Friday, August 25, 2006

Gone But Not Forgotten

The Sega Dreamcast was Sega's seventh & final video game console and the successor to the company's Sega Saturn. An attempt to recapture the console market with a next-generation system, it was designed to supersede Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo's Nintendo 64, and although generally considered to be "ahead of its time" (literally fifteen months before the PlayStation 2 and three years (based on original release dates, not U.S. release dates) before GameCube or Xbox) it failed to gather enough momentum before the release of the PlayStation 2 in March 2000. After the Dreamcast was discontinued, Sega withdrew entirely from the console hardware business.



The 3Com Ergo Audrey is a discontinued internet appliance from 3Com. It was released to the public on October 17, 2000 for $499 USD as the first (and only) device in the company's "Ergo" initiative. Once connected to an appropriate provider, users could access the internet, send and receive e-mail, play audio and video, and synchronize with up to two Palm OS-based devices. After seven and a half months in the market, 3Com discontinued the product on June 1, 2001. Customers received full refunds for the product and accessories. The remaining Audrey hardware was liquidated and embraced by the hardware hacker community. Hacked Audreys remain in use today.

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