No, it has been cancelled by Circuit City, even on the web site. If you do click "Computers and Peripherals" and then "Internet Appliances," you're taken to a "Basics" page with some information. Then click the link that says "I-OPENER INTERNET TERMINAL" and you hit a dead-end. That page has been removed from the site. Moreover, it's been removed from the site search engine as well, leaving no way to buy it online.
When I visited our local Circuit City store tonight (Knoxville, TN), the manager confirmed that they had been notified that the unit was no longer in the product line. And, interestingly, he sold me the demo unit for $79.95, no TOS, no questions asked. In fact, I told him my intention was to put a hard drive in the unit, and he was quite jovial about it, acknowledging that he'd heard it was quite fun to do, etc.
When I asked why Circuit City was no longer representing Netpliance on the retail front, he seemed not to know the reason, although he agreed that the company has had some difficulty identifying its audience, settling upon pricing and service requirements (i.e., TOS), and with delivering product. He also remembered the advertising campaigns we'd seen during the past year with some disdain, saying, "They would take out a few national ads. We would have 5 units on hand or less. But we'd field 50 calls and have to turn the business away."
Well, that's my report from the mid-south.
Randy
