VisorCentral.com - Bye Bye Prism II

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VisorCentral.com (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/index.php)
- Visor Prism (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/forumdisplay.php?forumid=19)
-- Bye Bye Prism II (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?threadid=20939)

Posted by acajigas on 01-20-2002 04:10 AM:

Bye Bye Prism II

We all said what we wanted from HS, and guess what? they didn't care about us. However, Sony did it for us, The Clie T615c. We really have to thank Sony for saving the Palm line with innovation. I really think that without Sony, right now Palm would be out of business.

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Posted by critic on 01-20-2002 04:32 AM:

Re: Bye Bye Prism II

quote:
Originally posted by acajigas
We all said what we wanted from HS, and guess what? they didn't care about us. However, Sony did it for us, The Clie T615c. We really have to thank Sony for saving the Palm line with innovation. I really think that without Sony, right now Palm would be out of business.

I think that's a little harsh. Sony is a multi-national, multi-billion dollar company that can afford to innovate without much risk to their bottom line. They can also to refresh their product lines for a minor update (witness the 710 becoming the 760) - and they can afford to release a bomb and bounce back (the original Clie).

Handspring is, in all reality, still just a startup, struggling to carve themselves a larger piece of Palm's marketshare. Their big risk paid off - millions thought the Springboard was (and still is) a great idea. They were the first to get a quality color display into a Palm-based device. And the took a risk with the Edge...and it didn't pay off. And they've been struggling to bounce back ever since.

I won't argue that Sony has gone leaps and bounds beyond Palm or Handspring in terms of Palm OS innovations. And I can't argue that Handspring's last big risk, the Edge (which, in itself, made a big deal about removing the innovation that brought HS to the dance in the first place), and took a giant misstep. But to say that Handspring doesn't care is a bit much. They've said that they're redirecting their focus to wireless, and that there would be no "Prism II". Does this mean that, at some point after the color Treo's introduction, Handspring won't release a PDA with a color screen and wireless capabilities (but no voice, thereby making it a step down from the Treo)? After all, remember how these message boards buzzed when the first Wireless Springboards were announced.

I own a Prism. I love my Prism. Would I have liked to have seen another Prism with a thinner profile, a screen that can be read outdoors, etc.? Sure. But to condemn Handspring because they said something you didn't want to hear is just...well, lunacy.

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Posted by gadgetguru on 01-20-2002 07:23 AM:

I think they are screwing up big time. They admitted that the
Edge was a mistake, yet they want to develop the communicator
line and leave the Visor line to die. Yes, I said die. Jeff said that
they will continue to produce the Pro, Neo and Edge (I thought
the Edge was a mistake?!) and not develop the Prism and even
drop it from their line. He said when sales fall, outlets will dwindle
and product will dwindle. Well, without continuing development,
interest and sales will dwindle. I doubt they can turn around the
company on four new models. Four counting the g and k series of
the 180 and 270 Treo line. To not even provide a way for remote
backup and restore is insane! Even Palm figured that out after
Jeff and his crew left Palm! Now they are going backwards as far
as the PDA side is concerned.

The Treo will do quite well at first. Then you will see the price drop
after the initial flurry of "I want to be the first to own the latest"
falls off. Prices drop to increase sales, which lowers profit. I really
hate to say it, but my prediction is that Handspring will either
re-think the latest announcement, or they will not survive.

Maybe they should make wireless phones only and drop out
of the PDA market all together. I know I would like a decent
phone with lots of options that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
$400-$600 is too much to pay for a Treo when I already have
more than half of one already!

Whew, that felt good!

__________________
Rick

www.visorsolutions.com

Posted by coppertop on 01-20-2002 02:14 PM:

Don't get the appeal...

I understand that Sony CLIE has moved up the popularity scale and is probably the most sought after PDA on the market today but I don't get the appeal.

I had a CLIE 320 and yes its size and screen resolution was impressive. I can imagine that the same can be said of the color units. My only hesitation on these units is price and accessory availability and Sony churning out new models left and right.

The CLIE's are pricey. The accessories (modems, gps, digital cameras, etc.) are scarce, if non-existant, and also pricey. ANd since it's release, Sony has introduced about three, maybe four new models (don't hold me to that number). And I may be wrong but the form factor has changed not allowing accesories for the older CLIEs to adapt to the newer models. This will only delay the development of third party add-ons.

