Internet surfing just got easier.
La-Z-Boy Inc., the home furniture company, has teamed with Microsoft’s WebTV to make a new chair with built-in Internet access called the “Explorer” e-cliner.
Besides this innovative feature, the chair also has a tray table that holds an infrared, wireless Sony keyboard for Internet access. The tray comes out of the left arm and can rotate 360 degrees so users can sit or stand without having to put the keyboard back inside the chair.
“We had a long list of things we identified as new, different and more enjoyable for the consumer,” said Kevin Wixted, director of marketing for La-Z-Boy Inc. “The product was created through finding a way of incorporating these aspects with technology, so we contacted Microsoft and they thought it was a great idea.”
The chair’s left arm also holds a 120-volt electric outlet, an AC adapter mainly for plugging in a laptop computer, a telephone modem port and DSL connection.
The right arm is not without its unique aspects either. This side has a drink holder
as well as a storage area
where one can put a remote control and other pertinent items such as a TV Guide or videos.
People who purchase the Explorer receive two free months of WebTV Plus service. The chair also comes equipped with a Sony Web TV Plus Internet receiver. The Sony receiver is a cable box similar to the ones people have on top of their television sets. This Sony box sits right on top of the Web television and connects to a phone line for Internet use.
Users can also hook up a video or digital camera and add audio clips or pictures to e-mails using the WebTV service, as well as surf the Internet and watch television at the same time, thanks to WebPIP (picture in picture), which allows the consumer to automatically receive with the WebTV service.
The chair comes in a variety of models, which determine the price.
A fabric chair retails for $1,049 and a leather/vinyl costs approximately $1,299. According to Wixted, the leather chair comes in four or five different
colors and the fabric ones are available in 40 or 50 colors.
“We are doing an extensive PR campaign to spread the word,” said Wixted. “Also, we are providing dealers with advertising material and information about the chair is on our
website” (www.lazyboy.com).
According to Wixted, La-Z-Boy has currently sold a few thousand e-cliners.
“We are hoping to sell many thousands, but we do not expect to sell hundreds of thousands,” he said. “This is a specialty chair for a segmented group interested in enhanced technology and features.”
La-Z-Boy created, designed and built the chair itself and also developed the technology on its own, buying the WebTV service from Microsoft.
“Microsoft does not receive a percentage of sales from the chair,” Wixted said.
According to the La-Z-Boy website, the chair when fully extended is 67 inches. The weight varies between 86-93 pounds, and the height of the seat is 20 inches.
The American Society of Furniture Designers gave La-Z-Boy a 2000 Pinnacle Award for creating the e-cliner, an award granted mainly for a product’s design and how it relates to furniture.
La-Z-Boy is the nation’s largest manufacturer of upholstered furniture and the world’s leading producer of reclining chairs.
All a consumer needs to reap the benefits of the e-cliner is a telephone line and a television. Consumers can purchase the chair at any furniture store that sells La-Z-Boy products.
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