Poll of the Day > New Recliner From La-Z-Boy Is Built for Mouse Potatoes

(+) Yeah! (+)

By Peter H. Lewis
April 13, 2000

Compared with sitting on a comfy couch, using an old-fashioned remote control to surf through a mere 100 channels on cable television, surfing millions of World Wide Web pages using WebTV and a keyboard can be physically exhausting.

At least that seems to be the thinking behind the La-Z-Boy Explorer ''e-cliner,'' a plush new reclining chair that may be the first piece of furniture to come with a two-month subscription to the Microsoft's WebTV service.

Following on the success of its Oasis recliner -- the first reclining chair to have a six-pack-size beverage cooler built into the arm -- La-Z-Boy worked with Microsoft's WebTV Networks division to create the ultimate throne for mouse potatoes who want to surf the Net, send and receive e-mail and watch TV at the same time.

The left arm of the Explorer recliner has a keyboard tray that folds and swivels, just like the snack trays in the first-class section on airplanes. The tray supports a battery-operated Sony wireless keyboard, a laptop computer or a bowl of popcorn. Naturally, the chair also includes a power outlet with surge suppression and a modem jack. There is a storage compartment in the right arm for essentials like a remote control and the user's beverage of choice.

The Explorer chair comes with a WebTV Plus Internet receiver, the Sony keyboard and two free months of WebTV's Internet service. (You provide the TV and the popcorn.) Unlike the Oasis, the Explorer does not have a 10-motor massage and heat system or a built-in corded telephone with Caller ID.

The base price of the Explorer chair in a choice of fabrics is $1,049. Leather versions, presumably for high-performance Web surfers, will start at $1,299.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/2/2f326bb2.jpg
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/f/fdad6549.jpg

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/8/8f61e0c3.jpg
Squeak!

Wonder how many people still have one of those? And more importantly what they look like after 20+ years of use.

Also amazing how expensive recliners where back then. I think I got mine for like $250 brand new 6 or 7 years ago.

Dikitain posted...

Also amazing how expensive recliners where back then. I think I got mine for like $250 brand new 6 or 7 years ago.

To be fair, it's not really a generic recliner. It's got some extra bells and whistles that would absolutely jack up the price.

It's like how even today you can get a recliner cheap, but you're still going to pay a lot more for one with power lift, massage, or heating element tech.

Plus, La-Z-Boy is an established brand, so you're probably paying more for that than you would for a cheaper or more obscure brand.

I bought my last recliner (high-quality, overstuffed, leather) brand new 8 years ago for about $750.

That last picture looks like a fake browser you'd see in GTA or some other game.