Log on with the Microsoft Internet toilet

NEWS Microsoft is taking the Internet into new territories with the announcement of an internet toilet. The MSN iLoo will come complete with a plasma screen, wireless keyboard and high-speed Internet access. MSN will be taking the Web-enabled WC on the road this summer to show it off to users with visits to a number of music festivals, including June's Glastonbury Festival, already pencilled in -- as if the queues aren't long enough for the loos at such events as it is. Anybody who has ever used a toilet at Glastonbury or a similar festival may well question the logic of such a move. Traditionally they are not thought of as places where you would want to spend any more time than is strictly necessary. Jeremy Davies, an analyst with market research firm Context, suggested that the iLoo is just an updating of a current habit among many visitors to the smallest room. "Reading in the loo is a traditional English pastime," said Davies, though he expressed concern about the extended waiting time the connected convenience may create. "Like my father always said, get in, get it out, get out," he added. A spokesman for MSN said: "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." The launch of the iLoo also throws up a candidate for worst job ever. One poor security guard will be charged with standing around outside the toilet at these festivals to ensure neither it, nor its contents (no not those contents), are stolen. A park bench in Suffolk was also Internet-enabled by Microsoft in 2001. News.com's Joe Wilcox contributed to this article.

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