Handspring Offers $130 Visor Deluxe

Posted By: Ed Friday, November 16, 2001 1:25:39 PM

Handspring has announced some specials aimed at perking up demand during this crucial holiday shopping season. First and foremost, they are offering the Visor Deluxe at just $130, a $40 savings. They are also offering various freebies with a handheld purchase. While purchasers get to choose from a selection of add-ons, which ones depend on which handheld they are buying.

For example, with the Visor Prism the options are a GameFace, a bi-fold leather case, or a travel charger. With the Visor Edge, the options are a Pen Stylus, a Slim Leather Case, or a Zippered Leather Case.

This sale is at least partially intended to help Handspring sell off their remaining stocks of the Deluxe. It is being phased out in favor of the Neo, which was released in September.

In recent months, Handspring has been aggressively cutting the prices of its handhelds as part of price war with the other Palm OS manufacturers. In August, it dropped the price of the Deluxe from $200 to $170.

So far, these cuts appear to be paying off. In the third quarter of this year, Handspring went from 11% of the worldwide PDA market to 14%, selling an additional 52 thousand handhelds to bring its quarterly total to 352 thousand. In U.S. sales, the company went from 17% to 22%. It is easily maintaining its role as the number two handheld maker, selling more than three times as many handhelds in the U.S. as did its next nearest rival.

Thanks to Scott Kurtzeborn for the tip. -Ed

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It should be $50

I.M. Anonymous @ 11/16/2001 1:34:13 PM #

$130 ?? Very slow CPU and very old OS ,Handspring , are you kidding ?

Not entirely accurate

skoty @ 11/16/2001 1:40:32 PM #

Interestingly, this "very old" OS supports USB hot sync and most of the springboard expansions. Expansions and USB support were some of the "new" things that came out in OS 4.0. The processor is the same that ships in the m10x series, Palm IIIs, Vs, and VIIs.

I find it very interesting how the numbers "4.0" and "4.1" mean so much to people, and yet the features they bring have been on Handsprings for years.

RE: It should be $50

I.M. Anonymous @ 11/16/2001 2:01:24 PM #

Slow CPU? It is clear you never used a Deluxe. I own a Deluxe and a m505. The Deluxe is much faster than a Vx. It is close in many aspects to m505. Old OS? By name but my Deluxe got in 1999 many of the "NEW" features of the 4.0 and some of them which were not included I had them with hacks.

RE: It should be $50

I.M. Anonymous @ 11/16/2001 2:04:00 PM #

Would you buy a Visor Deluxe (sounds like an upsized hamburger) for $130.00? Your better off donating those funds to a good cause.

RE: It should be $50

I.M. Anonymous @ 11/16/2001 2:21:10 PM #

Why are you complaining? You wouldn't buy it for $50 either. You already have a PDA, or you wouldn't be talking that trash here.
Enjoy the PDA of your choice, and let the newbies and kids get a great PDA for a good price.

The level of complaining, moaning and nastiness in the posts on these news article gets very tiring.

If you 'aint got something useful to say, SHUT UP.

RE: It should be $50

I.M. Anonymous @ 11/16/2001 2:31:06 PM #

Can I get frys with that?

Can i get Fry's?

bcombee @ 11/16/2001 3:18:42 PM #

Funny you mention that -- Fry's Electronics has been selling refurbished Visor Deluxe units for $99 ever since it opened here in Austin, TX.

4.1 WOOPDY DOO

Coyote67 @ 11/16/2001 3:28:47 PM #

The level of ignorance of some people who post on this forum really amazes me sometimes. Calling Handspring's rls of PalmOS "old" when almost all the features that make Palm's OS4.1 so GREAT not only are in Handspring's version but came from it. I wouldn't be suprised if these were the same people who think Intel Penitum 4s are better then AMD Athlons just because the P4s have a higher clockcycle speed. Has anyone here whos complaining actually touched a Visor Deluxe? I'm playing with a m505 at work and see very little difference between the m505 and my Visor Deluxe. Oh yeah, I can do a hell of a lot more with my Visor Deluxe.

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When you find yourself in the company of a halfling and an ill-tempered Dragon, remember, you do not have to outrun the Dragon...you just have to outrun the halfling.

RE: It should be $50

I.M. Anonymous @ 11/16/2001 4:44:19 PM #

http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/review/2001/11/16/comdex-mobility.htm

dont forget the buy 3 get 1 free!

I.M. Anonymous @ 11/16/2001 4:49:46 PM #

dont forget w/ the neo and pro you buy three you get one free! but, i doubt anyone really wants 4 units so maybe thats just good for resellers, eh?

A really great deal for a great and reliable handheld.

I.M. Anonymous @ 11/16/2001 8:03:46 PM #

Plus you have the freebies with the other handhelds, like travel chargers and GameFaces and stylii. Palm's m105 toy of a handheld feels cheap and squeaks in my hand. The screen is small. The stylus is cheap plastic. The flip cover is no protection at all. Visor comes with TWO count em ways to protect your handheld, the snap case and leather slipcase. Use both for extra! Plus the Glass digitizer puts a nice reliable weight in my hand that 10x has not. "Heavy is reliable" is what my pally Boris the Blade said. The stylus is metal with reset pin and screwdriver. The Springboard options outdo any 10x OR Universal connector (hahahah!! big word universal. But not universal is universal connector.) Anyway the tech used in 10x is so crappy it's all the leftover IIIxe innards from returned IIIxe's!!!!!! Whatta joker Carl Whichawazawhatface is!! Piece of crap for two yearold dogs to eat!! I poop on you!!!

HAHAHAHAH

RE: A really great deal for a great and reliable handheld.

Coyote67 @ 11/16/2001 9:27:39 PM #

One thing you gotta remember, the Visors are pretty much universal.
From solo to pro, all use same connection, all can use the same connection accessories.

---------------------------------------
When you find yourself in the company of a halfling and an ill-tempered Dragon, remember, you do not have to outrun the Dragon...you just have to outrun the halfling.

RE: A really great deal for a great and reliable handheld.

skoty @ 11/17/2001 12:45:21 AM #

That's mostly true. All of the springboard slots have been the same since the beginning. I wish the same were possible for cradles. I wish I didn't have to hook two cradles up to our computer, one for my wife's Visor Edge, and one for my Visor Platinum.

RE: A really great deal for a great and reliable handheld.

Coyote67 @ 11/18/2001 1:38:05 AM #

Thats true, but you can use one cradle for the Solo, Deluxe, Platnium, Neo, and Pro. Sounds more universal then what Palm is using.

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When you find yourself in the company of a halfling and an ill-tempered Dragon, remember, you do not have to outrun the Dragon...you just have to outrun the halfling.

RE: A really great deal for a great and reliable handheld.

skoty @ 11/18/2001 1:53:17 AM #

Does the Pro fit in the same cradles as the others you mentioned? The Pro has an internal batery. It seems that would require a different cradle with Power going through as well as data.