Budget Handsprings... Is it worth it?
Written: May 11 '01
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Expansion Slot
Cons: 2 MB memory, no USB cradle, $149 price tag
The Bottom Line: There are cheaper and better alternatives to the Visor Solo. Read my conclusions to see how you can find better and/or cheaper models!
|
|
|
| yusakugo's Full Review: Handspring Visor Deluxe Handheld |
The Palm budget wars continue... fighting for the low-end market in the Palm OS territory is the Handspring Visor and the Palm m100/m105 series. Here we have a revamped packaging effort by Handspring for their oldest line... the Handspring Visor.
The Visor Solo is really the original 2MB Handspring Visor model minus the USB cradle (which is worth around $20-30 separately). This changes the price on Handspring's web site from $169 for the original Visor package to $149 for the Solo package. Of course, the Solo packaging is available only on the Handspring Web store and affiliates.
The classic Handspring
There isn't much to say about this unit. It has 2 MB of memory. It runs Palm OS 3.1 (current OS outside of the Palm m500/505 line is 3.5.2, which is a bit more stable). You get the cheap plastic stylus. You get the hard plastic front cover. There are a few updated programs such as the Date Book and Clock programs common Handspring models. So far nothing exciting especially for $149. Wait you do get a pair of alkaline batteries!
The Visor runs on a much slower processor than the high-end palms (Handspring Visor Platinum, Visor Edge, Palm m500, Palm m505, Sony Clie-N500, Sony Clie-N710, and HandEra 330). If my memory serves me correctly, it runs a 16MHz processor similar to the Palm III and m100 lines. Honestly, the processor speed shouldn't matter in most applications... you might see one in games and large databases, but overall you won't notice any difference in the organizer functions of the unit.
The size of the Visor is the same as the Visor Deluxe and Visor Platinum... so that means the unit is fairly bulky for a Palm. Not as bulky as the Palm IIIc or the Handspring Visor Prism which are huge in terms of Palm units. The dimensions are 4.8" x 3.0" x 0.7" and the unit weighs 5.4 oz. Definitely not the most svelte unit on the market then again, you get what you pay for... or are you?
2MB of memory can be alot depending on your use. If you plan to use the Visor as a pure organizer then 2 MB are enough. If you want to download programs into the Visor Solo, you will find yourself wanting more memory real estate quick... wait a sec, you don't have a cradle to download the programs into the Visor. Silly me.
Springboards and Ladders
Well, the nicest thing about this unit is still Handspring's trademark Springboard slot (say that three times fast). This allows many options including more memory (to a degree... look at the Handspring Flash module reviews), and other options like a MP3 player, Powerpoint presenter, and mini-digital camera. Then again, looking at the packaging... without the USB cradle, I don't think the Solo was really meant for a customer base that will upgrade their models.
Conclusions
The Visor Solo seems to be meant for two audiences:
1) Those who wanted a Palm unit as a pure organizer
2) Those who already have a Visor or Visor Deluxe unit in the house/office.
The cradle is a significant part of the package for any Palm unit (or at least some computer cable hookup) since this is the only way to install the majority of programs to further enhance your Palm's usability! Otherwise, you have to beam from one Palm unit to another... and not all programs can be sent this way.
As you can see, I paid nothing for the original Visor unit. I got the original Visor when I signed up for an investment account at DLJdirect.com (now CSFBdirect.com) and deposited x amount of cash. CSFBdirect.com still runs this promotion on occassion with varying cash deposit requirements. The last time the promotion ran was about 2 months ago.
I will not recommend the Visor Solo to anyone. It clearly isn't worth the savings of $20 from the original Visor. The original Visor was a good unit for its time but not with the great bargains for 8MB Palm and Handspring units. Here are a few examples...
As I'm writing this review, franklincovey.com is selling the Palm m100 unit for $129! This includes Franklin Software Planning Suite, which costs $150 if purchased separately! Wait, this gets better! There is a $30 mail-in rebate available (expires 6/30/01)! Now the unit is $99. Wait, it still gets better... if you buy the unit with a Visa card and use code 10219 in the coupon code, you get another $25 plus free shipping! The m100 costs $74 total! That is half of the Solo price... and you get a similar unit with a serial cradle but without expandibility options. But if you only wanted an organizer... a Palm based unit for $74... can't beat that!
Let's look more towards a higher end unit... the Visor Deluxe with 8MB of memory and the Springboard slot. This unit costs $199.99. Go to Staples.com. You can find coupons for $30 off $150 and even $40 off $200 at Staples.com. You also get free shipping with orders over $200. You only have to pay sales tax for your delivery state. You only paying $159-169 plus sales tax for a 8MB unit. At worst, you're looking at a $35 premium over the Visor Solo. This doesn't include percentage rebates from various ebates sites on the web.
When you consider examples like the two above, the Visor Solo becomes extremely unappealing. The important thing becomes how well you shop around stores and the internet to find how many deals out there that will beat the Solo price at Handspring.com. Believe me, it isn't hard... not hard at all.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): Free
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
yusakugo
|
 - Top 10 |
|
Member: Rich Go
Location: Somewhere in the NorthEast
Reviews written: 399
Trusted by: 498 members
About Me:
Losing Sleep and Lacking Time... sigh...
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.