VisorCentral.com - Jeff Hawkins tries to clear up confusion

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-- Jeff Hawkins tries to clear up confusion (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?threadid=20921)

Posted by VisorCentral on 01-19-2002 03:22 AM:

Jeff Hawkins tries to clear up confusion

Handspring developers this evening recevied an e-mail from Jeff Hawkins, explaining Donna's comments regarding Handspring's plans to stop making traditional organizers.

http://www.visorcentral.com/content/Stories/1376-1.htm

Posted by wshwe on 01-19-2002 04:15 AM:

It's clear that HandSpring has stopped major development within their Visor line. Visor sales will slowly drop off until it no longer makes sense for HandSpring to manufacturer and sell them anymore. If they already haven't done so, Springboard developers should cease designing new modules. Springboard developers ought to find new businesses. To reassure Springboard developers and users, HandSpring ought to consider promising to add a Springboard slot to the Treo.

Posted by septimus on 01-19-2002 04:26 AM:

Well, gee. First Donna stumbles on the FoxNews interview, now she stumbles on the conference call....

...I think that Handspring had better stop talking and quick. They've gotten their point across. There's no way to rally the troops about a product if you are planning to kill it (unless you're really deceitful...), so they speak in half-tones.

...sigh. What I don't understand is why they're not bothering with a new color visor. the Prism is quite dated, but... it's too bad to see them stretched this tight. they'd better get the treo out soon, very soon, and start raking in some serious dough, because this is quickly growing into a debacle.

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Posted by espc31 on 01-19-2002 06:32 AM:

More Damage Control

Again they try to patch the already big hole. If they are trying to rally around the new Pro and Neo there still is a problem. They phased out the platinum why? there is not much of a difference in the pro and Platinum. both are still 33mhz!! and having a rechargable battery does nothing for me. There was no mention of the visorphone or sprint data link. Sprint has got to be furious over the fact that the data link will no longer be used because the visor handheld is comming to a close. I was looking foward to a software upgrade for the visorphone, but i guess now that is just wishful thinking. I don't think they were expecting this kind of reaction from visor users. What do they plan on doing to the Pro and Neo that will make us want to buy or upgrade. the thing that keeps us buying visors is the development of new springboards.I thought for sure that after Memplug developed its expansion modules that the visor would really take off. HS is really going do the lost road. With the delay of the treo they are not showing a lot of stability. I went to best buy today to look at the visor line as to how it stacked up against various other handhelds and you can see the R&D fall off of the handspring models. HS needs to take a giant leap foward. the treo is great but with out being a carrier for service there will be Problems. if you have trouble with your phone are treo users going to go through the same problems as visorphone users with the carrier customer service reps wondering what you are talking about?

Posted by Traveliter on 01-19-2002 06:49 AM:

Damage control is right! That's all I can think of when I see this stuff.

I'm sure there's a flurry of internal communication going on at Handspring but folks, the damage is done. If a man accidentally let slip that he had a mistress, ain't nothing he can say that's gonna make the wife feel any better. "Oh really honey, I wasn't planning on leaving you. I LOVE you. She doesn't mean anything to me." Sheeya, right. What's really bad is that this whole SNAFU leaves me with just about the same taste in my mouth -- BAD.

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Posted by Chameleon on 01-19-2002 08:09 AM:

I just don't understand...

I have owned three Visors. Originally the Solo, later the Deluxe and now the Prism. I also just bought a VisorPhone... Along with my ThinModem Plus, Stowaway Keyboard, my wife's Snap-N-Type and numerous registered softwares, I have likely invested over US$1,500 in these little devices!
Overall, I have been very pleased with the Visor line. I thought the two best things going for it were the powerful and flexible Springboard platform and the diverse line of PDA devices.
The only reasons I can see to discontinue the products (like the Deluxe) is because of newer, faster hardware and that they used NON-FLASH ROM. The 1st I can swallow, but the second was just a mistake... Unless they WANT to depreciate their SKUs to herd buyers to newer models. That would make sense since they seem to consider themselves a hardware company and not a software developer.
It is foolish of Handspring to neglect the Prism! Sure, it's a bit heavy, but it's still got the fast CPU and great color! I mean, these guys blazed the trail to 16-bit on the PalmOS, and in OS 3.5 at that!! A feat claimed impossible!
In short, this is a sad, sad day for Visor fans all over the world.

