Handspring Releases New Visors 181
ByteHog writes: "Handspring now has 2 more Visors for us to play with. The Visor Neo, which comes in 3 different colors and the Visor Pro" The battery thing especially is a big deal.
"Nuclear war can ruin your whole compile." -- Karl Lehenbauer
Wow (Score:1)
Batteries == MINUS (Score:2)
The only reason I preferred the Handspring to the Palm was that it took AAA batteries. I have yet to encounter a recharger while camping (and no, I can't plug it into a "current" bush.)
So now there's another useless chunk o silicon out there. Big deal.
John
Re:Batteries == MINUS (Score:1)
How's this for my sig?!
char joe[] = "JOE";
int i = 0;
while(joe[i]) putchar(joe[i++]);
BRARR! {g}
Re:Batteries == MINUS (Score:1)
AA may not be thin enough for shirt pocket uses, but I don't want to put my PDA there anyway. Too bad they don't make rechargeable Li Ion AA batteries. It would be nice if the charging electronics can be made light enough to charge regular NiCad or NiMH batteries in a PDA, because I'm sick of proprietary batteries.
Re:Batteries == MINUS (Score:2)
How long do you camp for? I don't know about the newer Handsprings, but the Edge's rechargable lasts me about a month if I'm careful not to charge it up! (careful being not plugging in the charger)
Re:Batteries == MINUS (Score:2)
Also, while I'm not fond of landfilling anything, I'm also concerned about the manufacturing of rechargables. Most rechargable technologies rely on toxic metals (much more so than alkaline batteries,) and I just don't know if the battery manufacturers do it cleanly. I can only assume that recycling Cd batteries keeps them safe.
The Handspring is great in the field -- astronomy resources, and eTexts from Project Gutenberg are terrific to have in camp. And 5MB of eTexts weighs about the same as 0MB of eTexts, too!
And I carry EVERYTHING non-100% paper out with me. :-)
John
Why??? mmm, yawn. (Score:1)
gnf
Disappointing (Score:3, Funny)
How fast? (Score:1)
Re:How fast? (Score:2)
PDABuzz [pdabuzz.com] reports they each have a 33MHz Dragonball VZ.
Re:How fast? (Score:1)
- j
Re:How fast? (Score:1)
Re:Disappointing (Score:2)
Re:Disappointing (Score:2)
The "problem" with the Prism and Palm V and others is the battery takes a while to charge. Long enough that you are recommended to leave it one the charger overnight.
With the Edge (and I assume the newer Neo, and whatever the other one is called) it tops off in a few minutes, so a normal hotsync should keep it charged. I think about half an hour will do a full charge.
The downside is they don't suck the power off the USB, they have a power dongle that plugs into the USB. So it is a pain to deal with if you want to sync to a laptop or something and also charge it. It also doesn't come with a travel charger or anything, so the only way to top it off is to drag along the whole sync cradle and power wart and all. Of corse I think the point is you don't need to travel charger unless you take trips longer then a month...
I don't see much reason to get one of these vs. the Edge, unless I guess you are always going to have a module in it (the Edge isn't very thin if you have to slap on the springboard slot), so I guess if you are going to make full time use of the GPS module, or the 802.11 it makes more sense to get one of the newer ones.
Wireless (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Wireless (Score:2)
802.11 would be pretty cool for an iPAQ, or even a color Palm, but I can't see a use for it on a greyscale PalmOS device.
Re:Wireless (Score:2)
Re:Disappointing (Score:2, Insightful)
However, were I looking at buying a new PDA, I'd go with an Ipaq or a Journada. For roughly the same price, the storage is far bigger, the applications are far, far better (Hmm.. Useless notes program, or pocket word?), and the processor is much faster (I don't see any palm devices playing mpeg video any time soon)
That's my tree fitty, anyway.
Pocket Word Stink (Score:2, Informative)
Hmm.. Useless Pocket Word or Wordsmith [bluenomad.com] for the Palm? I've used Pocket Word. It stunk. You have a great PDA for word processing, just pick up Wordsmith and a folding keyboard.
I don't see any palm devices playing mpeg video any time soon
You need this why?
Animation on Palm (Score:2)
Actually, my girlfriend just got a Sony CLIE' PEG-320 (33mhz Dragonball) and it came with software to allow Quicktime video clips to be played on it.
