Color Visor and Cellphone Springboard Near

Posted By: Ryan Tuesday, September 19, 2000 2:18:45 PM

This ZDNet article confirms that Handspring will be shipping 2 new Visors on Oct 19th. The $449 Visor Prism will have a 16-bit color screen (65,536 colors) and will be pushed as a game player. It will utilize a 30 mhz Dragonball processor, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and 8 Megs of RAM. The second unit will be called the Visor Platinum and will cost $299 and also features the 30mhz chip, 8 Megs and a monochrome display. My guess is that it is a slimmer and lighter Visor. Both devices will have a built in Springboard slot. Also expected by the end of November is the cellphone module.

VisorPhone GSM cellular phone Springboard module will cost $299, weigh in at 3 oz., and will come with its own rechargeable battery. The ear piece will be in the module, while the receiver will be the microphone built into the Visor. A headset will also be provided.

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New Springboards?

Lucky Dragon @ 9/19/2000 4:05:12 PM #
It sure would me nice to see a Liberty Springboard that I could plug a Gameboy cartrige into. I'd be willing to pay quite a bit for something like that...

Liberty Springboard?
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/19/2000 5:56:16 PM #
Keep your fingers crossed... it may yet happen ;-)

Liberty SpringBoard :))
ardiri @ 9/19/2000 7:16:50 PM #
you *never* know :)

// az

aaron@ardiri.com

http://www.ardiri.com/
RE: New Springboards?
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2000 1:40:01 PM #
Why not just buy a Gameboy? Is more rugged, comes w/ better controls. Has color. Faster. Is quite portable. By the time you've got all that junk plugge into your Palm, you might as well as have packed along a Gameboy, too.

Can't figure out what all the fuss over this Gameboy thing is...

C O L O R ! ! !

anonymous @ 9/19/2000 4:39:11 PM #
Oh yea! Color for the Visor (and more colors than the IIIc) !

Sign me up for the modem!!!

DaveyDave @ 9/19/2000 4:46:46 PM #
I love the idea of the springboard modem. One less thing I need to carry! One week away!!!

Yup.

Handspring Goes High End

Ed @ 9/19/2000 4:58:14 PM #
Interesting to see Visor going after the high end of the Palm market. Until now, they have really dominated the low end, with their $149 model. Even their most expensive model was only $249. Now here's a color Visor that costs $449, which is $50 more than the IIIc. So Handspring has the dubious honor of selling the most expensive Palm-powered handheld.

On the other hand, they also sell the fastest and most colorful one. Palm game players everywhere will rejoice, I'm sure. But to add a note of caution, I couldn't help but notice that the recharge speed for the Prism was leaked but not how long it will run on its rechargeable batteries.

---
Plenipotentiary
Palm InfoCenter

What about flash RAM

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/19/2000 6:46:48 PM #
Something conspicuosly absent from this announcement is something about a flash upgradeable RAM!! Surely, they would not release another device with a limited upgrade path....

RE: What about flash RAM
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/19/2000 10:29:27 PM #
There is no such thing as flash RAM, RAM standing for Random Access Memory. FLASH is EPROM based, the access is sequential.

RE: What about flash RAM
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/19/2000 10:37:03 PM #
You know what he means.

RE: What about flash RAM
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/20/2000 11:19:53 AM #
It's not an announcement, it's a news leak. Presumably Handspring
will make its official announcment soon, and we'll know for sure
whether or not it has flash.

Color Visor - In Time for Christmas?

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/19/2000 6:49:52 PM #
Check out this artice. It is directly related, and has a few interesting points:

http://www.purepalm.com/pp/content/palmcritic/dir/0000000005.htm

$450.00

Going the wrong way @ 9/19/2000 7:49:50 PM #
For 50 more I can get a Pocket PC. The visor is great I have 2. But I am sick of the crappy costomer service they have. Look at the way they sucker you in. I have been wanting the two way pager module. Now they tell me they are only going to sell the module with a visor deluxe at the low price of $428.00 Do you think they are getting rid of some stock.
RE: $450.00
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/20/2000 11:36:00 AM #
Yeah, but for the Pocket PC, you will pay $50 more, and have A LOT less software to choose from to load up on your handheld. Sorry, from what I have read and heard from Pocket PC users, the devices look great and have great features, but they are still a little to problematic. Palm OS for now is the choice....maybe Pocket PC in the future?

