.KEYWORD audrey
.FLYINGHEAD FIRST IMPRESSIONS
.TITLE Up close and personal with Audrey, 3Com’s new Internet appliance
.FEATURE
.SUMMARY In development for over a year, Audrey combines elements of the Palm and the QNX operating systems to provide an easy-to-use Internet experience that shares data with Palm devices. PalmPower Contributing Editor Jason Perlow was invited to 3Com’s Audrey launch in New York City and gives you the scoop on this new and innovative computing device.
.AUTHOR Jason Perlow
First there was the personal computer, and now we have Internet appliances. Internet appliances are cheap, single purpose devices that feature a browser and basic email capabilities, and they’re just starting to find their way into the consumer electronics space. No doubt, virtually everybody wants to be on the Internet, including grandma and your dopey father-in-law, but they don’t have the time to learn the intricacies of personal computers or just don’t want to drop a grand on even the basic budget computer from CompUSA or CostCo. For them and everybody else looking for an easy way to get hooked up to the Web, there’s the Internet appliance.
Every company imaginable has been trying to get into the appliance act, especially since International Data Corp released a February 2000 study suggesting Internet appliances would be an 18 billion-dollar industry with nearly 90 million units shipped by 2004. Still, as compelling as is the idea of having cheap Internet access without a PC, not a single vendor’s Internet appliance has managed to make a large impact with consumers.
No doubt you’ve heard of WebTV, Microsoft’s wildly unsuccessful set-top that connects to your TV and provides Internet access and interactive TV content. And perhaps you’ve also heard of Netpliance’s i-opener, a self-contained Internet terminal with a screen and keyboard that debuted at the breakthrough price of $199, a price that has recently soared due to the company’s financial troubles.
Not to be discouraged by the failed efforts of others, big shots like Intel, America Online, and even Oracle’s Larry Ellison are getting into the act. Not to mention Sony’s highly anticipated PlayStation 2, which is an Internet appliance in disguise. Eventually somebody will get it right and make a hit, and then Internet appliances will be everywhere.
So it comes as no surprise that 3Com, master of the PDA universe, should decide to enter the market with Audrey, a new counter-top self-contained device that features recognizable aspects of the Palm organizer as well as being an easy-to-use Internet appliance. You can find it at http://www.3com.com/ergo.
I was invited to the October 17 Audrey launch and was able to get up close and personal with the unit for about two hours. I was also able to speak with the product’s designers, and while I wasn’t able to take a unit home for real-world testing at that time, you should expect a full-blown review of the product in an upcoming issue of PalmPower.
.H1 An Audrey in every room
The Audrey launch was held at M Studio in New York City’s Greenwich Village, which was decked-out to look like a large studio apartment, complete with bedrooms, bathrooms, a living room, a den, a kitchen, and a dinette. Each fabricated room included an Audrey as it would be used in typical domestic settings.
Audrey is fully self-contained and includes an 8-inch color touch-sensitive LCD screen, as you can see in Figure A.
.FIGPAIR A Audrey is a self-contained Internet appliance.
The unit is trapezoidal in shape and comes in a variety of neutral colors, similar to those you would see on cappuccino machines, food processors, blenders, and microwaves. It’s patently obvious that 3Com intended Audrey for use in the kitchen or in other areas computers aren’t normally designed for. The entire unit is constructed of a strong plastic material, much like you’d see in a good kitchen appliance. Audrey has a detachable wireless infrared keyboard that slides onto the back of the unit for easy stowage.
.H1 Features
Audrey uses an Intel-compatible Cyrix MediaGX processor and runs on a combination of the QNX operating system and Palm’s HotSync technology so that it can synchronize Date Book and Address List information with up to two Palm units simultaneously using its built-in serial ports. It has a 56K modem for dial-up Internet access and can automatically sign you up for AT&T WorldNet or use your existing ISP (Internet Service Provider) account. It also features a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port for connecting an optional USB Ethernet adapter for those folks who are lucky enough to have cable modems or DSL (Digital Subscriber Line). Audrey also has built-in stereo speakers for playing streaming music and digitized sound, as you can see in Figure B.
