Rating: 
Summary: After loads of research for a PDA...
Review: I found the Visor Delux to be the top of all my choices. It hasn't given me any problems as of yet, and not planning to either. I purchased this PDA over the original Palm (even if the developers were from the whole Palm idea to begin with). It's amazing how your life can change for the better w/ a handheld like this... no more being unorganized or forgetful for the mere cost of a cheap reliable handheld. By the way, can't wait for them to develope more springboard modules.
Rating:
Summary: Great Price and Expandable
Review: It took me about two days of study to decide on whether to purchase a Palm PDA or Handspring. Ultimately, I purchased the Handspring primarily because of the ability to expand in the future. In addition, the founders of Handspring are also the founders of Palm and the operating system is almost exactly the same. Easy to use and very intuitive. Check the internet for plenty of software-both shareware and commercial software. Many modules (such as a digitial camera, games, extra memory, etc.) are already available including a modem. For the price, I don't think you could ask for much more.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good product with great potential
Review: When I ordered my Visor Deluxe from Amazon about 3 weeks ago, they didn't have the "important note to customers" disclaimer shown as they do now-- namely, if you have a machine running Win95 or WinNT, regardless of whether or not you have a USB port, the provided USB cradle isn't supported. You have to buy the separate serial cradle. For reference, the sticker on the Visor Deluxe box says "Requires: Win98/2000 or Mac 8.1+ and USB connection. ALL OTHER Windows and Mac versions require the purchase of serial cradle (sold separately)." That being said: (1) Sharing information between Outlook and the Visor is almost effortless--I use a WinNT machine with Outlook 98 at work, and even through the serial port, the initial exchange took less than 2 minutes (i.e. transferring about 100 addresses and about 1 year of tasks and appointments), and routine daily updates take about 10-20 seconds, at most. (2) The cradle is almost effortless; I've found that a few times when I've placed the PDA off center in the cradle, it still HotSync's. The main benefit of owning a Visor, as I see it, is its potential modules. Currently, the digital camera and the memory modules are the coolest--one hopes that others follow. That's the main reason to buy a Visor.
Rating:
Summary: Fast... very fast! But what else?
Review: In the PalmOS market, the Visor has come on the scene as the only real competition for 3Com's own machines. A simple benchmark test reveals that the Visor runs 58% faster than the Palm V (compared to 22% faster with the Palm Vx, or 38% faster with the IIIc using Quartus Forth's Benchmark app.) making it the champ in terms of speed. The inclusion of an expansion slot, along with a few toys for its release, also make it appear to be the wave of the future. However, even with an expansion slot, the devices released for it so far are really nothing more THAN toys. Without concern for battery life one could easily say that an MP3 player is a "great advance in palmtop computing", but in reality is it as large a step as we make it out to be? Extra memory is nice, but as this extra memory card does not work as system memory, but only storage space, the actual usability is still in question. For those in business this will be useful for storing spreadsheets and the such, but for the average person usability is still up in the air. Also, the Visor has yet to firmly answer a simple problem regarding batteries: where using standard dry-cell batteries (NOT rechargables) provides for longer operating life per battery and avoids the necessity of recharging daily or weekly, Handspring had the opportunity to do something Palm should have done when it went rechargable: make the batteries removable. Rechargable Palms all have internal batteries which are inaccessable to the non-technical types (i.e., most of us). When everyone is working to get away from use-and-toss forms of energy, why hasn't anyone just gone ahead and done something reasonable and design a unit that didn't have to be put in the shop when the rechargable battery failed for good, and also didn't need to have dry-cell batteries changed every few months? The question of the above-mentioned modules' energy consumption is also a cause for concern. Of the best things the Visor includes is the older system. PalmOS 3.5 was a fair leap ahead of earlier versions, which has caused many compatibility problems. Handspring apparenty took this in to account, and elected to use a more stable (albeit older) version. Like the newer Palms, if you don't absolutely need a new model (for example, if you are using a V or IIIx or later) and are not a first-time buyer, then waiting to see what the Visor's "expandability" turns in to might be advisable. For a first time buy, though, both the price and potential are right. The only forseeable advantage the Palm Vx might have over the Visor is the new system (if you want it) and the rechargable battery. In a battle with the IIIc, its a question of the colour display. When it comes to case colour, go graphite or ice.
