3Com Audrey Web Appliance

• Stand-alone Web browser works with your Internet service provider; get instant access to up to 12 preset Web channels and e-mail
• Features a color touch screen and wireless keyboard
• Organizer functions include datebook, memo pad, and address book
• Synchronize date with 2 Palm OS-compatible devices
• Includes internal 56 Kbps modem; broadband ready with optional 3Com USB Ethernet adapter

We have had our Audrey for about two weeks now. Our overall impression is a good one. The unit is sturdy and goes well with the decor in our kitchen where it is kept. The name is a bit odd, but you forget about it after a while. We believe that while it is not perfect, it is a good start for this type of product.

Installation is very easy and fast. Audrey was connected and running in a matter of minutes. User's guide is large and easy to follow. It is very non-technical. User's who have any technical questions beyond how to plug it in and set up a custome ISP will have to look elsewhere.

Browsing We did not purchase the Audrey for the purpose of browsing the internet. We thought this was a job better left to the computer in the upstairs office. Our reason for Audrey was to have quick access to email, a common shceduler, and a common address book. As it turns out we use it to surf a lot more than we ever thought. It really pales in comparison to using a PC for browsing, but the ease and speed of getting on the net, and the location in a central family place has caused a lot more use in this fashion than we ever expected.

EmailThis is where Audrey really pays off. Email that is simple,quick, and accessible. We have begun to really use email a lot more because of this. Audrey lets you know if you have email waiting by flashing. It has become second nature to look for the flashing light on Audrey just as we would our telephone answering machine. Email program is very simple and stripped down compared to outlook, but it serves its purpose and gets the job done efficiently.

Address and DatebookOnce again, simple and effective. Pick an email address from the address book, tap it, and up pops the email program addressed and ready to go. We find it very useful to have all this information located in one central area for the whole family to use. Audrey will sync to two different palms, but we haven't had a chance to try this feature yet.

Nothing is perfect. We have had a few problems with our unit. Twice it has locked up after an automatic download and left the modem connected until we arrived home in the evening. We only have one phone line in our home, so this could present quite a problem if someone is trying to call and leave a message. There are also channels that are updated online and then you are able to view these without connecting back to the internet. It is only fully successful here about half of the time. We are able to get the weather channel on all occasions, but things like ABC News, ESPN, and CBS Marketwatch are very unreliable.

Overall we are very pleased with our purchase. It serves our needs well when we want it to, and fits nicely in the background of the kithen when not in use. We purchased Audrey over the other choices of web appliance because it was smaller and you are able to choose your own access/email provider. No regrets at all. The only caveat that we would add is that we didn't buy this appliance as our only source to surf the net. If that had been the case our choice may have been different.

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My family purchased an Audrey for the holidays. We plugged it in and got it set up. Set up, by the way, couldn't have been easier. We just hooked up th broadband adapter and turned it on. Set up took roughly 15 minutes. After that, we set up all the porgrams. Thge internet works great with one problem; NO JAVA SUPPORT! The other problem we had was that our Palm V's wouldn't sync. We had to reboot to get it to work. It's a good product for what it does. Now some of the less "techy" people can acsess the net with ease. However, 3com shouldn't have rushed it, cuz she has her quirks.

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For some unknown reason, 3COM discontinued this web appliance only 5 months after it was released... so forget about getting support from 3COM... they no longer support this device and have even pulled support information from their website. The good news is that there is an entire on-line community devoted to customizing, tweaking and personalizing this web appliance.

I originally got this for my mother as an easy intro to the Internet. There is a wireless keyboard which works well, but it's a bit too small for adult human hands to type quickly with accuracy.

The stylus (when not in use) sticks in the top of the Audrey like a single antenna and it blinks green when a new e-mail has arrived.

You can surf the web and even view Flash movies as long as they are reverse complaint to 3.0 Flash viewers. To protect itself from malicious programs, the Audrey does not read Java, but it will read JavaScript. The underlying OS (operating system) is QNX which is like a mini flavor if Unix. Because it isn't some proprietary OS just for this one appliance, there are many support forums for QNX which allow you to further update this appliance.

My less than perfect rating comes from the fact that Audrey prefers to be on a LAN connection, whether it's DSL, Cable Modem or a company LAN... as long as the connection is on at all times. If you disconnect from your ISP and turn Audrey off, she'll turn herself back on in an hour or so (whenever she feels like waking up) and start calling your ISP.

There have been a number of times I've been talking to my mother on the phone when Audrey suddenly decided to wake up and send modem screeches on the phone while we were talking.

I currently have the Audrey in my home as I try to customize it by hacking into the shell and keep Audrey from behaving this way. In order to customize Audrey, you need to have a router (like the Linksys 4 port available here on Amazon.com) so you can spoof an IP address to make Audrey think she's connecting to 3COM when in fact she's connecting to another address to update her OS so that the shell can be accessed.

Without the hacking, Audrey can still serve as a great appliance. The touch screen isn't really meant for human fingers, but the stylus with it's soft rubber tip. You can connect to most "normal" ISPs with the exception of AOL, which uses a proprietary browser and can't be loaded into the Audrey. Currently, my Audrey is connected through Earthlink. If you're already a wiz at the Internet, this appliance will probably drive you nuts, but if you have a parent or another friend who is totally clueless and scared of computers, this is a fantastic intro to e-mail and the web.

The Audrey boasts 2 speakers and a microphone built-in as well as a note pad and calendar.

For the money, this is a very sophisticated device... and the fact that you can synch up your palm pilot to it is remarkable.

The Audrey has an internal modem and has a jack for your phone line as well as for an Ethernet connection and a single USB port so you can connect a printer.

The Audrey is light weight and takes up a very small footprint on a desk.

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I opened the box a scant few hours ago and I'm already in love. Sure, the keyboard takes some getting used to (it's kinda small) but the stylus and touch screen more than make up for it. It comes in five yummy colors (I opted for the creamy green). As for storing you data and syncing with your Palm ... top notch. And since Audrey updates herself daily I can only hope for more cool add ons.

The Audrey mainly worked, but Java and Realplayer pages don't work. Realaudio is OK, so it makes a great web radio. Email is OK but some attachments don't get through. Audrey is a great prototype, but it's not ready for prime time.

After many calls to 3com support I still couldn't get a Palm V to sync with it and so they decided that the serial port was faulty and asked me to return it for a replacement. That was four weeks ago! Calling their customer service is an adventure it's patchy at best. I'd wait for them to get their act together. Leon