Rating: 
Summary: Great product for the most part
Review: I've had my Handspring Visor Deluxe(ice ) for about 3 days now. I spent my first night downloading all kinds of apps and games: from overclocking utilities to chess to entire novels. It's awesome! Now I don't twiddle my thumbs anymore waiting for the trains to show up. That's besides other improvements to my time management. The expansion modules are great and gives the Visor Deluxe almost unlimited capabilities. Can I just say I love my Visor Deluxe? But (there had to be a 'but')...the one big drawback of the Visor Deluxe (should be the same for the Visor) has definitely, definitely got to be the screen! Someone send the Handspring tech people over to Palm!! I read the Visor reviews on how the screen easily gets scratched but I thought it was probably the fault of the users. Well, well then...I guess seeing is believing. I think the material used in manufacturing the screen is simply substandard. Ever try using a Palm (I tried a Palm Vx which by the way was what I was going to get in the first place)? The stylus glides effortlessly over the screen. Quite a marked difference from the friction-laden screen-stylus relationship on the Visor Deluxe. On the whole I think Handspring has a great product in the Visor but please, please somebody do something about the screens. I haven't been unfortunate enough to drop my Visor Deluxe yet. That'd be a whole different story.
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Summary: iDeal for Mac users!
Review: The Handspring Visor Deluxe is great for new iMac, iBook, G3, G4, Powerbook, iBook and other Mac computer with USB ports or USB cards! Many Palm products require that you purchase an [additional] Mac adapter in order to use the device with the Macintosh. But with the Visor, every one comes with a USB cradle which makes it easier for Mac users. And with the USB format comes faster speeds. The Universal Serial Bus can transfer data much faster than traditional serial connections thus HotSync operations are much faster. And unlike Palm devices, you don't have to download a seperate Mac Desktop application. It comes standard with the Visor. There are some trade-offs though. Visors can't sync email with their Macs without a third-party solution, (such as MultiMail Pro). But with greater expansion possibilities and a great price, the Handspring Visor is a must for any Mac user!
Rating: 
Summary: The Toy that became a Powerhouse
Review: A year ago, I'd only vaguely heard of PDAs. I knew they were interesting technology and very, very expensive. Now, after having a Visor Deluxe since mid-Feb, I cannot imagine doing without. And it wasn't expensive at all. Before, I kept a paper calendar; now I actually give presents on time and even remember doctor's appointments set months in advance. I kept a paper address book; now I access phone numbers on the road--you know, the ones you thought you'd never need and so didn't bother to bring along. I used to travel with paperback book, notes on the book I'm writing, and an electronic spell-check/calculator; now I carry 20-some novels, my book, editing software, a calculator and a full dictionary on the Visor. Plus, there are games, maps and the promise of amazing things for the "Springboard" slot in the future. (And even with all the "clutter" on my Visor, there's memory to spare. Palm OS applications are /that/ cleverly compressed. Oh, and there's a TON of third party shareware, freeware and for-sale software out there!)
Rating: 
Summary: A Couple Notable Flaws
Review: The unit itself works fine as would be expected, though i do have to reset it a lot. If I had to do it over again, probably for about the same price I would go with the Palm V. The Handspring has two problems: 1- the AAA batteries. They run out about once a month, which means I have to make sure there is a stock on hand. There is really no excuse for not having rechargables in a product like this. A waste and an inconvenience. 2- the size. The unit has passed that point where you can just stick it in your pocket and forget about it. The expansion port is a nice idea, but since realistically i will never use it, it just means extra bulk. Also, since i dont use it for email, 2MB is probably enough.
Rating:
Summary: If your a geek don't bother reading this review
Review: I'm not much of a power user. In all honesty I bought the Handspring for it's looks and frankly I think the Palm devices are too mainstream corporate. The Handspring Deluxe Visor has a cool factor, it reminded me of the Apple products and the website had a nice personal, individual touch to it. After I ordered it, I was sweating bullets because I'd read in some reviews ( two, one of them here in Amazon) that the box was a lttle flimsy. I have to say though that isn't the case with me. The Visor feels solid, more compact and the balance feels better on it's own and against the Palm III series ( the Palm V, while a great looking machine feels like I'll drop it. Plus, where I come from, only girls seem to use it, ( nothing against girls, but I'm obviously not a girl! )). The Visor just fits and feels better in my hand, and the buttons are really responsive, it has a nice spring to it. It's hard to describe but when you handle one you'll understand.I also ordered a custom case and they go for sixty something bucks. In my finicky opinion, definitely worth it. The abbey grey nubuck was really well made, the material was plush, the zipper feels smooth and the stitching is sound. Just remember that ultimately if you really use it the way it's supposed to be used, this machine will be an extension of you and these little factors count for a lot in the long-run. Just in case I sound totally vapid. I also appreciated that the Visor was USB equipped and had Mac support right out of the box. The Springboard module pretty much trounces anything from Palm. I also checked out the specs and was convinced that dollar for dollar you get more value out of the Visor than similar Palm devices. It also has enhancements, most significant for me in the form of the Date Book+, which is like your standard Date book on steroids. It gives you more views and gives you an overview of your calendar and to do list, plus it has a weekly grid. My only complaint is with the battery life ( 2-3 weeks with heavy, heavy usage ), the cradle can still be subject to rare misalignment with the unit resulting in panicky failed connections. And how about a flip top case that snaps? Plus they don't ship to Asia and I had to ask a relative to bring it back for me. I've been using it for a couple of months and I'm pretty much neck deep in it now. All in all a great product in the look and feel department. it's a lot of eye candy with the functionality plus you make all your Palm toting friends a little envious.BTW I actually like Palm products, I just like the Visor more.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Have!!!
