A computer that did little but browse the web and do some mundane tasks? That will never work. Back in 2000, 3Com (remember them?) came out with the computer for people who didn’t want a full-fledged computer. The 3Com Ergo Audrey was the device and it never stood a chance.
Take a look at this piece of engineering. The Audrey had a touch screen, ran its own OS and could sync to Palm Pilots. It even had an IR keyboard so you could type e-mails or URLs easily.
Designed for women, the Audrey was meant for the kitchen. (No, I’m not being sexist, that was the actual plan). Now that I think about it, the kitchen is still one of the spaces in the home where computers still are not greatly accepted. The device was supposed to be your computer in your home’s hub where you could leave information. Think of it like the front of a refrigerator but in computer form.
The Audrey was available for only a couple of months (from October, 2000 to June, 2001) while the bubble burst on that whole dotcom era. One of the creators of the Audrey believes that it would have survived had the market place been healthier.
I keep an Audrey in my house, but it’s not a 3Com. My wife and I named our first dog “Audrey.” She asked for a name, and the first thing I thought of was the 3Com Audrey. If you want a 3Com Audrey, you can pick one up on eBay for under $50.
I almost bought one of these back in 2000 to keep my families calendars in sync. This was going to be adopted into fridges…
It was hot back then. Thanks for reminding me of how far we still have to go.