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

Recent Statements from Handspring

So now we've had time to contemplate the statements made by Donna and now Jeff. We realize Handspring's exit from the "traditional" organizer market (i.e. Visor Line) is going to happen in the not so distant future. If we are lucky, there may be one more new Visor (note that Jeff didn't mention the Prism, it's a very remote possibility for another Color Visor to replace the Prism, but still a possibility-Perhaps using the same color display as the Color TREO).

The real question in my mind is how does all of this this affect your confidence in purchasing another Handspring Product? Will you go for the TREO or pursue devices made by other manufactuers as a result of this news?

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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...

Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 10

No Treo for me

The Treo doesn't provide anything that interests me. I'll continue using my Visor Deluxe and hope that the Visor market continues to be profitable for Handspring. Then again I'm one of the few who abhore cell phones (and phones in general actually -- email is the ultimate form of communication).

I hope that Handpsring realizes that their Visor line is one of a kind. There isn't anything else on the market the comes close to providing the expandibility of the Springboard slot.

Brian Lane
Lead Programmer
http://www.shinemicro.com
Home of the SM2496 module

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 52

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

Hawkins, et al. statements are going to kill any momentum in the Visor market. And they are killing a steady revenue stream before they can even prove the Treo.

Personally, I was hoping that HS would release a Visor Prism style Visor with hi-rez screen, viewable outdoors. Admittadly, it would probably have been my last Visor, but that's still some revenue.

And I can't believe they are keeping the Edge format!!! It's the cludgiest format imaginable. Why have an akward sled, when you can have built-in expansion with the Sony T614, Palm m505, etc. Bleah...someone has been sniffing too much lead solder.

I will NOT buy a non-expandible, tiny screen, low-rez, extremely pricey cell phone (the Treo)!

So, do I expect my next PDA to be a visor. No. Which I regret. Most likely it will be a Sony.

Registered: May 2000
Location: Cleveland, Ohio 44067
Posts: 242

As a Handspring user, it would make no sense to purchase a Treo (at this time) or any other Visor. One of the main reasons users purchased Visors in the first place was the attraction to "expandability".

The Treo does not offer any kind of expandability, not even in terms of memory. Additionally, as dsaroff said, it has a small screen which is one of the prime reasons everyone on this site scoffed at the M100.

As for the Visor, it is a dead end product line which will likely result in no new Springboard development.

So the choice is really down to three in the future if you want to stay with the Palm OS, Palm, Sony, or Handera. BTW, Sony laready has a modem and camera memory stick and will be releasing a GPS, 80211b stick, and possibly a slew of other I/O memory sticks. And man is the extra memory cheap...$52 after shipping for 128 MB!

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What does it look like I am doing...I am kickin' my @ss!!!

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

Market Research

Dear Handspring,

We hope you pay careful attention to the poll results above and what we (your current customers) are saying/feeling about your recent statements/decisions. Afterall, we are the people who have been your strongest supporters. We are people who take the time to discuss, debate and essentially have a strong interest in your product line(s?) We are well educated in what your products have to offer and often base our future purchasing decisions on what we have learned here.

If the results of this VisorCentral poll are a microcosim of things yet to come for your communicator business, then you should consider what we have to say as being very important for Handspring's future success.

Simply look at the first poll results question and compare it with the remaining questions. But most importantly, carefully read the words within this and other threads on the subject.

Your Current Visor Users

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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...

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Plainview, NY
Posts: 116

I can not believe that Donna and Jeff have made the same dumb mistakes that Palm did in shooting themselves in the foot. I have been a loyal HS fan since day one and own one of the first Visors ever sold.
I recently bought an Edge on E.bays Auction for America. I congratulate them for that move. (I work in NYC near Ground Zero and lost some neighbors.)

They (HS) have managed to scare away most of their loyal supporters, customers and developers. In the meantime Sony just keeps rolling along and producing new products.
It won't be long until they will compete with the Treo.

But I will keep my HS until the dust settles. Right now I will keep my modules, cases and keyboards.

dabirk (grandpa geek)

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Dave B (Grandpa Geek)"If it ain't broke, don't fix it yet!
BUT IF IT IS PLEEZ FIX"

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Metro Station, Hollywood and Highland
Posts: 1018

I'd love to get a Treo, but after reevaluating the urgency of the switch, I've realized that it'll be at least a year before Handspring releases the model I want: a color CDMA version.

After many false starts, I finally got my Prism connect to my Qualcomm QCP-2760 a couple of months ago. Sending and receiving email and being able to access a few crucial sites without from anywhere is infinitely more important to me than memory expansion, high resolution, MP3, etc.

The two kludges in my current setup are (1) having to pull out the data cable to connect the two devices and (2) having to carry two devices on me at all times. A hybrid device like the Treo eliminates both liabilities. Unfortunately Cingular's GSM rate plans are outrageous next to my current Sprint PCS service.