Re:Disappointing (Score:1)
As an iPaq owner, I'm typically happy with my device. However, I think it's important to point out a few things when comparing it to a Palm device.
First, Pocket Word is so scaled down that about the only thing it's got better than notepad is bold, italics and underline. You can do some basic formatting on the handheld, but things like tables are missing. Essentials like spell checking are missing as well. It's nice to view Word documents on the handheld, but in all honesty, I got more real work done with my Palm and Memopad than I have with Pocket Word.
Second, the speed issue is important to consider. Yes, my iPaq can play mpeg movies. But the screen just isn't that good, so the movies are typically blurry. Aside from that, the iPaq really needs that kind of power because the operating system has so much overhead, and the applications are not optimized. I can start any application on my Palm as fast as I can on my iPaq. The issue is optimization and overhead, I think, rather than what a person (or device) can actually get done.
Now, don't misunderstand. I don't dislike my iPaq, but when I carry both around, I have to stop and wonder which one really is the more useful device. If I need Word and Excel, I typically need full versions of them, so a notebook is more appropriate... My iPaq is fun, but my next handheld purchase will be a PalmOS device.
Re:Disappointing (Score:1)
However, I'm not sure that a solid benchmark means as much on a handheld as it does on a workstation or server. A handheld doesn't have to scale well. In most cases, it doesn't have to worry too much about running next year's applications. If it's acceptable out of the box, it'll be good a year from now.
I only have about 120 contacts in my address book right now. Since both the iPaq and Palm load the address book application instantly, it's safe to say they both fill my needs in that area. For me, it comes down to an issue of application features (or lack of features, as seems to make me happier with my Palm).
Technically, you're right, loading a huge database on both devices would tell us exactly where optimizations have been done. In fact, I'd really like to see numbers on that.
Re:Disappointing (Score:1)
Coloured cases (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Coloured cases (Score:2)
But seriously, 299$ for a monochrome unit that will basically do what I can already do with my palm III (ok ok plus some plus and minus), I mean, might as well spend the extra $ to get an iPAQ which is loaded with features plus COLOR, if the argument is "I don't need all that extra junk" well you can buy a used palm III for a fraction of the price too... so I don't see where a 300$Us unit like this can fit...
Re:Coloured cases (Score:1)
Re:Coloured cases (Score:3, Funny)
(Actually, Red, Smoke, and Blue, perhaps even more appropriate...)
Re:Coloured cases (Score:1)
Re:Coloured cases (Score:2)
"Let's make the Platinum available in three new colors."
"But people might get confused because they think Platinum means the color. Also, there's only so much marketing spin we can put on 'three new colors'.."
"Ok, let's give it a new name.. something vaguely techy, and new-ish sounding... Neo!"
"I love it! Start on the press release."
I don't think so. (Score:2)
Otherwise, choice is king. Have you ever changed the plate on your cell phone? How about getting a couch to match your other parts of your house?
Consumers are colour concious, in addition to being aware of the computational features.
Re:Coloured cases (Score:1)
I'll Wait (Score:2, Interesting)
Re: I'll Wait (Score:1)
Intermec's pen tablet is pretty bad ass:
6651 Pen Tablet Computer [home.intermec.com]
Re:I'll Wait (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:I'll Wait (Score:2, Insightful)
"What exactly is everyone doing with their handhelds that makes "color" and "multimedia" top priorities?"
Color does make for a more readable display in some instances, and as more and more websites start offering "content" (ugh. I hate that word!) for PDAs, maps, graphics, etc, color is very helpful.
Particularly with maps. The Boston subway system uses colors to designate subway lines. The subway map on a greyscale Palm display is usable, but it's not the easiest thing to decipher.
Of course, all that being said, I'm still not ready to ditch my faithful Palm IIIx for a color Palm or the Visor Prism just yet.
Re: I'll Wait (Score:1)
Re:I'll Wait (Score:1)
I have a good WP, spreadsheet, project planner, time management, and other useful tools. It does everything I need of it, and I can play Elite! (Thanks to Void)
My point? If you want all the flash stuff get an iPaq. You can install Linux on it, emulate a SNES on it, and other stuff that is nice, but not worth the cash. If you want to just have a useful piece of kit, get a visor Deluxe. Weighs in at only $169 now anyway!
