Like the Microsoft devices, the Audrey updates its software automatically through the Internet. 3Com product manager Jim Thomsen said it was likely the Web surfing problems would be solved by such an update. The user can set it to dial less frequently. The iPAQ and the MSN Companion, meanwhile, dial in once a night. Another minus for the Audrey is its screen, which is smaller than the size for which most Web sites are designed.
Photos look grainy on it, and the touch-sensitive layer inevitably reduces contrast.
The Microsoft devices may lack nifty features like Palm synchronization that are found on the Audrey, but what they do, they do well. And most importantly, they could surf all the sites we tried them on. While they use the same software, the iPAQ and the MSN Companion are quite different in design. Setting it up is a cinch and the screen is large enough to display most Web sites well. The most serious shortcoming of the IA-1 is its pointing device.