The service, which was previewed at Demo 96 earlier this year, requires a small, black pyramid-shaped receiver that sits atop a user's desk and connects to a PC by serial cable. With preferences set by the user, Airmedia Live's PC Alert software scans the wireless broadcast from over 20 sources, including CompuServe, PR Newswire, and Reuters news service.
It culls the relevant information and flashes an alert on a desktop taskbar even if the user isn't logged on to the Internet. From the taskbar, a user can read summaries of email or news stories but still needs to go online to retrieve the entire text.
The wireless feed is a slightly different twist on services like PointCast and Web.Max that search the Internet and pull requested information onto a user's desktop.
Airmedia Live launches in July and runs with Windows 95 only. The suggested retail price is $199. A basic two-year subscription is included in the retail price. Premium subscriptions, including email notification service, range from $4.95 to $13.95 a month.
