Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 241

I totally agree with you Hoser! I'd love a white background for a visor!!

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-Petro
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Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Baltimore MD, USA
Posts: 717

I'd love color, but I do not want any compromises.

I've looked at a Color Palm unit in the store, and it is hard on my eyes to read it. Mr. Kirvin said it better: http://www.jeffkirvin.com/writingon...olumn000306.htm

I'll take color when they fix the eyestrain problem.

[This message has been edited by Winchell (edited 07-22-2000).]

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Hacienda Heights, Ca
Posts: 302

Before seeing the Plam IIIc I didn't think color was that big of a deal. But after seeing a unit on display I have changed my mind. I think color would be very helpful in a number of apps I use.

I also agree with other posts, that it needs to be priced correctly.

I am hoping that Handspring's color Visor will also be in a slim form factor like the Palm V (including Springboard slot).

Registered: Mar 2000
Location:
Posts: 43

A better visor screen is all I ask. Either a better grayscale model, a Black-on-white like Hoser mentioned, or a color model. Just something better. I bought the Visor for the springboard expansion and settled on the screen. I had the Palm V and a Visor Deluxe side by side and the Palm V clearly had a superior product, but just no good expansion capabilities. I hope the next Visor is a color model...that would be great for game springboard modules and just better to read Avantgo and Ebooks.

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

I'm content with black and white for the moment, but I'd go for color if (a) the unit was under $300 and (b) if it didn't severely compromise my battery life. The main things that interest me about color is having a truly white background, and viewing photographs. It's certainly inevitable. The only question is, "When?"

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Posts: 29

As it stands right now color isn�t a big hang up for me. That�s only because apps haven�t begun to really, effectively use the color on the IIIc. Its like when computer screens went from b/w to color, it took a while for color to become the default way of viewing.

That said i would love color when it enhances the palm experience. But to have that a few things have to fall into place

1) as said, apps that effectively use and need color
2) screens become better, less glare, more definition
3) batter life becomes a non-issue.

I think these ingredients are about 1-2 years away and right around the time I will be in the market for a new Handspring to replace my VDlx.

As mentioned earlier having a removable battery pack would be awesome and to have space on the cradle/recharger to charge the extra pack(s) would really be killer!

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Redwood City CA
Posts: 472

Color would be nice, but I'm not willing to pay a lot for it in terms of money, battery life, size, or readability in bright light.

A white background for grayscale screens, or the highly-reflective background used in Indiglow watches might be a more practical answer.

Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
Posts: 181

Would be great, if we could have what we have now + color. But don't want to lose speed that we have now or relatively low price, or battery life. Color resolution would also need to improve. I think I agree with Hawkins. Of course his recent comments about color might just be a ploy or marketing strategy.

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Raleigh, NC USA
Posts: 1

A COLOR Visor at $299 would be all so fine!

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

While I'm sure the contrast can be improved, I don't know if it's possible to have a stark white background on a greyscale device. At least, I've never seen an example of it. I think the only way to get what Hawkins calls "true black and white" is, ironically, though color display technology. 8-bit color would be fine by me.

Actually, the biggest beef I have with the Visor's display is the negative backlight. I know it can be reversed, but the result is nowhere near as good as the backlight on the Palm III. Of course, you could get away with a lot less backlight with a color screen, as the Palm IIIc demonstrates, but then you'd have the problem of glare outdoors.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 48

The apps designed for color are definitely coming . . . and I want to use them on a Visor with a color screen. Definitely something I would buy even if it was over $300.

By the way, I'd also love a solar charger -- I've seen some for mobile phones, how about for PDA's?

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: morresvill, nj 08830
Posts: 1

Color could launch the visor/palm into class where it would not be able to compete
This would mean, uping the processor, memory, battery type, ect.
As the original creators of palm would say;
keep it simple stupid.
I dont need color, this would only complicate things for me.
;-)

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Kuala Lumpur
Posts: 247

Hey, color is inevitable. I'll say this right now. Whether we like it or not, it's in the future of all handheld devices. After all, when PCs moved to colour monitors, we didn't say, "I like my green monochrome monitor better".

