Registered: May 2001
Location: San Francisco CA
Posts: 6

Is the Visor being EOL'ed ? Looking at what Handspring is up to suggests that something new is going to be coming out in the next few months to replace the ageing brick that they call the visor. How do I know this . . .

Initally there was a $50 rebate on the Visor Delux to stimulate sales, now this price reduction has been made permenant. Additionally they are now throwing in a $25 case to stimulate sales. The Platinum has similarly just been given a $50 rebate (good till June 17) at which point regular price will become $249 and it too will get a free case IF there are still a lot in stock. These are standard marketing stratagies for reducing inventory levels prior to the introduction of a new model. Handspring is also working with its favored partners to similarly reduce inventry of certain springboard modules with a $30 rebate.

When will this new model be introduced and what will it be ?

My best guess based on the June 17 date, is to expect an announcement at the New York PC World in June or July. The new product will have a similar, but thicker and perhaps longer form factor than the Edge. A new springboard module form factor will also be announced, that attaches to the Visor in a manner similarly to the slipper that is now required for the Edge to use existing Springboards. Look for products from Good and Blocks (EyeModule).

Price and Specs:
The new product will use the 33 mhz processor and 8 mb of ram with a price of $249 > $299 to place it between the $399 Palm 500 and $199 Palm 105

Any remaining first generation Visors will be reduced from $199 to $174. The 2 mb version will remain at $149, but include a cradle.

The Edge will be reved up to the next generation of processors - probably 66 mhz. Memory may also increase due to its current low price. Price will remain the same at $399.

Registered: May 2000
Location: St. Paul, MN
Posts: 1429

Do you work for Handspring?!?!?

Such confidenet telling! wow! EVEN EXACT DATES!

This is what I belive:

I also had thought that HS will introduce new products in June/July

I think that they will revamp the Dlx and low end seris, ala palm did with the III to m100, but they'll make theirs actually look good. I don't think that they would reduce screen size.

I think that they will KEEP the idea of a platinum - a mid range Vsr, that is the best in features, but it's not as slim as the edge. I think though that the platinum will be the first to get the 16mb mem and the 66 mhz processor (do they even exist?!?)

I DON'T think that they will make ths sp slot external. What I DO THINK AND HOPE is that they will keep one internal slot, but make ANOTHER springboard slot, that will be standard. It would be like an edge connector. So you could have 1 sb for mem, one for devices. And they could go either way, and when you wern't using the 2nd sb slot the Vsr would stay small.

I DON'T THINK that they will make a totally different colro handheld if they do. Remeber, HS only releases 2 vsr's at once. So they releasethe low end one, and the wirless one that donna promised. I think THAT one will be in color. It will be intresting to see.

I think that if HS keeps the larger screen size, they can still have a good selling Vsr at $149. I think though, that the 2 mb should be dropped. Make everything either 8 mb or 16 mb. Lead the way. HS whould take palm's VFS and expand on it, hopefully making it so that it becomes standard. I WANT VFS!

I don't know about sb modules.. but Good is a logical choice.. I also think hs might introduce their own to stimulate growth..

This is all speculation.. making infrence about the world..

I'm not like MAtter Man with exact dates

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-miradu

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

quote:

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Originally posted by Matter Man
Initally there was a $50 rebate on the Visor Delux to stimulate sales, now this price reduction has been made permenant. Additionally they are now throwing in a $25 case to stimulate sales. The Platinum has similarly just been given a $50 rebate (good till June 17) at which point regular price will become $249 and it too will get a free case IF there are still a lot in stock. These are standard marketing stratagies for reducing inventory levels prior to the introduction of a new model. Handspring is also working with its favored partners to similarly reduce inventry of certain springboard modules with a $30 rebate.

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Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Champaign, IL
Posts: 200

I don't think Motorola has any 66MHz Dragonballs. If they did then most likely every palmos manufacturer will be announcing new products based on them in the summer. And flash RAM is not the same thing as ordinary PC RAM.

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

Could this be the Visor Snap or Visor Twist?

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

I think the Visor is actually a neccesary product. Some people (not me, of course) only use their visor to store apointments, write memos, and store adresses. These people don't need more than 2 megs.

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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: Oct 2000
Location: Aberdeen, SD
Posts: 2531

quote:

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Originally posted by ernieba1
I think the Visor is actually a neccesary product. Some people (not me, of course) only use their visor to store apointments, write memos, and store adresses. These people don't need more than 2 megs.