Elite on Visor? waaaay OT! (Score:1)
Re:Elite on Visor? waaaay OT! (Score:1)
Plus, theres some cool extras like the ability to buy space stations and use them to gain much capital!
Re:I'll Wait (Score:1)
Re:I'll Wait (Score:2)
I bought my Sony Clié 710 [sonystyle.com] specifically for the screen. I love reading books on my Palm, but my old Palm III's screen was just way too low contrast. The Clié's screen is bright and very high-contrast. The front light makes it extremely easy to see in any lighting condition. And the hi-res display gives me great text. (It's even better now that iSilo [isilo.com] supports the hi-res screen directly!)
The other "multimedia" features can go jump in a lake as far as I'm concerned. I would have gladly bought the 610 (same specs, minus the MP3 hardware) if it had been available at the time. I watched the demo movies that came with it, then deleted them. I do like to keep photos in there; it's a good way to carry around the output of my digital camera. Actually, right now I have a large chunk of the Helen, Sweetheart of the Internet [peterzale.com] comics installed.
I also considered the HandEra 330, but I didn't like the 240x320 display. (Although the virtual silkscreen area rocks!) That makes a scaling factor of 1.5x to fit apps on the screen, which makes a lot of bitmaps look just plain wrong. The Clié's 320x320 display is double the Palm's 160x160, so anything that doesn't play nice with the hi-res display can just be viewed in 2x mode.
BTW, I'll do my karma-whoring for the day and give a plug to Baen Webscriptions [webscription.net]. Baen books is making all their new paperback releases available electronically concurrent with the dead-tree release. (Actually earlier, if you want to read incomplete galleys.) The releases are done in HTML. No "digital rights management", no bizarro proprietary format, just the book in bog-standard HTML. (Available in other formats too, but I think the HTML is the most portable and most useful.) They also have a free library [baen.com] of complete books so you can try before you buy. Kudos to Baen for being a major dead-tree publisher that actually seems to grok electronic publishing as well!
link (Score:1)
Re:link (Score:1)
Maybe that's the point? They do come in at under 2 C-bills.
Sad to say (Score:4, Interesting)
I really hate to say it, but I am not optimistic about Visor's chances of turning a profit anytime soon. Cheaper knockoffs are starting to chip away at their customer base, and much [compaq.com] wealthier [hp.com] companies are taking over the high end with their CE devices.
-sting3r
Re:Sad to say (Score:1)
Oops. s/Visor/Handspring/
-sting3r
And.... (Score:3, Insightful)
I just got a cradle and AC adapter for home and work. I just drop it in the cradle whenever I'm not using it and the battery life isn't that big of a deal. Palm/Visor need to make up about 3 or 4 years of features FAST.
Yawn... (Score:2)
All PalmOS clones are stuck with the slow Dragonball line of processors, however.
-Karl
Re:Yawn... (Score:1)
It's also nice having a 256M compact flash card for instant backups and a growing library of books
No Real New Features... (Score:2, Insightful)
Visor Deluxe + 3 new colors = Neo
Visor Platinum + Rechargeable = Pro
... or am I not seeing much else?
I went and sold my Platinum when the Prism came out in hopes that _real_ new features (increased resolution, more on-screen colors (not just the case!!!)) were around the corner. It seems like there's really nothing new under the sun from Handspring this time around...
Visor "Neo", Huh? (Score:1)
Visor Neo: The question on everyone's mind (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Visor Neo: The question on everyone's mind (Score:2, Funny)
"Whoa. I know Kung Fu for PalmOS."
Lame (Score:2)
Colored Cases - So 1997
Rechargeable Battery - Palm V has been out for like what, 3 years?
16mb ram - Whoopty fucking do. How much RAM do you need on a Palm handheld anyway? (640kb ought to be enough for anybody. Heh.)
Not worth it. Not worth it at all. You can get a used Palm V on ebay for less than $150 these days. Now that's worth it.
Pete
Visor Neo/Geo (Score:1)
% unlink
Clie Visor (Score:1)
Color case as well as color screen! Clie wins.
Palm + portable mp3 player = sexy. Clie wins.
Personal opinions are my speciality
-bk
Re:Clie (greater than!) Visor (Score:1)
Re:Clie Visor (Score:2, Insightful)
2. High res color screen -- You don't get something for nothing. Much lower battery life, much higher price ($499, compared to $299, it appears).
