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OmniSky Minstrel S Wireless Modem Springboard Module for Handspring

OmniSky Minstrel S Wireless Modem Springboard Module for Handspring

List Price: $269.99
Your Price: $149.88
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: NO LONGER USABLE
Review: I just purchased this item and it arrived today (2/2/2004). I called in to activate, and according to the operator (omnisky no longer exists, it's now Earthlink which should have told me it wasn't worth the hassle to begin with) no one supports the omnisky wireless modem any longer. Just a warning to those who purchase this item... think you're getting a hot deal?? nah... just a useless paperweight worth 80 bucks...

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: NO LONGER USABLE
Review: I just purchased this item and it arrived today (2/2/2004). I called in to activate, and according to the operator (omnisky no longer exists, it's now Earthlink which should have told me it wasn't worth the hassle to begin with) no one supports the omnisky wireless modem any longer. Just a warning to those who purchase this item... think you're getting a hot deal?? nah... just a useless paperweight worth 80 bucks...

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: WARNING: Major Coverage Problems
Review: I purchased the Omnisky modem/service for my Visor Platinum with the hopes of checking my email during my commute on the train between downtown Chicago and the Western Suburbs. Connectivity is spotty at best. I would say I get a stable connection less than 5% of the time I attempt to connect. NOT WORTH THE MONEY OR THE TROUBLE.

Their software also crashes my Visor nearly every time I use it.

I will give high praise, however, to Omnisky's technical service. They are quick to respond and willing to offer multiple possible solutions. The problem is that none of the solutions seem to work.

I would recommend against buying this product until they drastically improve their coverage area and fix the software.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not ready for "prime time"
Review: I wanted to love this product. I have a Visor Prism & thought the marriage of Palm simplicity, color, and the wireless web was going to be great. And when it all works, it's sweet. The problem is that connectivity can be spotty. But worse than that, to me, is that this device causes frequent errors & crashes.

This modem drastically reduces the stability and reliability of your Visor, or at least it did for me. I got "Fatal Alerts" and other messages requiring resets all the time. Two hard resets were required. I have tried a new modem, I have tried a new Visor Prism, but the problems persist. P.S. I don't run hacks of any kind.

Incidentally, I was told by multiple OmniSky tech people (who are all very nice) that the Handspring modem is the real troublemaker. Not the Visor. So maybe patches & fixes will come out in the next 6 months to make it all better. But for now, I would go with the Palm Vx and cradle, or possibly even the Palm VIIx, which I understand has more universal coverage.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: money for nothing
Review: I've already posted a terrible review about the omnisky service; how the modem crashes the visor, how the coverage is thin even in major metro areas (like, say, New York City and Chicago). Their tech service was very responsive and they did make an effort over several weeks to get my service working better, sending me new modems, giving me different IP numbers that they said could result in better service coverage. They appeared to try all sorts of things to get my service working. They failed. When I finally said, this isn't working, I want to give up, give me my money back, they said NO, the warranty period is over. They had my money and they wanted to keep it. What's worse they wanted more and they got it.

Around a month before my one-year term was set to end, Omnisky charged my credit card for another year of service. I called and told them to take the charge off my card; that I did not want to renew. They said NO. There would be a $200 fee to cancel "early." They said I had to call them again on the exact day that my current service contract ended and cancel THEN. I asked if they could just make a note now to cancel on that day. They said NO. I had to call AGAIN. If I did not call on the exact day my current term ended I would be charged for each day that passed until I got around to calling again. By the time I did call again they had gotten me for another $16.

This is what your Visor says when you insert the Minstel modem: "Omnisky. Think it, Do it."

This is what it says to me: "Omnisky. Think it. Can't do it? Tough. We'll take your money anyway. Oh, and when you're not looking, we'll take even more money. What the heck. It's all in your contract. We have your credit card number."

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: I'M SORRY I WASTED MY TIME AND MONEY
Review: Omnisky is Terrible. Pointless. Stupid. I've tried to use it in Chicago and Manhattan/NY and got a signal perhaps one in every twenty locations I tried it in. It crashes the Visor to no end. (I'm using a Prism) I have a SprintPCS phone that can check my AOL email - and SPRINT ALWAYS WORKS. OMNISKY HARDLY EVER WORKS. I guess Sprint is CDMA and Omnisky is CDPD. Who cares? One works and the other doesn't.

I went for the entire year of service. I've been calling Omnisky regularly to try and improve things since I got it in October. I've finally given up. Trouble is, they got me. I just got off the phone asking for a refund and they won't do it. So if you do try this, (DON'T!!) put it through a true workout during the puny 30 day return period or you'll be stuck too.

If you try this service - consider that you're paying your own money to be a Beta Tester for them. You cannot depend on it, and they cannot fix it. Sure it sounds neat, that's why I got it. It's not neat anymore.

Anyone lawyers out there? Class action time?

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: avoid these losers
Review: Omnisky just did not work for me at all. I have tried to use it in Chicago and New York and even if I get a connection, it doesn't last long.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best Wireless Modem Available
Review: This is the best wireless modem available since it provides speeds that are more reliable than your standard 56K modem, and it has the most content out there. What this does is allow the user to basically search any website available. You can make travel arrangements and constantly read and reply to time sensitive e-mails. It offers all of the same qualities as the modem for the Palm Vx, but it is a little less bulky since it fits in the expansion slot for you Visor. With this great device I am able to get more work done while I am away from my computer, and it gives me the option to get things done without being confined to an office or home space.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: This Dog Don't Hunt
Review: This product is virtually worthless for the serious road warrior. The network is thin and doesn't even work in some major hub airports. Even if you find a city where the network is viable, you most certainly must stand in front of a window, or go outside to connect. I travel half of each week and quickly found that the purchase of this product, and worse, the pre-paid year of Omnisky service was a huge mistake. After a few months of use, the minstrel now sits unused in my closet. I still use my Visor as my primary PDA, but I recently purchased a discounted Palm VIIx, which I carry to get wireless email. One guy at Omnisky reminded me that the Omnisky network is faster than palm.net...I told him that anything that works (palm.net) is faster than something that doesn't. Save your money on this dog.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: This Dog Don't Hunt
Review: This product is virtually worthless for the serious road warrior. The network is thin and doesn't even work in some major hub airports. Even if you find a city where the network is viable, you most certainly must stand in front of a window, or go outside to connect. I travel half of each week and quickly found that the purchase of this product, and worse, the pre-paid year of Omnisky service was a huge mistake. After a few months of use, the minstrel now sits unused in my closet. I still use my Visor as my primary PDA, but I recently purchased a discounted Palm VIIx, which I carry to get wireless email. One guy at Omnisky reminded me that the Omnisky network is faster than palm.net...I told him that anything that works (palm.net) is faster than something that doesn't. Save your money on this dog.


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