Registered: May 2001
Location:
Posts: 70

Please no flames

I have a really general question. This is not a knock against any of the new handhelds that are hitting the stores right now. I am just curious that unless your existing handheld is broken,stolen or worn out why would you want to invest in a new handheld, right now when OS 5 is right around the cornner (6 months to a year?) Unlike previous upgrades to the OS, the new chips and such it is pretty much a given that us Prisim,Edge and all other Visor,Palm,Handera and yes even Sony owners are goin to have PDA's will no longer be able to enjoy the "latest and greatest". Again let me state right up front that I think all handhelds have great value but, in the end, the will be dinisours in less then a year.

Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 284

Because you need it?

I don't know about anyone else here, but now that I'm used to having my todo list, address book, calendar, etc, in a handy, easy to carry format, I think my life would fall apart pretty quickly without it.

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It's gotta be weather balloons. It's always weather balloons. Big, fiery, exploding weather balloons.
-- ComaVN (from Slashdot)

Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 832

quote:

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Originally posted by sowens
Because you need it?

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Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Elkins Park, Pa
Posts: 577

When you say "you" are you refering to the average visorcentral member or the average PDA user?

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-Bernie

"One word sums up probably the responsibility of any vice president, and that one word is 'to be prepared'.
-Dan Quayle

Registered: May 2001
Location:
Posts: 70

Ok let me....

I know the reasons why most people get a PDA, my question was unless yours was broken,stolen or just not working why change now instead of holding on till the next generation?

Registered: Jun 2001
Location: Central Illinois
Posts: 67

Re: Please no flames

quote:

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Originally posted by jke
I am just curious that unless your existing handheld is broken,stolen or worn out why would you want to invest in a new handheld, right now when OS 5 is right around the cornner (6 months to a year?).....will no longer be able to enjoy the "latest and greatest".

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Kouz

Registered: Aug 2001
Location:
Posts: 383

I plan on purchasing a new PDA (tommorrow) even though my Vdx still works is because:

1. Palm OS 3.1H3M is becoming more and more outdated
2. I want multimedia capabilities
3. My battery cover is broken
4. I want the other extra features provided by the Zaurus
5. I want a color screen, it feels so weird using a B&W screen, kinda like the old days of B&W TV or computer monitors...

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Kona, Hawaii ,USA
Posts: 40

I just upgraded

I just upgraded from a Visor Platinum to a Visor Prism with a 16MB RAM upgrade. I justified it b/c I use my Visor heavily every day and I'm writing Palm OS apps. I'm also a photographer and wanted to view webpages and such in color. Even with my Memplug the 8MB of the VP was running out of space, especially when using AvantGo.

I figure POS5 units will come out in the 4th quarter of this year at the earliest. It'll take up to the middle of next year, at least, for applications compelling enough to justify going over to POS5 (to justify the cost) plus the addition of Bluetooth by then, color screens, etc. So I figure 3rd-4th quarter next year for first generation POS5 units to shake-out the winners from the losers.

Who knows, maybe Pocket PC might look better than Palm OS by then too.

So my investment in a Visor Prism is for at least 1.5 years of use for me until I seriously figure on another PDA purchase. I need a good unit now, prices are pretty good now and I have accessories from my previous Visors. I think that's a pretty good set of reasons to buy now and forget about OS5 units till next year.

Now if I still owned my Visor Deluxe I might just hold-out, but lack of wireless connectivity would suck now that I'm spoiled with an OS3.5 unit.

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"Real intelligence is a creative use of knowledge, not merely an accumulation of facts." -- D. Kenneth Winebrenner

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Alabama, USA
Posts: 92

Another reason...

I've been a VisorPrism/VisorPhone user for over a year now. I look at my PDA as a necessity, even more so since it's my phone too. I couldn't stand the thought of going back to a PDA that won't allow be to browse the web in color, view pictures of my family, etc. Therefore, for me a B&W unit is out. Anything that can't operate as a phone is out (same as going from color down to B&W). Since I use a GSM based phone right now, my options are even more restricted (unless I drop my service with Voicestream too).