.FIGPAIR B Audrey has built-in stereo speakers.
Audrey is the first in 3Com’s new Ergo line of computing appliances that use QNX (at http://www.qnx.com), a multi-tasking real-time embedded operating system rumored to be the basis of the next generation of Palm devices running on Intel’s StrongARM RISC processor. While Audrey runs on QNX, it still manages to be very Palm OS-like in its operation and in the behavior of its embedded software. This should make it a hit with existing Palm device users.
.H1 Button layout
On the right-hand side of the unit are buttons that activate Audrey’s various functions. The top button activates Audrey’s datebook, pictured in Figure C.
.FIGPAIR C Audrey’s datebook can also function as a to do list.
The second button down functions as one-touch Internet access. The third button activates Audrey’s address application, which can store Web URLs and pictures along with the typical PIM information.
Audrey’s datebook and address applications are quite similar to their Palm device-based counterparts. However, there are key aspects where the Palm device and Audrey differ. The bottom of the unit sports a TV-style rotational knob to change and add "channels." These channels feature premium Internet partner content that will be constantly updated over the Internet as 3Com enters new agreements with major Web sites. The left side of Audrey features an illuminated button for email that blinks bright green when the user has new messages waiting.
Audrey’s email program, pictured in Figure D, appears easy to use. It also supports voice email.
.FIGPAIR D Audrey’s email program looks easy to use.
.H1 Input methods
Like Palm organizers, Audrey has a clear-plastic stylus that can be used to interact with the touch screen. No Graffiti is required for the input of data. That’s accomplished with the removable wireless keyboard, which I found to be somewhat smallish for my large hands. However, it should prove quite usable for most people and children.
.H1 Synchronization
While I didn’t get to test Audrey’s ability to HotSync with my own Palm device, I did witness several demos that featured seamless integration between the Audrey and Palm devices. All you have to do is attach your Palm device’s cradle to Audrey, hit the HotSync button, and Audrey does all the rest. As mentioned previously, up to two Palm devices can be synchronized with the unit, but the device supports the viewing of multiple units’ schedules in the datebook program. If you’ve got a Palm device-heavy household or small office, Audrey will solve a lot of scheduling and contact management woes.
.H1 The Web browser
At the launch, my test efforts focused mainly on the compatibility of the Web browser, which, while quite usable and very responsive, is not perfect. I was impressed that the unit had full support for secure HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) for e-commerce transactions, XML (Extensible Markup Language), and JavaScript, as well as support for Macromedia Flash 4 and RealAudio G2. However, the software lacks a Java Virtual Machine for running embedded Java Applets and can’t play streaming video. Users anticipating a full PC-style Internet experience may walk away disappointed. Fortunately, since the unit is completely software upgradeable over the Internet, I was happy to hear from 3Com and QNX’s engineers that a Java Virtual Machine and RealVideo were in the works for Audrey and will be made available to registered owners in the coming year.
Once 3Com provides me with a review unit, I’ll be able to better review the unit’s software and its ability to HotSync with Palm devices. Until then, you can see a demo of Audrey’s features at 3Com’s Web site. You can purchase one online or at your local computer retailer for about $499.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on Audrey, visit http://www.3com.com/ergo.
For more information on WebTV, visit http://www.webtv.com.
For more information on Netpliance’s i-opener, visit http://www.netpliance.com.
For more information on QNX, visit http://www.qnx.com.
For more information on Cyrix, visit http://www.cyrix.com.
For more information on Intel’s StrongARM RISC processor, visit http://www.intel.com/design/strong/index.htm?iid=prodinfo+alpha41&.
For more information about Palm computers, visit http://www.palm.com.
.H1 Bulk reprints
Bulk reprints of this article (in quantities of 100 or more) are available for a fee from Reprint Services, a ZATZ business partner. Contact them at reprints@zatz.com or by calling 1-800-217-7874.
.END_SIDEBAR
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