3. Palm + mp3 player -- Neat. But not as neat as the Handspring 'Springboard' expansion slot, which supports modules for (yes, you guessed it) an mp3 player, several GPS modules, industry standard memory expansion (SmartMedia adapters, etc) and many others.
Handspring still definitely leads in terms of Geek Factor [tm] on the basis of the Springboard modules alone.
Re:Clie Visor (Score:1)
I have a clie, it gets about 20 hours of battery life when it's on. I don't know about you, but that's more than enough for me. And besides, I can turn it off if I want to.
And what is the point of having something portable if you need a billion gadgets? That's like getting a small car for the gas milage, and then getting a trailer for behind it for the space.
-bk
Re:Clie Visor (Score:2)
2. High-res color screen -- The battery life isn't nearly as bad as you think. The MP3 player sucks far more power. (You can watch the meter go down if you leave the screen on while playing.) And there are now $399 models [sonystyle.com] that trade the MP3 player for PalmOS 4 and 65K colors. In silver or purple. Take that, Neo!
3. Springboard -- Point conceded. Sony has hinted that stick-based devices are in development, but so far, it's just marketing vapor. I'd settle for better throughput.
such a bitter group (Score:1)
that said, I've still not filled up my 8 megs in mine and I have no idea what you would need to do to fill the 16. know more people than me I suppose.
I still much prefer a monitor and keyboard. the palms aren't too useful to me right now. but I like shiny!
Re:such a bitter group (Score:1)
Not as interesting as wireless PDAs (Score:2, Interesting)
Handspring's (and Palm's, for that matter) wireless PDAs look a lot more interesting though. The idea of merging a cell phone with a PDA definitely seems like a good one to me (who wants to load their pockets with extra gadgets when you can get 2 for the size of 1. There was a story [theregister.co.uk] on The Register a few weeks ago when information about these models leaked out through the FCC's web site.
FWIW, if you want more details about these officially announced models, The Reg also has a story [theregister.co.uk] on them. It's interesting that Handspring continues to advertise their Springboard expansion slot, when the wireless models supposedly will not include one. Their marketing department will have a hard time explaining to all their loyal customers why they abandoned the biggest selling point of all their original models (or, more likely, they will just try to ignore the change).
Where's the innovation? (Score:5, Informative)
For the last year, their efforts seem to be awfully stagnant. I have a Visor Prism which is neat, but every visor to come out since then has been mainly cosmetic. These two new ones use the old greyscale screen and appear to be Visor Platinum variants.
Taking a product like the Platinum and just offering it in new colored cases is not innovation, it's marketing. Even the Pro (with 16 megs) appears to merely be a Platinum with an incremental improvement, but it is priced awfully high for the difference between the two products.
An innovation path they should be investigating is:
1. Standardize on color for all new Visors. Event he passive color of the Sony Clie (or Gameboy advance, for that matter) is better then the pure greyscale. It is difficult to rationalize STILL having B&W after these years. Color DOES have a purpose beyond multimedia, so "B&W is fine for Visors" doesn't fly, especially in light of how nice it looks on the Prism and Sony Clie.
2. Add onboard wireless networking of some sort. Either bluetooth or 802.11 should be in the hardware (or at least almost ready for prime time).
3. GPS on a chip. There are now GPS circuits available on single IC chips and the cost of this component is dropping rapidly. If Handspring wants to stay relevant, they should figure out a way to fit this into the product line of the future.
With the three above features, the Handspring Visor can move forward and take back (or pre-emptively prevent) market dominance from the prettier (but less efficient) Ipaq's of the world. The CE manufacturers will be doing this, so complacency at this juncture is ill advised.
Integrated GPS PDA units (Score:1)
Ditto on the color. Color maps are just way more easy to read than gray scale and when the higher resolution displays become available, photo display becomes usable ("Hey did I show you my pictures of Mt. Blanc!")
Re:Integrated GPS PDA units (Score:2)
As for the screen, I just recently upgraded from a IIIxe to a Clie N610C, and the differece is remarkable. And while color is often not necessary, I find myself echoing the comments I heard when the IIIc came out -- with a color screen, "black and white" is "black and WHITE", not "black and pea-green." It does improve the readability, and with the rechargable battery I can even run with full backlight full time without getting even close to draining it.