Review: I debated on buying this for a long time. One night I just said heck with it and bought it. I am so glad I did. I am a senior in college and the handspring is a big help. Much more organized then the old pen and paper way. Plus Handspring.com has thousands of programs you can download for free. Software is so easy to transfer from computer to handspring. All you do is press a button. I Have put so many useful programs on my Handspring. I also have some fun ones like Frogger and pac man :-) This is a must have and so much cheaper then the palm. If you look at the palm and the handspring they are really the same thing but handspring is cheaper. I am very pleased and so glad I just bought it and stopped debating.
Rating:
Summary: SIMPLY PERFECT
Review: If you want to be hamstrung by the lack of third party programs buy a WIN/CE. If you want the ultimate combination of versitale software with over an estimated 100,000 PALM OS programmers and the continued introduction of useful springboard modules then buy one of these. Over 25 people I know directly bought one of these because *I* showed them mine and how excellent it is. It's your money!
Rating:
Summary: Still the greatest
Review: I've had intensive experience with both Palms and Visors at this point and the Handspring Visor Deluxe is still the best deal out there in a PDA. Among it's many advantages, it's at least 25% faster than a Palm Vx (which is the fastest Palm, 20% faster than the others), the screen is brighter and easier to read, the USB-port hot-sync capability is much faster, the Springboard slot to add extra memory (or other peripherals) is unique, and last but not least, the [price] for a unit with 8 megs of RAM can't be beat. The only disadvantage to owning a Visor compared to the Palm that I've encountered is that Windows NT Workstation doesn't support USB ports, so you need to use serial Hot Sync if you have this instead of Windows 98. Having one of these little devices has enabled me to get organized to a degree I wouldn't have thought possible before. It's like having a little extra memory storage area or "brain" with you, except that it can remember more and it never forgets. Funny thing about these little devices, once I had all my personal and work-related info in it, my own memory and concentration improved, probably because my own aging neural circuitry didn't have to worry about remembering all this stuff anymore. Although I've been using one intensively for about 4 months now, I still get new ideas on how to use it to save me time and effort. Another great advantage to owning one is that is that you can use all those moments throughout the day that would otherwise be wasted. You'll never be bored standing in a check-out line or waiting in somebody's office, or wherever, again. I just whip out my Visor, read a book, take notes on a new project or work idea, play a game, or figure out more cool ways to use my Visor. This is the best [money] I've ever spent, not to mention the coolest electronic device I've ever owned. Try one and you'll see why.
Rating:
Summary: I liked mine so much I ordered one for my boss
Review: I have been on the fence about getting a PDA for a while now and one of the biggest obstacles was the price. When handspring came out with thier version and it ran on the palm OS I was just about sold. I have since seen them used here at work and have heard how they have made peoples lives here quite a bit easier. So I finally broke down and got one and I love it. It does exactly what I expected and with some of the add on options, it can do far more than I would have thought. My boss saw mine, I explained some of it's functions and he is now having me order one for him.
Rating:
Summary: Exactly what I needed
Review: Okay, so I was a bit behind technology-wise. But when my Sharp Wizard finally died I felt as if I had to make a decisive entry into the world of PDA's. As a journalist, I needed long battery life, a decent wordprocessor, a keyboard, and Apple compatiblity. I loved the idea of the Compaq Ipaq, but didn't think I needed all that power (I have a laptop), to fall further into the world of Microsoft, or to wait months for Compaq to fill all those backorders. Psion's keyboards looked good but Windows 2000 problems, chintzy workmanship (Series 5mx) and no backlight (Revo) didn't enamor me to their platform. I almost bought the Palm IIIxe, but they're hard to find. Cue Handspring. The Handspring Deluxe with a Stowaway keyboard was the ideal solution. When you're reporting in rural Albania and you don't have access to a power supply, rechargeable batteries are useless. The Handspring AAA's are great (although I find the battery compartment cover a little flimsy). One week after receiving it, I'm using it like I've had it for a year, thanks to downloads of AvantGo, SmartDoc and Palmdoc. It's almost a laptop replacement for me, and as simple as can be to use. I look forward to a stronger backlight and a color screen from Handspring sometime in the future. But as far as PDA's go, this one should meet most people's needs for an excellent price. Buy the backup Springboard module as well, you won't regret it. I'm now a proud adherent to the Palm platform.
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