Rating: 
Summary: Your probably wondering why I gave this a 1...
Review: The reason this got a one is because you could get the Palm IIIxe for the same price. I first got a visor delux and from the start I realized problems, first you can not upgrade the system(but you can with the Palm IIIxe). Secondly, the blocky shape can get annoying(where as the Palm IIIxe has a nice smooth and rounded shape). The modules are such a pain, I mean we paid enough for the unit, now we need modules? The Visor dulex is a great unit, there's no doubt about that, but why get that when you could have the much better Palm IIIxe, or the TRGpro. This is just a warning, this is not worth the money, get the Palm IIIxe, you'll be sorry if you don't. By the way, Palm makes much better add ons for thier products, and service just isn't quite the same with handspring. I switched to the Palm IIIxe for the reasons above, I don't think I need any other explaination.
Rating:
Summary: ...and the women love it too!
Review: Did some research, liked the extra expandability, and the USB interface (several times faster than serial), and the extra speed (30% faster than a palm III series). Screen looks clearer, too. Now I never go anywhere without it. Keeps all my important info (movie listings from Avantgo.com, etc.) right at my fingertips, and the females dig the funky blue color (Get a colored one, you'll thank me for it).
Rating:
Summary: A Must Buy
Review: This is one incredibly handy device. I bought it when it first came out. I'm still amazed that I am finding new, helpful uses for it all the time. All boiled down the Handspring is a handheld computer who's function is only limited by the imagination of the thousands of programers currently writing software for the Palm OS. It is that helpful. At this point I use mine to store, read, refer to many manuals, and regulations (I'm a pilot), also to store and calculate my flight times via a spreadsheet, and even play a few games (not while I'm flying :) All this and it still tracks all my important dates on a calendar. It beeps when I need to do something or be somewhere and I even get to choose how much notice (when it beeps) and what kind of beep it is going to do. It is just that customizable. Whether it is my grocery list or an important meeting this is one handly device. Before buying it is worth going to tucows, zdnet, or palmgear and look for yourself how much software is avaiable for download. Just remember your looking for the Palm OS.
Rating: 
Summary: Should've bought a Palm
Review: I liked my Visor for the first 9 days, then it had a fatal memory error and I lost important info I had gathered while on a business trip and hadn't had time to HotSync with my PC. Now, after less than a few days of use, my replacement unit is having a problem with the display. I'm going to return it and get a PalmIIIC, instead. Sometimes you DO get what you pay for.
Rating:
Summary: A Marvelous Device--in Orange!
Review: How rare, truly, to find such a product. I have been searching, really carefully hunting, for, oh, at least 20 minutes or so, and here, at this fabulous on-line store that has so many items for purchase (astonishing, the selection here at Amazon.com), is exactly (nearly) what I was looking for. And it's orange. The reception is fairly good, even differentiates between distant and near stations that have adjacent frequencies. Sound quality is as expected in such a compact (and Orange!) device. Fits easily into cramped spaces (like the art deco faux fireplace mantle in my brother-in-law's house--take my word for it). Bottom line: wonderful.
Rating:
Summary: Handspring vs PalmPilot
Review: I recently bought a Handspring Deluxe to replace my Palm III, as the Handspring has 8 mb RAM for much less than the comparable Palm Vx (and the Palm Vx is difficult to find). Beware that the Palm has standard serial port hotsynch cradle, which has to be ordered separately for the Handspring. My computer doesn't have a USB port, which the Handspring cradle uses. Also the keyboard cover for the Handspring has to be taken all the way off, won't just fold up. Other than that, it is basically the same as the Palm. I think it is a good deal.
|