However, the real kicker is the high resolution. Now that I have it, I can't stand to look at other Palm devices. It used to be that I couldn't really read the Palm for an hour without getting a slight headache (I should point out that I'm about 18 and have 20/20 vision -- it's not bad eyes, it's a bad screen). Now, the high-res fonts are just so easy to read that I can sit with it for hours, reading ebooks or the New York Times (which I sync to it daily). Worth every penny I paid for it.
Color vs. Battery Life (Score:4, Insightful)
I know that color can help the GUI a bit in quicker human recognition and differentiation, but it sucks a lot of power. I don't need color until a Palm with a color screen runs 4 weeks on a pair of AAA batteries.
I do agree that wireless networking is an essential feature for the near future and GPS could be very valuable.
I think it was a poor choice for Handspring to use a proprietary expansion slot. One of the reasons I selected my TRG was that it had a standard Compact Flash slot. I can use almost any CF peripheral, including additional memory, modem, barcode wand, whatever.
Rechargeable battery (Score:1)
I even used it for a week, then left the screen on accidentally (application failure) for 14 hours. I still had a few hours left for games in the airport.
I turn my contrast all the way down, and I would like to see an even lower contrast mode for using in dark rooms or at night.
The point: battery life for color is extremely long if you're somewhat conservative and have a rechargeable battery.
no more 2MB version? (Score:4, Insightful)
Sorry, but $200 is just too big of a step for a PDA for me. Yes, not everyone on
Re:no more 2MB version? (Score:2)
Re:no more 2MB version? (Score:1)
Re:no more 2MB version? (Score:2)
For example, I was having some syncronization problems with my Visor (it turned out to be Windows...I am now happily syncing with J-Pilot [jpilot.org] under Linux). Anyway, they shipped me a replacement unit (I figured I'd make sure it wasn't hardware) and I received it 18 hours later! (it was shipped airborne express). It also included a free Airborne Express slip to ship the unit back - no cost and very little hassle to me.
Now, they can handle that sort of service if they make a decent amount from each unit - enough to cover the costs of replacement shippings, etc. When you get sub-$100, the profits are just so small that it isn't really affordable.
Handspring, up until this week, was selling its 2 mb Visor Solo for $129, and refurbished Visor Deluxe's for somewhere around that same price. Granted, it's $50 more than the $80 you are looking for, but that's what they were getting for the 2 meg model (it was recently reduced in price). If you're still interested in buying a 2 meg model I suggest you try e-mailing them or calling them to see if they have any left. Free shipping, pretty nice.
Of course, retail outlets like Office Max seem to be selling cheap(er) PDAs, and you can always find a wide selection of them on Ebay. Sometimes Palm sells refurbished units of its own, but last I checked (about a month ago) they were all out.
If you are a geek who loves lots of fun software I think you'll quickly fill up your 2 megs and wish you had saved up some more. I recommend stashing away some cash and going for an 8 meg model. I actually took the 30 day money-back guarantee from Handspring for my Visor Deluxe and got the Platinum 'cause I liked the new Palm OS 3.5.2 and the faster processor. You'll probably use your PDA more than you think, but there are a few people for whom it just doesn't sit right.
Anyway, good luck.
How about some real improvements (Score:2, Interesting)
Some things that I would like to see, beyond new colors, include:
Oh well. No one listens to me. I have sent Handspring email on this and called thier customer service line, but they don't seem to want to work in the areas that would pull them ahead of the pack. It may be to late, by the time they come around (if at all).
Re:How about some real improvements (Score:2)
Handspring makes both of those things
http://handspring.com/products/Product.jhtml?id= 8& cat=4
This is a cradle. I would like a travel cable... but thanks, I didn't know about this.
http://www.handspring.com/products/sbmodules/ether netcradle.jhtml
I would prefer a module and I thought that these only allow you to sink up your data.
when will PDA's be more than organizers? (Score:2, Interesting)
I think I'll wait for a real tricorder
Visor vs. Pilot (Score:1)
side by side comparison (Score:1)
This is really annoying... (Score:1)
My only gripe is that they probably won't offer an 'upgrade' option to those of us who decided to go with the different product (Edge)...
Live and learn I guess...
The real visor fault (Score:1)
Being of a technical mind, my biggest complaint about my visor is its lack of a flash-ROM! The onboard OS can't be upgraded to a newer PalmOS version nor another OS (linux). Supposedly, its possible to "upgrade" via the springboard slot, but not practical. That slot is reserved for a visorphone, or something else on my wishlist. I can however, understand why they've designed their PDAs without flash... planned obsolesence, etc.