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Posted by LarryN on 01-19-2002 03:17 PM:

Re: I just don't understand...

quote:
Originally posted by Chameleon
It is foolish of Handspring to neglect the Prism! Sure, it's a bit heavy, but it's still got the fast CPU and great color! I mean, these guys blazed the trail to 16-bit on the PalmOS, and in OS 3.5 at that!!

I'm thinking they came to the realization that they can't compete with the clout of Sony coming out with a newer and better color model every couple of months. There's now talk of the communicator like device by Sony too. You can bet that they're going to come out witha spiffy color model too, when they do enter that arena. HS's only choice was to focus on the Treo line, since what remaining R&D $$'s the have into that, nad hope that their model will trump Sony's upcoming offerings. HS need to come out with that color model sooner than 2003 too, or they are done.

Kudo's the some early 2002 predictions from some of the regulars (Foo...). I didn't want to think that it would be true, but every day makes me think otherwise.

Oh... and Donna needs to keep that big yap shut for a while... Jeesh!

Posted by palmtipsheet on 01-19-2002 05:35 PM:

Being Aware of Statements & Press Coverage

It seems to me that Handspring needs to do two things:

1) Be very careful about statements they make in public, knowing that vague statements like Donna's can be taken in many ways, and generally those interpereting vague statements will view them in a negative way. Donna could have just as easily said "we are placing our focus on communicators, though our handheld line is still a very important part of our business".

That is unless Handspring really does plan to "exit" the handheld market for communicators and Jeff's response is a short term patch-up.

2) Handspring needs to be much more aware of news and commentary on Visor, Palm and PDA-related websites since news moves very fast on the net! This problem could have been quickly remedied if someone from Handspring was assigned to review Visor and Palm-related websites. Once this 'site monitor' saw stories appearing on VisorCentral, PalmInfocenter and PDABuzz, the higher-ups would have been quickly alerted and a statement from Jeff or Donna would have immediately issued to every site with a related news story.

As it is now, it took Handspring several days to respond -- long after the statement was heard across the net and commentary about the Visor and Springboard's death was already established. Now Handspring has a much harder task of undoing a PR nightmare.

I certainly hope Handpsring is learning something from this mess...

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Posted by Traveliter on 01-19-2002 11:56 PM:

You know, I've lived through "the death of the Internet" and "the death of the Mac." I sure hope to live through "the death of Handspring." *sigh*

Posted by flashk on 01-20-2002 07:50 AM:

Well there goes Handspring.. but it's not so sad really. I mean you still have models Palm, HandEra, Sony and Acer to buy from.

Your Visors will still work and still be useful for another year or so, even if they become dated.

The loss of the SpringBoard might be sad for some who invested a lot in it. But for most users it no longer is much of an issue. You can back up to an SD/Memory Stick.. and within 6 months or so the functionality of a lot of Springboards will be available either built-in or as an add-on CF, SD or Memory Stick device.

And companies like MemPlug will just create add-ons for memory cards for other devices.

HS certainly changed the use of Palm devices a lot with the SpringBoard and now other companies are improving on it providing consumers with a wealth of new tiny SD, MemoryStick devices to replace the bulky SpringBoards.

Sad to see that HS will probably be out of the market, but as long as we have choices and lots of competitors (possibly new ones) we aren't really much worse off.

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

so long and thanks for all the fish

Well, at first the announcement caught me really bad, but after awhile I've realized it's not really tragic.

I mean, Handspring has not sustained the assautl of a giant like sony, and now is trying a stroke in a quite young market, hoping for the big hit.

The visor line is slowly going into a niche market, but will probably survive longer than the actual treos. The only disappoinement here is that probably we'll not see a PrismPro, but well, I think I'll buy a Pro, make the 32 bit upgrade, buy another couple of springboards and here I am, ready to use it for a dozen years. My visor works straight and I see no reasons to _replace_ it (I'll probably buy _also_ a treo in the future, but for different things).

now, talking about the treo line... Probably the new focus was the only thing to do, and entering in a quite young market, with a _great_ product maybe will lead to some serious profits.

imho, and for my little knowledge of the various international markets, a cellphone like the treo (please, do not flame me for calling the treo a cellphone, it's just the way most people will see it) will probably sell something in the usa, a big ? for japan, and make a roar in europe.