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-Joshua
Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

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

You wouldn't actually meet a person like this, because they wouldn't be walking around showing off their visor. There aren't many on forums like this, they aren't obsessed enough to join.

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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: Mar 2001
Location: Champaign, IL
Posts: 200

I don't know how well the Visor sells, but supposedly the m100 went through the roof, despite having only 2MB of RAM, non-upgradeable OS, etc. If the Visor is selling nearly as well, I don't think they'd discontinue it.

Registered: May 2000
Location: St. Paul, MN
Posts: 1429

I also do'nt belive you. Everyone I nkow who has 2mb, is very dic-content. IT's not possible anymore to have a handheld with 2 mb. Avantgo takes 1.5 MB itself!

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-miradu

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Them Twin Cities
Posts: 1758

I think that 2mb is good enough for anybody who doesn't associate with power users. Ignorance is bliss...

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Spring Lake Park, MN (45min from minneapolis)
Posts: 313

i have a visor 2mb!

hi, yes i have a visor with 2mb ram. iv had it for about 6 months and i filled the memory in the first 3 weeks! i am a seventh grader in minneapolis, minnesota. actually spring lake park, minnesota. i use my visor to play games help me with homework etc. i dont use it to store tons of dates and phone numbers like the head of a coperation would but i guess i have about 46 addresses of stores and friends. and i do you my datebook todo list and memopad. when i dont have paper around i use my visor to start essays. then copy them to the computer. i bought the visor 2mb version because i didn't have much money at all. and i thought i would never fill 2mb. but i did and about 4 and a halp months later i bought the hagiware 16mb flash modual. although i still think the visor 2mb should stay in stock for people that cant afford but can affored a flash modual later.

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

quote:

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Originally posted by miradu2000
I also do'nt belive you. Everyone I nkow who has 2mb, is very dic-content. IT's not possible anymore to have a handheld with 2 mb. Avantgo takes 1.5 MB itself!

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

I was being sarcastic. I am aware that we are the pda elite.

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-Joshua
Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Cascade, MD
Posts: 74

"My best guess based on the June 17 date, is to expect an announcement at the New York PC World in June or July...."

I'm going to PC Expo in NYC in June...I'll let you know!

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Life is not a dress rehearsal!

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: San Diego, California
Posts: 441

Way back in January (hehe) I decided that a PDA would be a good thing to get. I am a power user when it comes to computers, but I never figured that I would get so addicted to a PDA. At the time I felt that PDA's were nothing more than a ToDo List and a Datebook plus a few phone numbers. I was sooo close to buying an M100 at the time and i'm certainly glad I didn't, I can't read such a small screen. Then I found out about Visors and when I heard about it's springboard slot the first thing that crossed my mind was whether or not you could get an MP3 player for it. Well that sealed the deal and I am a VERY HAPPY VDX Power User. I wouldnt' be caught dead without this thing near me. I've even started programming some apps for my little buddy. And i'm seriously debating buying a Prism this summer.(fingers crossed about a new visor in june/july)

Staying on the Prism subject, the on campus bookstore at my school sells Prism's and they're having a 20% off sale but I'm not sure if that'll apply to the Prisms. That will be a tough decision. Prism for $360 or wait for possibly new visor in june/july.

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

Campus bookstore? Is it a bookstore that actually isn't Barnes and Noble or Borders?

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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: Mar 2001
Location: San Diego, California
Posts: 441

Yeah, it sell textbooks and such for classes here. I inquired about the 20% off and it doesn't apply to PDA's .. Sniffle Sniffle.. Guess I'll wait for this new visor. Please be in June!

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You know it's bad when your Calculus Professor uses the word "Unpossible"

"It's a long way from my thoughts to what I'll say, It's a long, long way from paradise to where I am today." -Switchfoot, Home

Registered: Feb 2001
Location:
Posts: 23

maybe this rumored new visor will be a color version of the edge to compete with the M505 that palm recently released.

i love my prism but its like carrying a brick around in my pocket. if they released a slim version i would be happy.

just imagine a visor edge/prism, wow!

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 11

I think Handspring is looking at Palm's ill-timed announcement of the m50x series, and keeping mum on confirming any new products or issue dates. Palm let the cat out of the bag on the m500 and m505 trying to steal thunder from the Visor Edge, and they dried up their sales as people waited for the new ones rather than buy a Palm Vx.

I'd love to see a new Visor come out in June. I don't think I'll be getting it, but it would be nice to have a wireless visor in the market with RIM-style capabilities. I imagine it would reduce the market price of some of the land-line modem springboards, one of which is probably my next Visor purchase.