Re:The real visor fault (Score:1)
Handera more innovative (Score:2, Interesting)
The only PDA I've seen in a while that has done something new is the Handera
Handera Website [handera.com]
More expansion options, jog wheel, but the cool one is the "virtual graffeti area" that you can move around, and the ability to rotate the screen 90-degrees for spreadsheets or books or whatever.
Been considering that one... (Score:1)
And does anyone know what/when Handera is doing next?
Sony Clie? (Score:2)
I picked one of these up at Fry's a month ago for $200 bucks. It has PalmOS 4.0, 4 megs of FLASH(!), 8 Megs of RAM, a Memory Stick Slot, a 33MHz dragonball, Lithium Ion Battery (1.5 weeks or so per charge) and a Jog Dial. Sure, it looks a little girly, but you can't find anything else like it for under $300.
Yes, it still has the lame 160x160 2bpp screen, but why do you need more? A friend of mine just bought a spiffy new iPaq for about $500, and all he got was an MP3 player(do I really want to fill my memory with mp3s???) a picture viewer, and some cool looking games. Neat stuff, but that's not what I bought my PDA for. If that's what you want, go buy a Game Boy and a Rio...
Re:Sony Clie? (Score:1)
I've dropped it on a variety of hard surfaces (unintentionally) with no ill effects. Construction appears to be strong.
I like the included software, too. gMovie is a waste of time and RAM, but PictureViewer is cool, because it's integrated into the address book. You can associate faces with names (even though it's just a dim greyscale, it's enough to remind you), a feature that I think should have been in Palms since the OS supported greyscale.
(Minor correction on your post -- I think it's 4bpp, not 2bpp, since it can do 16 shades of grey.)
Other neat stuff: I like the fact that you don't have to use a cradle to charge it or synch it. One cable for synching, one for charging. I'm working my way through college, and it's nice to just roll up the synch cable and toss it in my backpack so I can talk to computers with it at home/school/work. Much less clumsy than a cradle.
Complaints are few. I wish it worked with Linux. It uses the brand new PalmOS 4 (which seems to be somewhat incompatible with pilot-link and coldsynch) and the package only includes a USB link (trickier than serial, even under the 2.4 kernel).
Also, the screen is a bit smaller than on most Palms (except the M10x line, I think); I suspect this was to cut down on the Clie's width.
I don't like the chromy shiny girly look much either, to be honest, and that was the reason I almost bought a Vx instead. But with the navy cover flap (wish it was a hard flip cover), it looks surprisingly professional. (-:
Overall, a great piece of hardware. Other devices do more, but for what I need it for, the Clie's fit the bill perfectly.
Not great but not bad (Score:4, Interesting)
The Pro has two features over the Platinum/Neo: 16MB and rechargeable battery. The rechargeable battery might actually be cool for people who use their Visor heavily and/or use Springboard devices that need a lot of power. But this is assuming that the rechargeable battery holds more power than a pair of AAA cells... and I haven't found any hard numbers on that. (It ought to; a built-in Lithium ion battery can pack more power into less space than AAA cells, especially rechargeable AAA cells.)
I use NiMH AAA cells in my Visor Deluxe. They do not last as long as Duracell AAA Ultra cells, but I do get weeks out of them. I like being able to carry a couple of AAA cells and swap them in anytime my Visor runs low on power. I also like being able to buy disposable AAA cells at any store if I run out of power and for some reason don't have my spare AAA NiMH cells on me.
Anyway, these are nothing earthshaking. They are competent upgrades, but nothing really new. This is Handspring in a holding pattern.
What Handspring must do is come out with an answer to the Palm m505: small, thin, sexy, and with color. Handspring execs have said in interviews that the Visor Edge has sold very poorly, and they realize that it was a mistake to make a device like the Edge that isn't color. Within a reasonable amount of time, Handspring needs to come out with something like the Edge but with color.
And they should be very careful about introducing any new connectors. Both Palm and Handspring have been surprisingly cavalier about introducing new connectors, breaking compatability with accessories. Palm seems to have reformed: they swear that their new "Universal Connector" will not be changed for several years at least. Handspring needs to either use the same connector as the Visor Edge, or adopt the exact same connector as the Palm Universal Connector, or (distant third choice) maybe a new connector that will be the last new connector they invent for several years at least.
