“24″ on MySpace

I was reading an excellent post on TechCrunch about your current online TV-viewing options, of which there are many, and I saw that Fox Television is offering episodes of "24" for a $1.99 download on MySpace. Although I’ve never watched the show, I thought it would be cool to check out their MySpace page. Strangely, despite numerous reports that this starts today, I cannot for the life of me find the the MySpace page in question…and none of the articles are linking to it. A little help?

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From Microsoft.com: Microsoft FlexGo makes it possible to lower the entry cost of PCs and lets people pay for computers as they use them. This technology supports two models today: a pay-as-you-go model enabled by prepaid cards or a subscription model with monthly payments. With the products partners can develop using FlexGo, millions of people will now be able to enjoy the benefits of owning their own PC and participating in an increasingly digital global society.

So there are 2 plans: with the prepaid card, you buy the PC at 1/3 of the cost, while agreeing that you will purchase, over time, 800 more hours of computer time. After 800 hours, you no longer have to buy cards (time on the PC) in order to use it. The Microsoft FlexGo PCs are standard PCs with modifications that make it possible to meter computer use time. The PCs track computer usage and notify you when you need to add more time. If the PC is compromised (for example, the system CMOS clock has been set back), you cannot use the PC. The 2nd plan is subscription-based. It lets you buy the PC at 20% of the cost, while signing on to a 24-month contract with an ISP who will provide the PC to you. At the end of the 24 months, you own the PC.

These plans are going to be available to people in "emerging markets", where people can’t afford computers. Specifically, the locales of Mexico, Philippines, the Middle East and Eastern Europe are mentioned. Nowhere on the site do I see any mention that these FlexGrow PCs will be offered here in America. Why not? Do we not have underpriveleged potential customers of our own? Clearly, bringing PCs to the  less fortunate can open the doors to a new world of information and education. Beyond email and IM, anyone with an internet connection can attend MIT, for example. I applaud this effort, but hope that the reach will broaden with time.