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Eyewitness News This Morning
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Tech
Guru @ WABC/ Channel 7
Thursdays 6:45 a.m. (New York time)
Comments and ideas: techguru@sree.net
An
Assistant Named Audrey
Thursday,
Jan. 18, 2001
STOP
PRESS: March 27, 2001 -- Just two months after I did this story,
Audrey's manufacturer pulled the plug on her (see 3Com
press release). Poor sales, the $500 price tag and the current
economic climate were among the contributing factors. I still
continue to believe that Internet appliances like Audrey loom
large in our future, and will be the key to getting more people
on to the Web. Stay tuned.
Audrey, a $500 Internet appliance, from 3Com |
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Sree's
Thoughts on Audrey & Internet Appliances
Thursday,
Jan. 18, 2001
- These
are devices that allow you to get online without
buying a fully juiced (and fully priced!) PC. Cost
is $499.00
-
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Thinking
about Audrey?
Some pros and cons
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Simple,
inexpensive-ish way to get online
Friendly
interface; easy
set up
Uses
many existing ISPs
Think
of it like a scaled-up Palm Pilot the whole
family can use
$499 in "linen;" $549 for more exotic
colors
Available
online at 3Com,
Amazon;
in retail stores: Best Buy, Bloomingdales
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Not
compatible with AOL
Need
to buy a $50 adapter to work with cable modem/DSL
$500
too high for a not-so-juiced PC
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A
wide range of these are on the market today. Among them:
3Com's Audrey; Compaq's
iPaq; Netpliance's i-Opener
and more.
- Many
Internet appliances are trying to be slimmed down computers;
others are try to do just one or two tasks.
- Audrey
is aimed at the family market and does things like
calendaring, e-mail and simple Web surfing
well. It is simple to set up and easy to understand. But
does require its own phone line.
- Some
tech experts don't like the fact that Audrey doesn't do
complex computing tasks such as Excel spreadsheets --
they want Internet appliances to be able to replace a
PC. I differ: I like Audrey because it aims to do just
a few things well, instead of being yet another PC
in the house. Same reasons why I prefer the simple Palm
devices to the more complex Pocket PCs.
- Don't
expect Audrey to substitute for your office PC, or for
your kids to be able to do all their homework on it. But
if you are in the kitchen and want to check a recipe
online, no problem. Also syncs with two Palm PCs,
letting you track schedules.
- You
can see how homes of the future are going to rely on
technology such as this to keep families informed
of what's going on -- inside and outside the home... Expect
them to occupy kitchens, dens and similar areas.
Audrey's official site:
http://ergo.3com.com
More on Internet Appliances:
About.com:
Intenet Appliances Glossary
IA Zone: Internet Appliance Zone
Send
your ideas for coverage -- and feedback: techguru@sree.net
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