Net 'lite' for the unwired

It may be just the thing for those uncles, aunts, and grandparents who've been meaning to learn email to keep in touch with the kids but never got around to it. Washington Post tech writer Rob Pegoraro says AMD's $300 "Personal Internet Communicator" isn't the first basic, easy, secure, and plug-'n'-play box for newbies, but it's the best yet. It does everything most of us want to do with the virus-vulnerable PC - Web, email (via Web browser) - but it's not for multitaskers and not much cheaper than today's regular desktops, once you add a screen (keyboard and mouse are included). On the other hand, it is mindless and much more secure, and software gets updated automatically.