VisorCentral.com (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/index.php)
- Springboard Modules (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/forumdisplay.php?forumid=10)
-- Innogear sez MiniJam will Voice Record in 2001! (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?threadid=5539)

Scott Monfort, the new Marketing Manager at innogear, took the time to email me today in response to an email I sent Innogear concerning Innogear's false claims of MiniJam's Voice-recording abilities.

He has told me that a future MiniJam WILL voice record in 2001. He did not get any more specific. He said the present MiniJam lacks voice recording because they needed to shorten its development cycle. The present MiniJam will never voice record.


It seems my mp3 player purchase will have to wait until next year, unless I decide on a current stand-alone unit. . I need voice recording in a big way.

I appreciate Scott Monfort's and Innogear's effort in emailing me back.

You're willing to sacrifice a year of your life to wait for an MP3 springboard with voice recording? Sigh. Nothing against the Visor or the springboard concept, but I think we may need to reassess our priorities when waiting for springboards that have equal or less functionality than existing non-springboard products on the market.

I can't speak for everyone, but I'm willing to wait. It's not that I absolutely need an mp3 player or voice recorder, but they would be, for lack of a better word, neat. A toy. A gadget. Something to show off. I can wait until I get something that I consider cool enough to own, and in my opinion, an all-in-one toy that plays music, stores data and records voice notes is worth waiting for. And I'm used to waiting now.

Now that this information has been released, I wonder if people will put their orders on hold, like Hawthorne, in anticipation of the voice recorder enabled MiniJam. Remember The Osborne Effect.

[This message has been edited by swendor (edited 07-22-2000).]

If the dreaded Osborne Effect takes hold ( and BTW, what would the Kaypro effect be? ), then Innogear has only itself to blame. Get it right the first time, and keep your cards close to your chest. As a favorite uncle of mine is fond of saying, "Better to keep your mouth shut and have people think you're an idiot, than to open it and remove all doubt."