Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Henniker, NH, USA
Posts: 2

After remaining Visorless since ordering a deluxe unit & extra serial cradle on 10/5, I have decided to move on. CS has never provided me with adequate answers, and I have grown tired of asking the questions.
Outpost.com sells the Palm IIIx for $199.95. I just ordered it. I got the Palm, an extra serial cradle, and a Targus case for $254.85. Overnight shipping is FREE. True, I'll have to learn to live with 4 less megs of RAM, but I'll still have four more megs in my hand than Handspring has been able to put there.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: West Chester, Ohio, USA
Posts: 7

I am about to join you.

Handspring, if you read any of this and you care, at least answer the questions that we send to you!

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 24

OPINION WARNING!!!

You guys. The Visor is *not* that big a deal. After having mine for a couple weeks I really like it a lot--being that it is my first PDA--but it is still a cheap piece of plastic. Everyone in my office has Palm III's and V's and I have now played with them all and I have to say that the sturdiest, most well built PDA I have held is the Palm III. I like the Visor and I have ordered a few modules but in retrospect, I think I should have just bought a cheap Palm 3x and waited for the next high-end Handspring product. I feel like I am throwing money away on modules to enhance something that could crack in half if I squeeze it too tight. And I am TERRIFIED that I will drop it even lightly. All the reports have been devastating from those that have and I can tell that mine would definitely go the same route. The plastic is very brittle and several people have already mentioned chipping. The buttons look silver but they are just painted plastic and I use them only when I have to because they don't seem like they will handle long term heavy use very well and they already don't always make connection. The Visor feels like it cost them a $1.50 to make and its really too bad because otherwise I love it.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 434

As a Visor owner-in-waiting, I'd have to say the sexiest palm-sized computer EVER created is the Palm Pilot Vx. It's just so damn expensive however...

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 18

I did the same thing. Cancelled my order and went for a IIIx with a good deal. I saved about $100 towards the hot pda of 2000. I believe it will be Sony Vaio Palm sometime in Q2. I expect it to be sleek with decent audio and color support. If not, Palm (or even AOL according to some wild rumor) will have their shots around Q2.

The thing is that I do not believe HS will be a player in 2000 at all. Considering they will retail Visor early next year, they will have only Q1 to be the hippest which is very short for a company like HS. And this is if they really can make it January 2000. Plus people will hit the wall again when the popular springboards hit the market *with* shortage (leading to Innogear CS nightmare instead of -or in addition to- HS CS nightmare). With no flash rom and too many mistakes in its short history I do not see them enter the enterprize world either. Thus, I have a feeling that 2000 will not be a good year for HS .

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Maryland
Posts: 13

After reading about all the frustrations of obtaining a Visor and some reports of the case easily chipping/cracking, etc., I ordered my IIIx for $199.95 (no shipping) from Outpost.com this a.m. (Overnight shipping)

One caution: when you do the search on their site for the IIIx the price comes up $199.95, but the order form reads $239.95. That is what they will charge you unless you print out a copy of the page with the lower price and fax it to them.

I will probably upgrade in the near future, and maybe Visor will have its act together by then.

[This message has been edited by ChillaChilla (edited 12-07-1999).]

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: San Francisco, USA
Posts: 75

I ordered my IIIx from outpost.com on Friday night, right after reading about it here on VisorCentral.

Onscreen, it said $199.95, and when I confirmed the order with my credit card, the final summary also said $199.95. So, I didn't have any problems.

If you do the Outpost.com order, it seems like you should check carefully and make a printout of your order confirmation.

After reading about the chipping plastics that some people are having, I'm now firmly convinced I made the right move by buying the IIIx now. I know for sure what I'm getting, having had the chance to see and play with other's machines. Maybe sometime next year the time will be right to upgrade to Handspring. Assuming they make it through their growing pains and compete successfully with Sony.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 242

Code Monkey, I agree with your comparison in terms of quality of manufacture/sturdiness.

But I still would have chosen the Visor even if I had seen it in advance. First, it is half the price of the Vx. That makes up for some cheapness. Second, it is technologically superior. Yeah, it doesn't look or feel as good, but the Springboard and Datebook+ give it key advantages.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Chelmsford, MA USA
Posts: 62

Tolo,

I disagree with you about HS potential for 2000.

I can remember when PDAs first started coming out. All our local stores would only get maybe 5 of them in at any given time. The stock could not keep up with the demand.

I had a Vice President who hounded me daily asking when he would get his PDA and I had to keep telling him that none of the stores had any and didn't have a clue when they would be in.

This went on for months before I could finally get my hands the item (which was promptly left in some draw somewhere by the VP after all the hardwork done to finally obtain one).

This was all before online ordering became more common.

So HS has started in 1999 to roll their product out. I'm sure that by the time January 2000 rolls around they will have worked out the major glitches and stores will start stocking them. However, unless they can get their inventory up they may be doing the 5-at-a-time-per-store shipping like the others did for a short period.

Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 5

I have been sitting hear reading for at least a month. Half in fear, from being a victim before of the "be the first on your block" syndrom; and half involved in a soap opera mode waiting to see if the Visor ever "clears up". It seems to me that HS does not "read the mail". I felt I really wanted a visor deluxe, finding visor information just as I was going to plunk down my money for a Vx. So!! dear HS; January 15 is the date... If the day to day posts do not clear your vision and product is not available I will go on down to the local electronics superstore where there is currently an inventory of Palm x's (A BIG INVENTORY) and buy!! Don't you folks realize how deadly these problems can be to a company...No customers no cashflow, no cashflow NO...well,y'all know what that does. Don't you?? Please remember customers are so hard to gain and so easy to loose.. Read and listen

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 18

Shadow,

You're right about the times when PDAs were hard-to-find novelty items. However, it's no more. PDAs are in mass production now, plus there is an ever-heating competition. HS is entering a year with a product that is going to be second or third alternative in just 3-4 months. Moreover Visor will not be the cheapest (most prob. Palm will slash prices of 3 , 5 and 7 series before they come out with the new line), nor will it be the only one with serious expansion (TRGPRO with CF, Sony with MS, Palm with god knows what and as for Psion, well not expandable but cool). Finally the more market share HS loses the more difficult for them it will be convincing 3rd parties to develop springboards.
I hope they are prepared for the upcoming competition with new series of visors and a very good'n safe marketing strategy. Till now they have been very frustrating indeed.
Any comments?

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Posts: 35

I was asking myself the same question - Visor or IIIx? While I can save enough money to get some accessories (I added up everything - a IIIx, Writerights, Palm III Color Covers and a Beltclip slipcase - and came up with about $265.00. However, if you see my post in the General Visor category, you will see that most people think that the Palm IIIx is less sturdy, however, the responders to my original message all owned Visors. My main worries were that the Visor would crumble in my hand (well, at least crack and creak) and that I would end up paying $500.00 for one Visor.

I just searched the Outpost.com site for a IIIx, but the price came up as $239.00 (on both the search page and the product page). What am I doing wrong?

In three years (or sooner), I'll just buy a color palm, and if the Handspring products appeal to me, well, then they'll have a new customer.

------------------
Signing off,

C. Russell
[email protected]

[This message has been edited by C.Russell (edited 12-08-1999).]

[This message has been edited by C.Russell (edited 12-08-1999).]

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Chelmsford, MA USA
Posts: 62

One thing I was struggling with about the Visor was do I order it now at the existing price, or do I wait until it hits the stores when pricing may be lowered.

Can't assume that the Visor will be sold in stores for what the current asking price is. They may indeed go lower in order to compete with the market. The Palm Vx I think has gone down some in price. By the time Visor hits the stores you could see a price shift or package deals to make the price more appropriate.

Look at software. What you purchase a title at today may be slashed by 50% in a few months. I was shocked to find a software package that I've been thinking about getting go from $59.99 3 months ago at CompUSA to $15.95 online at Egghead. There are many reasons for the price reduction, newer version coming out, etc.

If HS makes the January release date in stores, that means their product would have been for sale for at least 3 months. They may want to make it a little more competitive and desirable since competition will be preparing for the Visor to hit the stores. They've had a break with the HS shipping nightmare, but what do you think the prices of the Palm would be if HS didn't have all these problems? If things ran smoothly I think we would see more drastic price slashing with the competition.

I've read a few posts here from folks who were very angry (and had every right to be) about the problems with HS. However, when they actually received the product there was at least 1 post that said it was worth the wait. So in a sense, the real issue here is HS getting their act together with order processing and shipping. Otherwise the product is actually reviewed favorably (just a matter of getting one).

I recently read over at PC Mag Online that the Visor Deluxe made it to the Best of 1999 (so did the Palm V). So with positive articles and reviews there is a balance of sorts to the negative points about the ordering and shipping - which should be tapering off as things stabilize. So things may actually start looking up for the company (not necessarily for those of us still waiting for their Visor).

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: thousand oaks, CA, USA
Posts: 42

so, what is the best result? go for palm or visor? some people said they had their visor in the pocket, with a little bump, the screen won't come on. is visor really that bad? or people go for palm because of the custommer services, and shipping?

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 242

Visor. It's look and feel is good enough. Its technology is superior. Its price is about half of the Vx (vs. Deluxe)

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Maryland
Posts: 13

I decided on the IIIx and ordered it from Outpost.com on Monday a.m. It was on my doorstep by the time I got home at 4pm the next day. My only complaint is that the first page indicated $199.95, but the page to place the order said $239.95. When I inquired at Outpost, they said the price must have been in the process of being changed when I ordered. Fortunately, I printed out the original page, so expect a $40 refund.

As for the durability of the Palm, I have dropped by PalmPilot Personal several times in the original case with no damage sustained.

Chilla (Will be happy when Christmas Day arrives and I can use my new Palm IIIx)

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Posts: 406

I actually sold my PalmV + Hardcase + Dual Action Stylus + 33.6 Modem to get a Handspring Visor Deluxe Ice (But I've changed my Mind to Graphite, because I heard of the problems with the chipping off of the Ice Model, and all the springboards are going to be graphite colored anyway, they may as well match.) Also. The Size of a PalmV with Modem is the same or THICKER than the Visor with Modem Springboard installed (The 6-pack, not the Handspring modem that juts out from the back on the case)