As for power consumption, it is also inevitable that newer technologies will come out that will solve or minimise the high power requirements of colour LCD.

For example, the LCD screen for the Palm IIIC actually does have some technology that reduces power consumption from the LCD by as much as 60%.Read this article: http://www.semibiznews.com/story/OEG20000310S0006
Incidentally, the power-saving Microsemi chip used in the Palm IIIC is also used in the Compaq iPAQ.

I also recall a news item (I've been surfing all day and I still can't find the URL...sorry!) that had a company producing a special, highly-reflective backing for the LCD screen that increases the readability of LCD in bright sunlight and reduces the need for the dreaded power-eating backlight.

Another technology is Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED), which can produce thin colour displays that consume only half the power of LCDs. Check out the story here: http://www.electronicnews.com/enews...2000/z44f-1.asp


[This message has been edited by Tan Kit Hoong (edited 07-13-2000).]

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: New York City
Posts: 29

Color would be nice, but the Palm IIIC is a poor start in that direction. The screen looks really cheesy because you can see the separation of the pixels. It also doesn't help that the thing unit bigger but the screen is still the same size. Eventually when color will be important, but you may need higher resolution to make it worthwhile.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Posts: 109

quote:

---

I also recall a news item (I've been surfing all day and I still can't find the URL...sorry!) that had a company producing a special, highly-reflective backing for the LCD screen that increases the readability of LCD in bright sunlight and reduces the need for the dreaded power-eating backlight.

Another technology is Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED), which can produce thin colour displays that consume only half the power of LCDs. Check out the story here: http://www.electronicnews.com/enews...2000/z44f-1.asp

---

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Texan in Calgary for a while
Posts: 1361

Why not use a screen like the GameBoy? It looks great, & all they would have to do is have a light that can shine on the screen when necessary.

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James Hromadka
VisorCentral.com
Personal Website: http://www.Hromadka.com

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: nowheresburg, PH
Posts: 98

Nice idea James. That will then be the day where we will be able to see the emergence of flashlight/illuminator modules for the visor.

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: NC, Indiana
Posts: 465

I would love to have a color Visor, as long as the battery life remained nearly the same, or they introduced a rechargable battery system, something in the hotsync/charging cradle would seem good. Also it would have to be under $350--I just can't justify spending more than that.

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-Vinny

I'll pack my bags I swear I'll run, wish my friends were 21

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 22

Yeah, color would be great, but increased resolution must happen first. Surely 300x300 isn't that difficult.

I have come to the conclusion that the "PDA" is not ready to offer what I need it for. Maybe in five years.

Registered: Jun 2000
Location: New York, New York
Posts: 2

While Color is certainly a nice feature to have, it is far less important than wireless capability of PDA in general.

In my humblest opinion, the future of PDA, the future of Palm platform lies upon its wireless capability.

While PDA is good for many many things for the tech geek like me, I suspect the most important feature of the Palm device for the masses is the phone book directory. And modern day cell-phone already has phone book build-in. Though it is not nearly as good as the one provided by PDA, cell phone can do one thing which PDA couldn't - making a call.

Functionalities such as look up my next train schedule, look up at the weather/traffic report or look up the location of the restraunt which I suppose meet my friend at... makes more sense if I can access these information as I am on the road, instead of look them up before I leave my office, let say.

Further, when given the choice between carrying one device or two, people would prefer carrying one. And people are not going to give up their wireless telephone capability; while mobile phone's data, personal information capability is catching up at tremedous pace.

In the end, I think we are either has a phone that has PDA functionalities, and/or a PDA that can occationally making a call (perhaps not conviniently).

Issue of color screen only become significant when the wireless bandwidth bottleneck is resolved; which means by then, we can access the full-blown html content instead of the current strip-down one.

kngharv