I am new to the Handspring line and have so far been impressed with my Prism. I am dissappointed at the indications that the Visor line will be put on the back burner but it still will compete with the CLIE with regards to price and accessory availability. Personally, I wished Palm would have kept the IIIxe form and boost the processor, enhance the screen and add the memory slot. They may have held off HS and Sony.

Posted by Xzaver on 01-20-2002 02:20 PM:

HEY!

Yeah they screwed up , But atleast now they have a better understanding of what consumers want and don't.

Regards,

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��.��,.~X~.,��.�`�
(�.�'�(�.�'�(�.�'� ~ `'�.�)`'�.�)`'�.�)

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Posted by BillC on 01-20-2002 07:26 PM:

last Prism

Jeff's message made me sad, because I have really bought into the Handspring/springboard idea. I love my Prism and use it three to four hours each day at work. I listen to music on my Soundsgood module when I walk the dogs morning and night; I use my HandyPro GPS module whenever I go on a car trip; and I spend way too much time playing with my PocketChess and BeatPlus modules. I don't feel a need to always have the latest technology. But when my Prism bites the dust, I'm not going to go back in time and buy another 8 mg unit with a relatively low resolution screen. I'm going to get state of the art. Which sounds like it won't be Handspring.

Posted by critic on 01-21-2002 05:24 AM:

Re: last Prism

quote:
Originally posted by BillC
Jeff's message made me sad, because I have really bought into the Handspring/springboard idea. I love my Prism and use it three to four hours each day at work. I listen to music on my Soundsgood module when I walk the dogs morning and night; I use my HandyPro GPS module whenever I go on a car trip; and I spend way too much time playing with my PocketChess and BeatPlus modules. I don't feel a need to always have the latest technology. But when my Prism bites the dust, I'm not going to go back in time and buy another 8 mg unit with a relatively low resolution screen. I'm going to get state of the art. Which sounds like it won't be Handspring.

Sadly, as a heavy-use module customer, you're probably in the minority. I went with Handspring on the basis of the Springboard slot, and I have to admit to being disappointed at the selection of practical, functional, Mac-compatible modules. (I would have bought a SoundsGood in a SECOND if it were Mac-compatible.) As it is, the only module I own is the Backup Module, which is a lifesaver, and lives in the Springboard slot. But I haven't really been tempted to drop any more cash on modules. And therein lies part of the problem.

As for Handspring's future in the PDA market, I'm trying not to read too much into their ditching the Visor line for right now. In all reality, Palm architecture will remain pretty stagnant until Palm is ready to unveil ARM-based OS5 units. And that's at least another 6-9 months away. (Ironically, right when I'll be ready to buy a new PDA - my Prism will be 2 years old by then.) In the meantime, Handspring will be focusing on the Treo line. But from what I read in the Hawkins interviews (and others), I didn't see anything to indicate that we couldn't see (speculation alert!) a OS5/ARM-based Visor with wireless capabilities (in keeping with HS's new strategy) in the fall. And who's to say that the Springboard slot won't survive?

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Posted by EJSHUMAK on 01-21-2002 08:24 AM:

My only observation is that I'm amazed they are planning to support neo, pro and edge and not Prisim? Hopw does that make sense?

Posted by hloakes on 01-21-2002 02:50 PM:

quote:
My only observation is that I'm amazed they are planning to support neo, pro and edge and not Prisim? Hopw does that make sense?

I keep wondering if the color screen they are developing for the Treo can be used in the Visor line, therefore a color version of the Pro or Edge.

__________________
Howard

Posted by argent on 01-21-2002 03:09 PM:

How do you figure that a minimally expandible Clie (wow, you can add memory cards, big deal) is a replacement for the Prism? If I replace my Prism with a color unit I'm getting a Palm m505... at least there's more than one company using the SD slot, so there's a fighting chance of getting a SD version of my HS modem and serial card, and at least it has a real USB port instead of a hidden serial-USB adaptor.

But I really think Handera is going to get my future business.

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Posted by sledgehammer on 01-22-2002 02:39 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by argent

But I really think Handera is going to get my future business.

I agree. The handera 330 is an excellent unit, and if and when a color model arrives, I will ditch my prism for one. I like the disappearing grafitti area and dual expansion options. The clie is just a bit too small, IMHO, and though I have a few springboards I'd miss, the one I would miss most would be the memplug, and I could just take the CF out and put it into the Handera directly.

sledgehammer

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