboard
Browse the Internet and send email by voice
Have screen text "read" to you
Videoconference and send photos at the touch of a button
Shop online using a built-in secure magnetic swipe for credit cards – just like in-store retail transactions

Other features include one-step, touchpad access to "best of the web" sites for news, entertainment, shopping, travel and medical reference. Ginger can also function as a voice-controlled command center for managing home appliances, lighting, security systems and doors.

Ginger is the brainchild of Gary German, a technology entrepreneur whose past successful ventures include Atlanta-based sTupidPC, a retail provider of low-cost, "low-geek-factor" computers. German believes many consumers are missing out on the life-enriching benefits of personal computing and the Internet, due to a lack of skills or physical limitations that make it difficult to read screen text or use a keyboard or mouse. These consumers most often include technology-phobic seniors, who may also be visually impaired or have dexterity problems, and special needs adults.

"There’s a huge untapped market of people who have a genuine interest in computers but find them too complex and too hard to use," said German. "Ginger removes much of the learning curve as well as the physical barriers to computing – she talks to you using text-to-speech, and you give her commands by voice or by touch. She has the potential to open the world of computing to virtually anyone."

If the Windows interface created the second generation of personal computers, Ginger’s touchpad- and voice-activation offers the third with usability that is as familiar as your telephone keypad and as easy to navigate as your bank’s ATM. Credit-card transactions are also extremely safe. The card-swipe eliminates the need to tediously enter personal data before you buy, and confidential information is encrypted and sent directly to the vendor’s own system, bypassing the typical web server-linked route.

Ginger’s closest competitors are Internet appliances, which provide only a fraction of the capabilities and computing power (Ginger has a 500 Celeron Intel® processor, 128 MB RAM and 10 GB hard drive). Weighing in at just 7 lbs., Ginger is small enough for taking on trips and when mounted in your car or mobile home also has capabilities to act as a global positioning system (GPS).

Ginger’s touchpad- and voice-activated features are in a self-contained electronic tablet that includes a 12 ½" x 4" monitor. She sits on a 90-degree stand for optimal viewing. Ginger comes with most everything you need built-in, including Internet Service Provider (ISP) and application software already loaded. An infrared panel on Ginger’s base lets her work wirelessly with printers and other peripheral devices.

For product specifications and add-on extras, or for an online look at Ginger, on the web go to www.gingerinteractive.com.

Pricing and Availability
Ginger will begin shipping May 28, 2001 and is priced at $1,995.00 MSRP. She will initially be available direct from Ginger Interactive, Inc., with distribution agreements through major online and retail stores to be announced. Bundled software and ISP partnership agreements are also to be announced.

Computers

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