Get connected at Jakarta's cybercafes

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.