RichBoston's Full Review: 3Com Audrey-Linen Handheld
After using the Compaq iPaq Internet Appliance I wasn’t in too much of a hurry to try another. I liked it a lot but still missed having full PC usage at times. But Audrey arrived in the store I work at and when I saw it I was lured to try another.
The main reason I agreed to try it out is that this is made by Palm (3Com) and can sync with my Palm IIIxe and Sony Clie – or any Handspring or Palm PDA. For me – Mr. PDA - this is a big deal and eliminates one of the big reasons for needing a PC. As I use my PDAs heavily, I synch several times a day and was able to do it on Audrey without using my PC.
The other big reason I wanted to look at this was that with the Compaq I was limited to their own expensive Internet arrangement but Audrey is far friendlier and allows you to utilize your existing service. I use and am quite happy with Earthlink and have no desire to be forced into another ISP I didn’t need. However, please note that Audrey will NOT currently work with AOL, Compuserve or MSN. If you use these services you WILL have to change ISPs or add another. I highly recommend Earthlink
Using its built in 56K modem I had no trouble setting up and quickly getting through to my account.
It has a more than adequate 6 ¼” x 4 ¾” inch color touch screen with a built in intuitive, simple to use web browser.
Since this will sit in your kitchen, family or living room, the fact that it comes in five colors is important. I’ll list them as Palm does: sunshine, slate, ocean, meadow and linen. For some reason the linen color is priced $50 less than the others. We have the sunshine yellow unit which looks good sitting in our breakfast nook under a skylight.
Audrey sits attractively on the table where it is easily accessible to anyone during the day. Its unique dial allows you to scroll through content and find the page you need. I was pretty impressed. The simplicity Palm brought to handheld computers has been shared with Audrey. Ease of use is what I’ve been preaching about Palm PDAs and that is also Audrey’s main selling feature.
Audrey comes with five preset channels that I’m sure pay a fee for the privilege. These can be personalized easily and I added six more from a select list, which is expected to grow. You can access any site; these are just the “channels” available for easier access.
There are two USB ports, which hook up to a dedicated Canon printer. I was a little disappointed in this but wasn’t planning to use it to print anyway. My understanding is that it would have added significantly to Audrey’s cost in order it to allow it to configure with the litany of printers on the market. After all, Audrey is not a full sized PC. It’s a device to easily access the Internet for immediate information.
Email is a breeze by using the touch screen. It even let me know when new mail had arrived. It has a clear stylus that pokes out of the top of Audrey’s head and lights up when mail arrives. Now if it could only distinguish between “good” mail and the other stuff, which is 80% garbage and spam. I programmed it to dial in every couple of hours and freshen the content and grab new email.
Like the Compaq unit, Audrey has a wireless keyboard but it more cleverly hangs on the back of the unit out of the way when not in use.
There are built in stereo speakers, which, no big surprise, leave a little to be desired. They are good for playing memos, or voice email but are barely adequate for any kind of music. Again, for the intended use of this device this is fine BUT, I would have liked better speakers and maybe a CD drive. I know this is asking a lot and getting away from what the designers had in mind but this would have been nice nonetheless.
Before leaving the house in the morning I use Audrey to give me a quick glance at the news, weather, sports and traffic conditions for my commute. Then I quickly check my email and respond to anything short. My kids use it for similar quick applications and I think that’s the key. No one spends more than 15 – 20 minutes with Audrey but got quite used to doing so several times a day. If I sit at my PC I tend to get wrapped up in things but with Audrey it’s business only and I move on.
Because of it’s small size, Palm compatibility and ability to use our current ISP this will be a keeper. Unfortunately this is my store’s demo and will go back until they get a shipment in. In the meantime you may find them in short supply. Audrey CAN be purchased from the web site at www.3Com.com/ergo.
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 touc...More at Amazon Marketplace
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