Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Orting, WA USA
Posts: 2

I have just found Visorcentral so I thought I'd come in and ask a simple question.
I'm sure I'll get an unbiased answer!
Why should i buy a Visor DX instead of a Palm Vx?
I have heard some negative things about the Visor. But obviously I'm still interested or I wouldn't be here!

What say you?

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Monroe, Michigan, USA
Posts: 244

Price and expandability. The Visor Deluxe is quite a bit less expensive than the Palm VX for the same amount of RAM, and has that Springboard slot which will eventually make it capable of being a pager, camera, MP3 player, GPS unit, and scientific data acquisition unit, and (maybe someday) an automotive trouble code scanner/chip reprogrammer.
Sure, the Vx is a bit thinner and all that, but if your batteries die, you're stuck waiting while they recharge. Visor owners slap in a pair of fresh AAA cells and babble on.
The only situation in which I would recommend a Palm over a Visor is if you don't have a USB port on your PC and/or aren't running Win98. I don't know if HS' serial cradles are trustworthy yet. (I have had no problems at all with my Visor or USB cradle.)

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Valparaiso, IN
Posts: 146

Though I don't use a Visor, there are reasons to get a Visor over a Palm. The springboard technology is obviously the first unique feature that comes to mind. With it you can use devices like modems, MP3 players, voice recorders, memory modules, backup modules, etc. very easily to the Visor. There are threads talking about some of the available add-ons.

In addition the Visor is cheaper. It has the same amount of memory (8 megs) for $150 less. However, there are few minor flaws in the construction of the Visor, (brittle case, soft screen) that have been mostly elimitated by this point (I think). Also the Visor lacks the form factor of the Vx.

Finally, the Visor lacks flash ROM, so you're stuck with whatever version of the OS that it ships with. Some contend this isn't a big deal, and in truth, most people will never upgrade their OS. However, if you are a "power user" you should take this into consideration. If, on the other hand, you have no idea what I'm talking about, don't worry about it.

A more direct comparison of HS vs. Palm would be the IIIxe vs. the Visor deluxe. What it comes down to is personal preference and if you think you'd need the springboard expansion ability, or if you'd use the Flash ROM. Overall, they are pretty much equal machines with different features to meet different needs. Personally, I'm a Palm guy, but I still think Visor's are cool (and innovative)!

BTW, regarding the battery issue, I use a Palm IIIc and I will say that there's nothing wrong with internal batteries. If you're the type of user who would use your PDA enough to drain the batteries quickly, you're probably also the type that sync's a lot in order to udpate Avantgo and install apps. If that's true, your device will top off it's batteries sitting in the cradle. There are very few circumstances that a Palm with an internal battery will run out of "juice". I haven't even seen the battery level fall below 100% on my IIIc and I use it around 2 hours a day and I only sync twice a day. Hope this info helps!

[This message has been edited by Hawkeye (edited 03-20-2000).]

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 10

How about why for $80 more one shouldn't get a TRG-Pro with OS 3.5, Flash ROM, 8mb onboard and a CF flash slot? As a med student, the TRG-Pro certainly seems more attractive for my purposes (reference books and programs up the wazoo). Any thoughts on this?

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Monroe, Michigan, USA
Posts: 244

Actually, I seriously thought about a TRGPro for those very reasons. But...further research indicated that you can't run apps straight from the CF card (until they're rewritten with the proper "API hooks," at least). You can store a heck of a lot of apps and data on a 32MB CF card (not to mention a 320MB IBM Microdrive), but you have to copy anything to RAM in order to use it.
And if you thought it takes a while to get a Visor, try getting a TRGPro. (Check out the message board at [URL=http://www.pdastreet.com]www.pdastreet.com--follow links to TRGPro).
Also, there are some issues with build quality (not that the Visor was immune to "teething pains").

For me, it came down to price and ease of use vs. ultimate storage capacity. I have the 8MB Visor Deluxe and the 8MB Flash Springboard (you can run many apps straight from the card and store non-changing data on it with no problem at all), and with loads of stuff on it, I still have over 12MB free. If space ever does become a problem, I could get the MP3 Springboard (which, I have read somewhere on one of these VC boards, can be used as storage for programs and data just as easily as for MP3 music)--it has 64MB!
I do like the TRGPro/Palm III series flip cover, though. Very Star Trek-like.

[This message has been edited by Tom LaPrise (edited 03-21-2000).]

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 51

rkmullins,
Number one reason I bought Visor deluxe instead of Palm Vx is the price. Springboard aside, the two units are pretty much the same. Palm Vx processor is 20mhz vs 16mhz for Visor. But there are programs such as afterburner that can take care of speed issue. Rechargable batteries is a non issue because I can use rechargable in my Visor too.
If the price of the two are the same, I may have to really think hard about the choice because I like the size and weight of the Palm Vx. The way the price is now, I'd rather spend $150 I saved on somethingelse.
I know I haven't mention springboard. To me its an icing on the cake. I have a backup module right now but if I bought the Vx, backup buddy will do the job for me. And as far as the 8MB expansion module, I believe, by the time I need more memory, I probably will be ready to buy a new PDA anyway. On other springboards, I don't have a need for them right now. But it's still nice to have the expandibility option in case I have a need in the future.


[This message has been edited by saranss (edited 03-21-2000).]

Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 53

To quote the Apple slogan; "Think Different"
I like my Ice Visors' different look just because it makes my Palm Pilot friends nervous. I like to make them feel that they got the "station wagon" and I have the "convertible".