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by Elinor Abreu

(IDG) -- Imagine a remote control with 40-odd buttons and a card reader that can take you to your favorite Web sites with one click or swipe. No more searching through a long list of bookmarks or having to type in a URL from memory.

PlanetPortal's eGoPad was designed on the premise that users are sick of having to remember and type in URLs or find them in disorganized lists of bookmarks.

The device offers two new ways to access Web sites. Users can push buttons on the remote for default or programmed sites. Or users can slide cards with embedded URLs into a reader on the side of the device.

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About the size of a Nintendo remote, the eGoPad connects to a personal computer via a universal serial bus, commonly used to connect printers and other peripherals to the computer. Eventually it will be wireless, said Brent Kleinheksel, founder and CEO of PlanetPortal.

Internet service providers are already lining up to sign agreements to distribute eGoPads at no charge to consumers, Kleinheksel said. He anticipates seeding the U.S. market with as many as 10 million of the devices after the product is launched in late April. In the meantime, 4,000 will be tested in a beta trial set to begin Dec. 16.

It sounds spiffy, but there is reason to be skeptical. Set-top boxes and other appliances designed to ease the use of the Web haven't taken off, despite grand promises. "It's an innovative idea," but it's hard to get consumers to adopt new technologies said Charlene Li, senior analyst at Forrester Research. "These are the same users that won't even download new software on their browsers."

But Kleinheksel isn't worried. He believes many people will be attracted to eGoPad's TV remote-like interface and the fact that it doesn't cost them anything.

"This [remote] targets the late majority. Like your mother, your father. People who didn't grow up in the Internet genre, but have Internet access now and sit down at the PC and say 'Where do I go now?'" he said. "They want that initial nudge on where to go on the Internet. It gives them that warm fuzzy feeling that they're going in the right direction."

Kleinheksel also expects that the eGoPad slide cards will help U.S. consumers get over their reluctance to use cards with the Internet. Initially, PlanetPortal's slide cards will be used for direct marketing with companies distributing them to consumers for quick access to its Web site. Besides just plastering ads onto the cards, firms can also put company information on them, turning them into URL business cards for wider usage.

The cards can be distributed easily in magazines or mailed out, following the America Online ubiquitous disk model. Eventually, they can be used more like smart cards to transfer users' personal information, says Kleinheksel.

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Deutsche Telekom's venture capital firm, T-Telematik Venture Holding, gave PlanetPortal, which is located in Research Triangle Park, N.C., its initial seed of $1 million. T-Venture is also one of the otherwise undisclosed contributors to the company's first official round, $8 million, which is due to close in early 2000. (The company is seeking further funding as well.) Deutsche Telekom's Internet service provider company, T-Online, also plans to distribute the devices to its more than 4 million users, according to Joerg Enge, U.S. investment manager for T-Venture.

"The sheer magnitude of the project and the scalability of the business model will open up opportunities to reach multiple target audiences in a more exciting way," said Enge. "Most important, they have identified a concept with the potential to alter a market and revolutionize how consumers connect and interact with the Internet."

Meanwhile, the eGoPad presents yet another marketing opportunity for all the dot-coms straining to stand out from the masses. Companies will pay to be default sites on the buttons, while others will have logos on buttons that are not programmable. The device can track user behavior so advertisers can target users. But Kleinheksel offers assurances that user privacy will be guaranteed and that no information will be shared without the user's approval.

For the beta, U.S. News and World Report is considering providing content for four of the device's non-programmable buttons. Other companies whose sites will be included on the beta device include the following: CBS SportsLine; Thomson Investors Network; Office Depot; Priceline.com; Weather.com; Peterson's, which offers educational aids; and Giggo.com, an auto financing site. E-commerce buttons include a mix of categories from clothes to music, MP3, auction, jobs and banks. Other content buttons supply e-mail, chat, radio, a planner, stamps, community and malls.

The slide cards themselves also can bring up more buttons on the remote control. For instance, a CitySearch.com card might offer buttons for movies, tickets and food. Cards that will ship along with the beta device will come from businesses such as The Wall Street Journal and Proxicom, an Internet consulting and development company.

The card reader will eventually find other homes. For instance, Kleinheksel says he has been approached by Southeast Asian manufacturers who want to incorporate the card reader into keyboards, which would accelerate adoption.

PlanetPortal is entering a lucrative market. The company will charge for advertising and collect fees from Web sites listed on the buttons. It also expects to make money from ISPs and other distributors who bundle the device with their software and service.

Giggo.com executives think consumers will take to the device in droves. "A lot of people are afraid of using search engines and portals because they offer too much choice," said Markus Decker, a marketing specialist at Giggo.com. The eGoPad "is a great means of navigation, taking them by the hand and guiding them through the process. The ease of use makes sense."

The branding and consumer tracking opportunities eGoPad affords are what enticed Priceline.com to sign on to the beta. "It's eye catching. It fits on a desk and could definitely take the place of a mousepad," said Brian Harniman, director of product development at Priceline.com. "It's tactile, something I like as a user."