Get connected at Jakarta's cybercafes

Susanna Tjokro, Contributor, Jakarta

Technology is on the march in Jakarta. Just take a look around your typical street in the capital and you are sure to find at least one Internet cafe, filled with people surfing the Net and sending out e-mails.

The local name for these establishments is Warnet, short for Warung Internet, with warung meaning small shop or stall.

While these cybercafes offer the same basic service (access to the Internet), not all Warnet are created equal. Some offer only the bare-bones basics, while others sometimes feel more like nightclubs than cybercafes, with food, drinks and music.

Take a look at the following Warnet and decide for yourself which is the right cybercafe for you:

WWWok!

Address: Jl. Kemang Raya No. 9J-K; Telephone: (021) 719 3928; Hours: Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 12 a.m., Saturday, Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.

A cool place to hang out with some friends, and the dim light and dance music attracts a young crowd. The pool table is also a big draw, and the food is fabulous as well. But a great cybercafe this is not.

First, there is only one PC downstairs and two upstairs. Second, yes, they are Hewlett Packards, but nice computers don't really help when the connection is slow, as it is here.

One WWWok! customer had this to say. "I love their noodles! Besides, I like downloading my e-mails here since I don't usually have to queue."

Cost: 30 minutes (minimum usage) for Rp 5,000; Printers and scanners are not available.

McDonald's Sarinah

Address: Sarinah Building, Jl. Thamrin; Hours: Open 24 hours

If you need to send an e-mail in the middle of the night but don't have access to the Net at home, look no further than the well-known and oft-visited McDonald's Sarinah.

Despite the clamor and ragged-looking computers, cyberland at McD's has some positive points. It offers a good connection and is open 24 hours a day.

However, you will have to forget about sending documents from a diskette, because floppy disc drives are not available.

One customer said, "I like the location, it's easy to get to and it's open 24 hours, so I can browse the Web as long as I want."

Cost: 30 minutes for Rp 4,500. Black-and-white printouts Rp 2,000 per page.

Cyber Sprint

Address: Jl. Kemang Raya No. 14B; Telephone: (021) 718 2745; Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily

Located inside the very busy Kentucky Fried Chicken Kemang. If you love crowded places, or if you can ignore the clamor, you will love this tiny Warnet.

Cyber Sprint is highly recommended because it offers good value for money. It's no wonder that this is one busy cybercafe.

And if you are used to going to Internet cafes and being confronted with outdated computers, you will really appreciate the new Compaq machines on offer here. It's just a shame that for the time being you can't use either the floppy disc or the CD Rom drives.

One visitor to the establishment gave this comment. "The computers are cool and a thumbs-up for the high-speed connection!"

Cost: 30 minutes for Rp 3,000. Black-and-white printouts Rp 2,000 per page, color Rp 4,500 to Rp 6,000 per page. Scanning Rp 5,000 per page.

Millenia Cafe

Address: Ratu Plaza, Fourth Floor, Jl. Sudirman; Telephone: (021) 722 7541; Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily

If you need a break from buzzing around Ratu Plaza, step inside this cybercafe. You'll be pleased by the high-speed connections and the tasty food.

One customer said, "Sometimes this place is packed with cool people, and I don't have any complaints about the Internet connection."

Cost: 30 minutes for Rp 3,000. Black-and-white printouts Rp 1,500 per page, color Rp 3,500 per page. Scanning Rp 5,000 per page.

OZ Cafe

Address: Sarinah Building, Sixth Floor, Jl. Thamrin; Telephone: (021) 398 32161; Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily

Tired shoppers can take a rest and surf the Net at this cybercafe tucked away inside a large bookstore called Universe.

The place is popular with youngsters and the preclubbing crowd, despite the quality of its Internet connection -- which can be fairly slow.

On the plus side, the atmosphere is friendly and they sell good fresh juices. The pink guava juice is very refreshing!

"I love this place mainly because of its friendly atmosphere," raved one customer.

Cost: 15 minutes for Rp 2,000. Black-and-white printouts Rp 2,000 per page, color between Rp 3,000 and Rp 10,000 per page. Scanning Rp 5,000 per page.

E-Arena

Address: Ground Floor of Movenpick Marche, Gran Melia complex, Jl. Rasuna Said; Telephone: (021) 520 3501; Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily

Nestled inside Movenpick Marche, E-Arena offers good computers, a good connection and a cozy place to browse the Web.

Some Net surfers prefer crowded cybercafes, while others subscribe to the "Silence is golden" school of thought. If you are one of the latter, this is the place for you.

Check out their Special Group Rate at just Rp 2,200 per hour (minimum of five people per group at Rp 2,200 per person) or their Top Up Account, which is 50 hours of Internet usage for Rp 200,000!

They also have a VIP room (with eight computers) that is available for training sessions and presentations.

One patron said, "I really like the high-speed connections. This is a perfect place for surfing the Net."

Cost: Regular PC is Rp 5,000 for 30 minutes, Microsoft Office Rp 7,500 for 30 minutes. Black-and-white printouts Rp 1,500 per page, color between Rp 7,500 and Rp 15,000 per page. Scanning Rp 5,000 per page.