Everyone in europe has a cellphone (yes, even kiddies), and the most wanted features in a phone are organizer capabilities and wireless messaging (well, ok, also little games for someone, but I hate snakes ) also there's pratically no way to have decent organizers or easy/powerful messaging systems (at least not if you aren't willing to carry an halfbrick with a nokia logo on it).

Hell, I spend almost a quarter of my working day talking to cellphone (and yes, I'm becoming quite radioactive ), having to use a separate organizer (because the one builtin the phone is crap), havin to use a separate address book (the one builtin is not exactly crap but is quite limited), having to call the same people 345 times because the 3 way conferencing on their phones is so difficult to set up that nobody can get it, having to send sms to notify that I've sent an email, etc etc etc.
in the end, my life will be better if I can work with a decent phone (and if my coworkers can get one too)

These are the possibilities, for the future hope that a great product will sell well (wich is not always the case)

as a side note,,, I've strayed a bit, but this hs announcement makes me a little emotional
hallo to everyone, and remember that visormen never dies, they just wanders about with a cool cellphone awaiting handspring to make enough money to build a palmos 5.0 device

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Posted by Rusty Smith on 01-20-2002 03:55 PM:

... it's just a (brand) name...

Call me simple-minded, but I don't see this as all that big of a deal in the overall market for pda's / phones. A Treo is just a PalmOS device that is integrated with a good cellular connection for voice and data.

Most everything we all love about PalmOS devices is still part of the package. As others have pointed out, newer technologies that have made the Springboard form factor less successful than imagined at its conception. Oh well, for us consumers, the functionality from the truly successful Springboard modules will always be available one way or another. I thank Handspring for leading all the competitors down this road. Irritated by the cash you spent on all this stuff in the last two years? Welcome to the early adopter experience. Welcome to the personal computing experience. Technology markets move fast - there is a steep price for being a slave to fashion.

Springboard aside, Handspring's first contribution to the PDA world was devices priced at a level justifiable by a mass market of more than just tech lovers. From my cheap-skate point of view, a Treo is not on the near-term horizon. My Visor Deluxe continues to work just fine. My Nokia cell phone continues to work just fine. Yes, I'd love to have it all integrated into one device - but the GSM service is still spotty in my area, and I can't justify the expense of adopting the new technology - yet.

In the meantime, I like seeing Handspring taking risks and pursuing a vision. It's leadership will keep the pda / communicator market growing, and competitors following. All of which is good for us, and if they play their cards right, for Handspring too. May the company(ies) offering the most value to consumers win!

Posted by KennBlue on 01-20-2002 04:35 PM:

SUCKS!

Please think about all the companies who have invested in making their company around the SP slot! In fact - I would say if one of these companies had deep pockets this could be a very good lawsuit! They have NOT supported their developers - if fact, they have backstabed them

Posted by usonian2001 on 01-20-2002 07:38 PM:

Re: SUCKS!

quote:
Originally posted by KennBlue
I would say if one of these companies had deep pockets this could be a very good lawsuit!

On what grounds? Granted, I would be livid at these recent announcements if I were an owner/executive/employee/investor of a Springboard manufacturer, but I'm pretty sure Handspring never handed these companies any signed & sealed legal documents promising financial success (for either Handspring or the Springboard mfr) or the infinite longevity of the Visor line.

I'm pretty upset, too... my Prism has been fantastic, but I had been looking forward to a follow-up color device from Handspring. Now that the Prism is getting axed, I'm going to be left with about $500' of Springboards and accessories that are useless if I need or want to upgrade to a better PDA. I would have happily stuck with a Prism II even if it didn't have all the bells & whistles of the newest offerings from Sony; the ability to use the Springboards and (possibly) Stowaway keyboard and cell phone cable I've had since my original Visor Deluxe would have added significant value.

That being said, I'm not about to sue Handspring over it.

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Posted by wshwe on 01-20-2002 09:09 PM:

HandSpring shouldn't introduce a new color Visor. The reason is that they simply can't make a profit selling Visors. So far, HandSpring has never turned a profit. If HandSpring can't sell the Treo at a profit, it'll get bought out or go bankrupt.

The Treo is a superior multipurpose device. It combines the functionality of a PDA, cell phone and Blackberry in a slick, compact package. The Kyocera QCP 6035 is too bulky and requires both hands to place cell calls. The Samsung I heard has a terrible color screen and also requires 2 hands. I can't wait to pull out my Treo and say "Beam me up Scotty!'.