Failing that, they should come out with something like the Pro but with color. The Prism is a good product, but it is bigger than the Visor Deluxe/Platinum/Neo/Pro; you can't use the same cases, you can't use the same keyboard accessories, etc. (I thought about buying a Prism, but it would be a lot of money for the Prism, then more money for a new keyboard, a new case, a charging travel kit, and a battery-powered emergency charger...)
The Visor Deluxe is about as big a PDA as I'm willing to carry around anyway; I don't think I want to try carrying a Prism. If they can make a product exactly like the Prism but with exactly the same form factor as the other Visors, I think it would sell well. I'd buy one.
steveha
Re:Not great but not bad (Score:2)
The Handspring Visor Platinum and Visor Neo run the exact same Palm OS version, according to this Handspring page [handspring.com].
This makes me glad, because I just plunked down $200 for a Platinum. I like black better anyway (I was tempted to get the silver model). I also read that the new Neo's felt "slippery". Yes, I have the "quick lookup" in the address book.
Basically, Handspring is replacing the Platinum with the Neo just to gain some of the color appeal that the Deluxe had. I actually bought a "graphite" (black) Visor, sent it back within the 30-day period, and got the Platinum because they dropped the price $50. And I got a rather expensive leather case with it, something they are no longer offering.
I think Handspring had a far superior line of Handhelds until Palm released their latest m50x series. The Platinum, Edge, and Prism models were simply superior - but mostly because of price and USB connectivity. They took out the flash upgrade, which few people seem to use (Palm OS 4 doesn't look very useful for current PDA owners). The springboard module is finally becoming more popular - there are a lot of great things for it. Now if they weren't so darned expensive, I just might get one or two...I'd consider the mp3 players if they offered CF/Smartmedia expansion and were about $50 cheaper. For $150-200 I can get a standalone model, which has it's advantages and disadvantages.
Anyway, I agree with your point that Handspring must answer the Palm m505. Must be the size of the Edge or smaller, color, lithium battery, and get that springboard module in there. Oh, and they have to double the RAM to 16 MB. And it's got to be the same price or cheaper than the m505. Handspring has done it before (the Visor Deluxe blows away the Palm IIIxe), I think they'll do it again. It'll be interesting to see the next wave of wireless devices.
Re:Not great but not bad (Score:2)
Interesting. I just looked again at the web page, and "Fast lookup" is a listed feature for the Neo, but it is not a listed feature for the Platinum. I don't have a Platinum, and I was going off what the web page said.
Did the Platinum ship with fast lookup all along, or are there some older Platinums that don't have it?
Thanks for the correction.
steveha
Re:Not great but not bad (Score:2)
On the bottom of my address book app, there is a text entry labeled "Look Up:". If you start to write in it, it zeroes in on the last name.
I doubt I'd personally need anything more, but is this the "fast lookup" feature?
Re:Not great but not bad (Score:2)
http://www.visorcentral.com/page/0-6-102-3-6.htm [visorcentral.com]
steveha
Re:Not great but not bad (Score:2)
Boring.... (Score:1)
It seems that Handera is the only Palm OS PDA company that is doing anything.
Unless these companys get off their butts and start making something worth paying for. I think my next PDA will be a PPC....if they can get the form factor down a bit.
Here's a few things that I expect to see on the next Palm device:
HP 95lx (Score:1)
Handspring should making a proper stylus first (Score:1)
Inside a week and the screen has new scatches. The stylus tips are made of a harder plastic than those from palm. Of course , I want something that actually fits the device , so my options are limited.
My advice - don't buy a visor . In all other areas the device is great.
Pocket Pc's all the way (Score:1)
Visor is a toy (Score:1)
Re:Visor is a toy (Score:1)
Memory (Score:1)
Referring to folks who said that 16MB is pointless, in my part of the world, palm-users generally have a couple of dictionaries loaded, a Chinese-Japanese-Korean enabling system, lots of reading and reference materials installed and a few Avantgo channels. The above would almost certainly stretch the 8MB that comes with the Palm Vx.
Re:Ack! (Score:1)
Re:Ack! (Score:1)
Re:Ack! (Score:1)
Whoa, Neo
</KEANU>
Re:f1rst p0st (Score:1)
(pardon my german)