This weekend I took a look at the Samsung and Kyocera hybrid communicators that are currently available. While I didn't like the quality of the color screen or the overall design of the Samsung, the Kyocera (monochrome) looks like it'll be my next handheld. The only thing that's missing is the Stowaway keyboard, which is due for release anytime now.

In a matter of weeks, I'll be selling my Prism, my accessories and Springboards. I'd rather opt out of the frustration now than watch Handspring kill any hopes for future Visor accessories and Springboards through announcements like last week's.

With the benefit of hindsight, given that the Treo has been in development for as long as the Visor has been on the market, Hawkins ostensibly designed a platform with the primary intention of optimizing voice calling. A Handspring employee I interviewed in the summer of 2000 said (paraphrasing from memory), "Communication is the reason for the Springboard." Everything else -- GPS, MP3, etc. -- was an afterthought. VisorPhone owners were paying beta testers for the Treo's functionality.

I expect Handspring to have a huge success in Europe with Treo sales, which will likely further delay the product's US release, even beyond February; but it won't matter since all we want is a CDMA version. So while I love the form factor of the Treo, it won't be my next PDA. And it won't be my first hybrid.

And Handspring won't release another color Visor. Color TFT active matrix displays cost too much to make reasonably priced PDAs profitable enough to be worthwhile for the company. I'd be willing to bet that Handspring makes more money from each Visor Pro sold at $249 than each Prism sold at $299.

But as a consumer, I can't support the understandable but fundamentally flawed business model of standalone PDAs, and my instinct for self-preservation is as strong as Handspring's. The Prism will be my last Visor.

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Eye of Gameboy

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: SoCal
Posts: 115

Re: No Treo for me

quote:

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Originally posted by brianlane
Then again I'm one of the few who abhore cell phones

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Arlington TX
Posts: 67

I will see what happens

Well so much for being cutting edge and expandable to no end. I guess I will start doing with my Prism what I have done with my NES system for years. Not buy anything new for it and only take it out on a few occasions. I have a keyboard, GPS, as well as a few under $50 items. So much for looking towards the future and the line.

Registered: Feb 2002
Location:
Posts: 23

FAST Reply from HS Feedback!!!

http://www.handspring.com/feedback/index.jhtml

You know this cute little area of the Handspring website where you can offer feedback? It clearly states that they can not answer these feedback messages, and I have left others that they did not answer....so I was surprised when I left one the other day telling them I had NO interest in a "combo" device and that my Cell Phone stayed in my car for safety reasons only...maybe three calls a MONTH! Less than 24 hours later I received a reply basically stating that the recent comments had been "misinterpreted" and that they would continue making both lines. Obviously they are reading these so maybe there is hope if we make enough noise.

My main worry in all this is that the Springboard modules will go "poof" and also that they will stop making a color version. I remember when I first started looking at Visors there seemed to be many more Springboard modules...now the ones that are there are all permanently back-ordered or discontinued! If there is any particular reason they may not make much money on them it's that they are too EXPENSIVE. $299 for a Wireless Network connection? Sheesh...maybe 2 or 3 years ago...but a Wireless NIC PC card is $79 bucks or so now. Why does the same technology on a different shape have to cost so much?

Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Jackson, Mississippi
Posts: 51

Bye Handspring

I love my Prism and modules and will continue to use the Prism until it dies a natural death. My Prism is my fourth device from Handspring (Deluxe, Platinum, then Pro) and I've been a strong supporter of springboards. But when my Prism dies, I'm ditching Handspring for good. I don't need or want a Treo; there are plenty of places that I take my cellphone that I wouldn't want to take my organizer and vice versa. Besides, I couldn't stand using that small screen. I feel like Handspring has abandoned me and I won't buy anything else from them. And at this point it would be foolish for me to buy any more springboards, since my Prism could die today. At least I've spent less than $1000 on springboards; if I was a springboard developer and had put my own money or borrowed money to develop a springboard at Handspring's urging, I would be hopping mad. I'm sure that Handspring has covered itself legally, but IMHO they have torpedoed the market for springboards. Handspring has a legal obligation to do what's best for its stockholders, but I can't believe that alienating their most loyal customers and developers is in the company's long-term best interests.

Registered: Aug 2001
Location:
Posts: 383

*Walks over to Zaurus Camp*
*Looks at wallet*
*Cries*
*Breaks in*
*Begs dskessler for free Zaurus *

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Plant City, FL
Posts: 385

quote:

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Originally posted by Techie2000
*Walks over to Zaurus Camp*
*Looks at wallet*
*Cries*
*Breaks in*
*Begs dskessler for free Zaurus *

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Hang in there another month When the SL-5500 (consumer version) ships, there will be plenty of SL-5000D developer units showing up on Ebay as developers (and enthusiasts) upgrade.

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<ul><li>Dave Kessler<br>President - Kopsis, Inc.</li></ul>