It looks like the Intel R&D people have been watching too my TV, as their latest “concept” is a device called the Web Pad, that is “loosely” based on the News Pad from the film “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Copy the design, change the name ... now that’s research.

Roughly the size of an Etch-a-Sketch, the “Web Pad” can access the Internet without a wire, and is able to be moved around a house freely with nothing connected to it. Intel says it developed the product with ease of use and mobility in mind, but it also wanted the Web Pad to be able to perform most of the functions of a standard desktop computer. The Web Pad also lacks a standard keyboard, although a digital image of a keyboard can be downloaded on the pad and can be typed on by using a special pen. The Web Pad will cost around $500 and is expected to be on shelves by 2001. How convenient.