In the late 90's, at the height of the "internet appliance" craze, 3Com released a small, cute, single-unit "internet machine" which provided email, web browsing, and an address book - intended for people with little computer experience.

The "Audrey" was supposed to do for the home computer what the Palm Pilot had done for the handheld computer: provide a simple, consistent interface and not bog the user down in configurations or technical details.

Unfortunately, the "Audrey" had a number of technical problems: the price was too high (originally USD 600), the browser was slow, and many services - such as food delivery, and an online pharmacy - never materialized. However, once 3Com had ceased distribution of these machines, and they were liquidated for around USD 100 per unit, a community of hackers formed around the "Audrey" to write software and tinker with these cute, cheap, networkable computers.

"Audreyhacking.com" is the central tome of all "Audrey"-related information. It can walk you through the steps of getting at the underlying QNX (like Linux) operating system, and has links and troubleshooting for almost every non-3COM application written for the "Audrey". For many, this resource has turned what was a poorly-executed, overpriced, underpowered net-appliance into an affordable and superior MP3 stereo unit - or a digital picture frame - or a living room console - or a telephone caller-ID unit.