Beam me up!
Written: Apr 05 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Expandability, and brilliant color display as well as updated applications
Cons: Display not daylight friendly
The Bottom Line: Great balance of expandability and value
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| me_bruno's Full Review: Handspring Visor Prism Handheld |
A gem of an assistant
It took some time for me to jump on the PDA bandwagon. After all, I had a laptop pretty much constantly with me, what would I need a less capable “toy” for? My workplace issued Handspring Deluxe in an attempt to make us more productive (as well as being thinly disguised as that year’s bonus). Very soon we were organizing our schedules and beaming information from across the aisle on the airplane (not to mention all the neat games we could download for virtually nothing)! Nonetheless I quickly became attached to it (as did my spouse)! Seeing the opportunity to upgrade to the color version I quickly seized the day! I have used these highly useful little tools for nearly 2 years now and it still seldom leaves my side.
A mix of Highs and Lows
The clincher for me was that all the schedules and address book information could easily be transferred to my laptop. I was also happy to realize that the Handspring was much more expandability than its earlier Palm competitors. Nowadays that memory and utility expandability is largely narrowing from PDA to PDA. Handspring was started from several disgruntled Palm creators that were unhappy with the way things were going. Thus Handspring was created with the nifty expansion slot on the back. This slot can be used for additional applications, modem, digital camera, and memory expansion. Handspring shares a similar Palm OS (differences being only slightly proprietary). Memory allocation is handled slightly different and comes with 8 Meg of memory. Large databases, pictures and games can quickly use up the system memory. The Handspring OS comes with some improved applications such as an improved Date Book organizer and World Clock. The display is a bright 16-bit color presentation. The typical complaint here being that it is very difficult to view the screen outdoors in bright sunlight. I’ll skip many of the redundant “techie” facts as they are readily found elsewhere. The plastic case is fairly sturdy, although I have managed to chip a corner off of it. Battery replacement is unnecessary since the unit contains rechargeable batteries. These are recharged on the USB HotSync cradle where data can be shared to your other computers. The Prism cradles are not compatible with other Handspring devices. Data may also be transferred via infrared ports between Palm OS devices.
All’s quiet on the PDA Front
The PDA wars have settled to a low roar. For the most part, users have settled into their respective camps with nary a glance to the other. For me it comes down to the expandability and price. Displays are very subjective and there are better displays out there. I would highly recommend a finding a transparent screen protector as the screen can be easily scratched and damaged. The selection of applications and equipment such as modems and digital cameras make the Handspring an intriguing choice, however many others have those capabilities too. Thus we are left with price. With prices hovering around $250 I don’t think you can find a better buy for color PDA. I also highly recommend purchasing a separate durable case as the plastic case that comes with the unit is hardly sufficient. I recommend to new shoppers to investigate your needs and weigh all the options. The powerful Pocket PC’s are becoming a serious competitor to the Palm OS platforms, although Palm OS are currently still cheaper and pretty much still do the same thing. I really don’t think one can go wrong with the Handspring and I’m eagerly waiting for the next generation of color Handspring.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 250
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Epinions.com ID:
me_bruno
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Location: Seattle area
Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
32 y/o guy; audiophile, techie and jack of many trades...master of few.
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