The Danger Hiptop comes close, but doesn't seem to offer always-on email. The qualm I have with the Hiptop is that the device would become useless if Danger went out of business. The Hiptop can't operate without Danger's servers.

Posted by Keefer Lucas on 01-20-2002 09:19 PM:

Re: Re: SUCKS!

quote:
Originally posted by usonian2001

...Granted, I would be livid at these recent announcements if I were an owner/executive/employee/investor of a Springboard manufacturer...

The only grounds that such an individual would have for lividity would be the unassailable fact that he or she was under the age of thirty and hadn't experienced the evolutionary change that is the lifeblood of the technology industry.

Woe to the family of the sales executive who's future is inexorably linked to the future of the VCR. Or that of the manufacturer who is making, packaging and shipping 3.5" floppy disks (thats right, somewhere on Monday morning will be a staff meeting, the topic of which is "Why are our 3.5" floppy disk sales declining, and how can we work to improve them -- you idiots").

If I could only get a nickel back for each technology item I have "invested" in over the past twenty years...well....I'd be off on a really nice vacation. And thats not to mention a senseless career diversion into a half-baked dotcom debacle.

Posted by rdc2 on 01-21-2002 12:40 AM:

I'm looking into Palm ...

------------------
While the recent news certainly does not appear to be good news for us Handspring and Visor supporters, we will have to look toward the future and Handspring�s exciting upcoming products.
------------------

We I don't know about you folks but I'm probably going to venture over to the Palm side of things or even worse. I'm fond of the bluetooth connectivity being developed with a more powerful PDA and upgraded OS. I don't think I'll be buying another expansion component for my Visor... fact is ... this just pushed me into a stand alone MP3 player! I personally felt that there still was alot of growth left in the Visor line; just imagine how much marketing it took to get the name "Visor" synonymus with PDA! What a waste.

Posted by CB1000 on 01-21-2002 04:06 PM:

Treo + SpringBoard = Why Not?

I was wondering why HS cannot combine the Treo and the SpringBoard slot. Okay, it probably is a design problem because a springboard slot takes a lot of space but is would be a great thing.

You first have a Cell-Phone/PDA, you add a SoundsGood springboard and you end up with a real cool Cell-Phone/PDA/Springboard.

It probably is not that difficult for HS, they have all the technology in house to do so. The problem of the small form-factor left aside

Posted by septimus on 01-21-2002 04:15 PM:

Re: Treo + SpringBoard = Why Not?

quote:
Originally posted by CB1000
I was wondering why HS cannot combine the Treo and the SpringBoard slot. Okay, it probably is a design problem because a springboard slot takes a lot of space but is would be a great thing.

Probably for the same technical reasons that they can't add a second springboard slot. In the Treo, 99% of us are sure that the innards are identical to a visor pro with a visorphone taking up the springboard slot (although there is only 1 battery). Thus a treo already has a springboard slot... I don't think that HS would feel it's worth it to add a "second" one.

To be honest, I think that Treo expansion possibilities deserves its own thread. posting...

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Posted by dkessler on 01-21-2002 06:29 PM:

Re: SUCKS!

quote:
Originally posted by KennBlue
Please think about all the companies who have invested in making their company around the SP slot! In fact - I would say if one of these companies had deep pockets this could be a very good lawsuit! They have NOT supported their developers - if fact, they have backstabed them

I have to disagree. Handspring made a good effort to promote the Springboard concept (nearly every bit of Visor advertising I've seen pushed hard the expandibility of the Visor). And Handspring sold a bunch of Visors, so its not like some classic cases where a company promised a technology, signed up a bunch of developers, and then never delivered.

When a company decides to produce a product that is dependant on a market created by another, they have to know and accept the risks involved. Furthermore, any company in the tech industry knows that you can't just create a product and then expect to rake in sales for the next five years. You have to continue to innovate and develop new or better products. Sometimes it's because of your competition, sometimes it's because your target market changes, but the bottom line is that you can't get comfortable and you can't "depend" on anyone other than yourself for your success.

I'm appalled at Handspring's handling of the situation (they should quit trying to "spin" things and just tell it like it is), but as a Springboard developer, I harbor no ill will toward Handspring and their decisions. They have to do what the think is in the best overall interest of their company. Tallented developers will have no difficulty finding new markets and new opportunities - opportunities that don't involve lawyers unless they happen to be customers

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