RE: $450.00
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/20/2000 5:39:34 PM #
Again, no specifics by a Palm OS user about the so-called "problems" with Pocket PC. I've owned and used all the Pocket PC's available to date and have had zero problems with ActiveSync (Win98 SE) or the OS...in fact, the basic PIM features of Pocket PC are more advanced and just as fast as on Palm. At least with Pocket PC, I can use true one-hand operation. With Palm, you absolutely have to use a stylus to get into a program. Yes, I know the new Sony has a scroll button, so that is changing. But it's fustrating to always hear about the problems with Pocket PC from Palm users that have never used it and give no specifics.

RE: $450.00
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/20/2000 6:37:37 PM #
Ok, here are specifics. Friend buys an IPAQ. Thinks its great, and syncs with his laptop several times. All of a sudden, he can't sync. Windows 98 can't find the USB cradle any more. So, he removes his USB support and tries reinstalling it. No luck. He ends up having to reinstall the OS from scratch, loosing a lot of data in the process. There are your specifics...stick that up your CF slot, bud. I stick by my previous post...

The Glenayre/Handspring pager combo
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/22/2000 1:16:12 AM #
Couldn't resist making a comment on the handspring
glenayre 2 way pager combo. I have a friend who
actually got to use it and let my try it. Very cool.

The reason for the combo was RF interaction between
the Visor and the activelink. It seems some versions
of the visor were extra sensitive so to actually get
this working as a real product they needed to select
visors that worked while the fixed the shielding
problems on the visors. Newer visors will be OK but
the old ones are stuck with the design flaw.

Still if you get the chance try a combo out. The
always connected feature is very slick.

iIts about time

RoofusPenneymore @ 9/20/2000 11:53:08 AM #
Glad to finally see a color Handspring. But I wounder if Sony has stolen the show?
RE: iIts about time
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2000 12:54:23 PM #
Why would you possibly think that Sony is even close? You can't even read files or apps on the memory stick without copying them to the Palm first, there are zero memory stick modems etc or any other accessories>

I like my Vx just fine...

bighead @ 9/20/2000 10:34:23 PM #
Why do I not want to buy a Visor? The same reason I never bought a Mac clone. Maybe Handspring has a license, but the best way to get the job done is to have the hardware and software as tightly integrated as possible. Palm is who does it best.

Handspring does not make a unit the size of my Vx, and to my knowledge does not have a folding keyboard for it. I am looking forward to the forthcoming 30 MHz DBZ processors (that means even better overclocking), but until Handspring provides a reason to buy their products, the lack of a small unit, flash RAM, and the true latest version of the OS, I'll keep the ol' Vx.

RE: I like my Vx just fine...
Spell @ 9/21/2000 9:24:39 AM #
Actually, there is a folding keyboard for the Visor. Targus is the name on non-Palm StowAway keyboards, but everything else is identical.

RE: I like my Vx just fine...
DaveyDave @ 9/21/2000 10:49:20 AM #
How about the springboard module? I like the Palm VX form factor, but it sure is a dead-end on expandability. Stuff like Omnisky and the snap on GPS are kludgy and make it bulky... losing its only asset, form factor. Also, keep in mind that Hawkins DESIGNED the PalmOS. There is no issue about integration. I've had a PalmPersonal, Palm Pro, Palm III, and now a Visor Deluxe. No problems on the Visor.

Yup.
RE: I like my Vx just fine...
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/24/2000 10:34:36 PM #
In response to Mr. Bighead. Handspring is only a licensee? Mr. Hawkins built the thing in the first place, and oh yes the Palm Operating system to boot!

You remarked "The same reason I wouldn't buy an Apple clone", hmmmm, probably why I would never buy an Apple computer without Steve Jobs at the helm. Take the visionary founder away from their company and all you have left is bean counters. Hmmm, kind of sounds like the position palm is in now.

You commented about the lack of flash memory. In my opinion a complete non-issue. I'll simply have to upgrade my operating system using conventional memory.
With the springboard 8mb module I have memory to burn. I'd think you would be more concerned about the V anything's complete lack of memory expandability, or any type of expandability for that matter.

I really do think that Handspring is on the right track. I think the stock market also agrees. Handspring is trading significantly higher than Palm is right now.

Best, James Scherber
jscherber@awaystation.com
www.awaystation.com

I'd like to see it...

