At the turn of the millennium, Microsoft and several hardware makers bet on internet appliances: simple, cheap machines for people who only wanted email and the web, without the complexity of a full PC. Microsoft’s program was called MSN Companion, and Compaq’s entry was part of its iPAQ Home Internet Appliance line, launched in 2001.
The device is an all-in-one: a flat LCD screen in a rounded white-and-grey case, with a matching keyboard and a built-in modem. There is no hard disk to manage and no software to install. You switch it on, it dials into MSN, and it greets you with “Welcome to the MSN Companion”.
Internet appliances were overtaken almost immediately by cheaper PCs and broadband, and most were discontinued within a year or two, which makes working examples like this one rare today.