In terms of a replacement, to maintain my current luxury of features I could keep what I have(VisorPrism/VisorPhone) or upgrade(or downgrade, depending how you look it expandability) to the TREO 270 once available. As a developer, I like the expandability of my VisorPrism even more than the phone option. I use the Xircom 802.11B module while at home, SoundsGood and a boat load of other modules. For me, the TREO 270 is unlikely due to it's inability of expansion (Although, I did buy a TREO 180 for $250 from Amazon for my wife and she loves it).

Therefore, for this PalmOS fanatic, I'll likely be sticking with my VisorPrism for the forseeable future... My ideal PDA would be a newer model VisorPrism with a high-res display (viewable outdoors), 32MB of RAM(I assume the 66Mhz processor would be addressable to 32MB RAM instead of 16MB on the 33Mhz), 66Mhz DB Processor and of course a Springboard!

Damnit Handspring, Wuz up with you guys? I can't be the only one out here asking for this!!!

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My little girl is 3. She can already navigate my VisorPrism and knows where to tap! She has mastered TealPaint (including changing colors, tools, etc.), not to mention several games. In the Avatar, she is playing some tunes on the SoundsGood MP3 player. It's amazing how fast kids can learn if you give them a chance. Now if I could just keep her from making those long distance calls on my VisorPhone...

Last edited by jonecool on 05-05-2002 at 06:23 AM

Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Aberdeen, SD
Posts: 2531

The answer for most people (generally) is because they want to. Who cares what might possibly exist in a year when I want to download to a memory card now? And let's look at this seriously for a minute - it's probably going to be a year after it's released before there's a decent enough selection of apps that will take of advantage the newer hardware (granted some could now - databases and such). I wouldn't pay much more for my current pda simply because it clocks faster.

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-Joshua
Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Nebraska- the Good life
Posts: 695

Another angle...

It was nto too many years ago that people were asking the same question about personal computers- buy now, and risk being obsoleted next week by a new upgrade, or hold off for better prices, etc.

You can play the 'wait for the next announced upgrade' game forever, but...

1.) The next upgrade is rarely as good as the claims, often does not work correctly when first introduced (i.e. Pentium chips), and often takes longer to come out than expected (i.e. Windows 95, nicknamed 'Windows Whenever' after many delays), and is often poorly supported with assistance or accessories.

2.) When the new upgrade finally IS reliable, supported, and inexpensive, a new upgrade will be announced.

You have to ask yourself what you really need. The bells and whistles on the 'next hot item' MAY be worth waiting for, but in the meantime, what is available here and now may take care of your needs perfectly.

So, why upgrade NOW?

A.) The ratio of memory/speed/features to cost right now is excellent. If you have the Solo, Deluxe, or a similar 'low end' PDA, you can get more memory, speed, color, or other features for great prices. Prisms for $130, refurbished Clie N610s for $250, etc.

Sure- part of this price reduction is because manufacturers are clearing out old stock in preparation for the next big thing, but it STILL represents a great value!

B.) Many of the improvements will be in areas that do not matter to many users, so why wait?

C.) The average lifespan of a PDA in the hands of an enthusiast seems to be about 1.5 years- which is about when we can realistically expect to see a lot of the cool 'new units' available. Even if the new units show up early, a person who buys new now will enjoy two benefits- 1- the luxury to wait for the new units to be debugged and discussed on forums like this, and 2- a newer unit to sell off to raise money for the next one!

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Do what you can, with what you have, where you are at!

Registered: Jul 2001
Location: Providence, RI
Posts: 78

quote:

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The ratio of memory/speed/features to cost right now is excellent. If you have the Solo, Deluxe, or a similar 'low end' PDA, you can get more memory, speed, color, or other features for great prices. Prisms for $130, refurbished Clie N610s for $250, etc.

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