404 @ 9/21/2000 12:10:09 AM #
Sounds good - I have a Vx & a CE PDA and I feel the Palm OS is much better but want color - REAL color, not 256 colors. The new visor sounds good to me...

404

Why IIIc is not 16-bit color?

Erick Sasse @ 9/21/2000 8:11:44 AM #
If the new Visor Prism will run the same OS version than Palm IIIc, why didn't Palm give us 16-bit color in IIIc? I thougt it was an OS issue, but now I see it is not.

65K color Palm!!

Erick Sasse @ 9/21/2000 8:11:44 AM #
The new Visor Prism will have 65k color screen, so probrably new Palms too.

It needs more memory!

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/21/2000 9:48:48 AM #
Handspring seems to be hitting all the right buttons lately, the 65K-color Handspring Prism will pressure Palm to upgrade their product line. The only downside is that it has only 8 Megs of memory. Color Apps use much more memory than B/W Apps.

What Took So Damn Long?!

Ed @ 9/21/2000 11:04:38 AM #
I was looking around in our archives and I ran across a news article about Motorola announcing a new Dragonball VZ chip that runs at 33 MHz and supports color... in October of 1999!

Why has it taken this long for any Palm to break the 30 MHz point? Is it simply that battery technology is lagging way behind the power requirements of the faster processors? If so, I'm still nervous about how long these faster Visors will last between recharges.

What would you say your minimum time between recharges is? Would you accept a fast, color Visor if it only lasted 8 hours before it had to spend 30 minutes in its cradle? I wouldn't, but that's me.

---
Plenipotentiary
Palm InfoCenter

RE: What Took So Damn Long?!
EGarrido @ 9/21/2000 9:42:51 PM #
Ed,

That's a really good point. I remember reading that article and I was thinking they'd have something out before christmas '99. It's almost Chrismas '00 now, and we've only heard a rumor.

I'm really want to get a new palm soon (I'm clunking around wiht a Palm V still, and my friends with visors are making fun of me because of expandibility and memory), but there are just way too many devices coming out that are just awesome. I mean, I love the visor already, and a color visor would be even better. Then again, this color sony device is sweet because it's the size of the V but with color (with hope soon) AND has an expandibility option. But then again it doesn't sport wireless.

My dream machine at the moment is the size of a Palm V, expandibility of the visor, color, and wireless. I'd take a product if it were the size of the V and wireless in a minute, though.

Eric

RE: What Took So Damn Long?!
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/24/2000 11:07:40 PM #
I think the reason it's taking so long is that the software drives the hardware. High resolution color displays and very fast microprocessors really let multimedia shine. Unfortunately, the Palm was never really designed to do multimedia. Believe me, if Handspring is going the route of hi-res coor displays, serious multimedia is on the way.

Best, James Scherber
jscherber@awaystation.com
www.awaystation.com


Color Visor?

amfule @ 9/21/2000 7:33:42 PM #
I passed on the IIIc due to its size. I started out w/ a PalmIII & now using Vx... If handspring could come up w/ a color unit the size & looks of the Vx, I'd gladly be a convert...

IIIc versus Visor Color

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/22/2000 8:36:04 PM #
Bah, humbug re: the visor, its actually $80 more than I paid for my IIIc, and it has the advantage of being able to use JackFlash for an extra 500k, and with the Kodak Palm Pix makes for a perfect business companion. I generally always cheer for the underdog, but in this case I think Handspring has blown it. And as for the visors 65k color, gee lets see. Larger file sizes for what in reality are basically comparable photos. Try a IIIc with album to go, and play around with some pics. Photography, professional and forensic is part of my job and I know the differencve between real usefulness and marketing hype... Unless Handsping manages to fit the color visor into a Palm V size case they are sol. Actually thats what I am waiting for from Palm, A Wireless Color Palm with a Palm 5 Form factor. But no phone. I still want my phone separate from my PDA.



High Color ?

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/22/2000 10:28:13 PM #
How come it can be High Color ? I heard that The DragonBall can only be 256 color , is it true ?

256 color is enough, the problem is the resolution..

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/27/2000 7:35:04 AM #
Since the TFT display has obvious "grain" in
each pixel. So it make you dizzy
after a long time's watching.
Try reading Doc in IIIc and you will know it.
So I think a 16 bit color won't make any difference.

visor color

I.M. Anonymous @ 2/27/2001 8:17:47 PM #
can i buy color for my visor platinum which is in black and white

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