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Apparently to the portable potty at your local summer concert or festival. MSN UK is creating what Microsoft calls the world's first Internet outhouse, or iLoo, complete with flat-screen plasma display, wireless keyboard and broadband access. The iLoo isn't Microsoft's first attempt at a festival-oriented public PC. The portable lavatory is being tested and will debut at festivals around Great Britain this summer. Microsoft plans to build a single prototype MSN iLoo that will travel the festival circuit, and may build more if the response to the pioneering potty warrants it, Whittingham said. MSN UK is negotiating with toilet paper manufacturers for special rolls with Web addresses, or 27 URLs, printed on them. But inside, Microsoft serves up accoutrements that might rival some iLoo users' home PC setups. A flat-screen plasma display swivels out from the side of the cabin, and a waterproof wireless keyboard can be placed on the lap for comfort. As strange as the iLoo might sound, Davies sees something appropriate about the invention. A portable john with Internet access could, of course, present some problems at crowded summer events. To address this problem, the iLoo will be outfitted with a plasma display and waterproof keyboard outside the box, so that those waiting in line can check their Hotmail accounts. Whittingham agreed that people might take longer in the toilet because of the Internet access. Because of the expensive hardware inside, Microsoft plans to post a guard to protect the iLoo. It's uncertain whether the MSN iLoo will do much for winning new subscribers, but the portable toilet certainly presents a unique way of promoting the brand. The iLoo isn't the only new concept PC that Microsoft has under development. At next week's Windows Hardware Engineering Conference, 30 the software giant is set to show off "Athens," which is intended to be hub for communications and collaboration.
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