Rolodex REX PC Companion

Nation's Business, Dec, 1997

The REX PC Companion, marketed under the Rolodex brand name by Franklin Electronic Publishers, qualifies as an outstanding product because, of all things, it does less than its competitors.

Makers of other hand-held computers have tried to attract a following by cramming them with assorted capabilities such as information organizing, word and spreadsheet processing, and handwriting recognition.

But these products often have been too bulky, heavy, costly, and complex to catch on with the computing masses.

In contrast, Franklin engineered the REX to do just one thing and do it well: display at the touch of a few buttons up-to-date calendar information, address-book data, to-do items, and brief notes transferred to the REX from a laptop or desktop computer.

By limiting its functions, Franklin kept the REX lightweight at 1.5 ounces and incredibly small--about the size and thickness of three stacked credit cards.

The device is powered by two wrist-watch batteries, which Franklin says will last about six months, and its display is sharp, bright, and easy to read. The product also appears to be very durable. The REX is shipped with a "light" yet very functional version of Starfish Software's popular Sidekick information-management software. REX owners use their laptop or desktop computers to enter information into this program, the full version of Sidekick, or several other leading information managers, including Microsoft Schedule and Outlook.

Laptop owners transfer the information to the REX by inserting the device into a PC Card slot (standard on today's portable computers) and running synchronization software, also provided by Franklin. Desktop owners accomplish the transfer by inserting the REX into a cradle that connects to a standard serial port and running the synchronization program. Using either method, the synchronization process typically will not take much longer than reading this description of it.

The basic REX-1, which can store 750 items, retails for $129. The high-capacity REX-3 model, which can hold 2,500 items, costs $159. The cradle costs $39. A package containing the high-capacity REX and the cradle sells for $179.