Abstract: A user device for interfacing predetermined external services provided by third party service providers to a user at a fixed location includes a processing platform running an operating system, a plurality of physical system resources associated with the remotely configurable user device, physical system resource interfaces for interfacing the operating system with the available physical system resources, a data store for storing ones of multiple configuration information associated with and identifying the external services that are available to a user with the user device and one or more of the available physical system resources required for ones of the external services and a communication resource for interfacing with the operating system to allow communication of the operating system with a central office for downloading of configuration information to remotely enable a selected one or ones of the predetermined external services provided by third party service providers.