Registered: Feb 2002
Location:
Posts: 9

If you were the CEO of Handspring...

If you were the CEO of Handspring, which Handspring product line/producut feature
do you think Handspring should continue supporting? (i.e., add features, producing,
marketing, and promoting?)


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hands...rveys?id=925018

please comment on other features missing from list.

thanks,

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 1683

Well, they've already killed of the springboard market and raised their prices, so there really isn't anything unique about their products anymore.

I suppose I'd stick with the Treo while cutting costs EVERYWHERE it possibly can to ride out the market to the point where it can sell itself off and exit the industry gracefully.

Or, I'd have a garage sale and go fishing.

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 832

I'd go fishing with Homer, but i'd take a Treo along.

Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 284

Thanks to content filtering @ work, I can't look at the article directly, however going fishing with Homer sounds about right. Of course, I'd want to finish wallpapering my bathroom with my stock options first.

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

I'd sell my assets to Apple, call homer, and go fishing.

If they're serious about longevity, they'd pare down their product line to 1 visor and 1 treo, mass produce the hell out of them (to keep costs competitive), and upgrade both lines once a year, every year. Then, because hardware doesn't post large profit margins and service does, I'd propose a merger between PalmSource in order to be able to influence development of the OS.

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Last edited by dick-richardson on 06-03-2002 at 06:52 PM

Registered: May 2002
Location: Chicago
Posts: 11

I Wouldn't Kill the Springboard

I'd concentrate on getting the GPRS update and the CDMA Treo out the door ASAP. The SDIO update for the Treo 90 can wait but should be done by the holiday season.

Once that was done, I'd want to do a Springboard adaptor/external battery for the Treo. It would be good way to show fans of the Springboard fans that they haven't been forgotten and would help solve the Treo's battery life problems. Toss in some memory on the adaptor to allow you to make a complete backup of your Treo and you've got the practically perfect peripheral for the Treo.

After that, new Visors with more memory (32MB if possible) and 66MHz processors. I'd limit the Visor line to a color Edge with a new kind of adaptor -- a sled with a built-in cover instead of an ungainly backpack -- and a Prism slimmed down to match the dimensions of the rest of the Visor line. I'd bring back the Visor Platinum to serve as the low end model.

After this, cut prices on the Treos and build new models. The 180 drops to $199 and the 270 to $299. Treo 360 has an SD slot with SDIO, more memory, and a voice recorder. As soon as this happens, go back to the drawing board to plan the Treo 450 with a mini-camera built into the hinge of the flip lid.

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

Re: I Wouldn't Kill the Springboard

quote:

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Originally posted by DarthRepublican
I'd concentrate on getting the GPRS update and the CDMA Treo out the door ASAP. The SDIO update for the Treo 90 can wait but should be done by the holiday season. [...]

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

Re: Re: I Wouldn't Kill the Springboard

quote:

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Originally posted by Toby
I'm sure the SDIO update will be treated with the same priority as every other non-bugfix software update Handspring has released.

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

Re: Re: Re: I Wouldn't Kill the Springboard

quote:

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Originally posted by septimus
that is, until Palm isn't the only company making a bluetooth SD card.

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Registered: Dec 2000
Location: mountain view, ca
Posts: 36

mangement in crisis

It's sad to see HandSpring throw away every advantage they used to have with seeming deliberation. It speaks volumes to the point that the management there does not understand their market in any capacity and are only pumping their channel while they look for new jobs.

My list of what's gone wrong:

1. GSM: WTF? standing in front of the HS building near my old house in mountain view the GSM signal was almost unusable. GSM carriers are a bunch of numbnuts slowly getting their act together. CDMA would have made a lot more sense in the US market (where most of the HS customers are).

2. No flash, no updates. as a previous poster mentioned, that's totally a red herring to cover engineering and QA misallocations.

3. No hires screen. Again, no engineering resources to support needed OS changes.

4. No market differentiation. HS's design was different and better. Now, they are an also-ran in all categories. From an innovation perspective, they've been dead in the water for three years.

The only reason I'm still using my visor is that I haven't lost it or broken it. When that happens, I'll pick up one of the Samsung palm phones or one of the hi-res sony units. I'll be sad about the $400 I've thrown away in modules but that's life in the dot.bomb

Alan