Registered: Aug 2002
Location: Collierville(Memphis) TN
Posts: 33

Mpve to Prism

Anxiously awaiting my new purchase -- a Handsping Visor Prism. Bought it off ebay this morning. It is coming with 16mb upgrade and I have a 16mb memory card. So I'll have lots of memory. I have been a Platinum user for along time but had a hard time deciding which way to go with color. Finally decided to stay with a good thing -- Also much more affordable than some of the newer entries. The Platinum has always met my needs and so I hope the Prism will now meet my needs but in color. Should have it by the end of the week. When all is said and done, I will be selling my Platinum with a Kensington hard metal case. Its is in good condition. A little paint rub off on the scroll buttons (I do a lot of reading on it). No dings or scratches. If anybody is interested let me know otherwise I will go to ebay. I'm guessing around $80. And I do take Paypal. But I will have to wait for the Prism since I can't possibly exist without anything.

Registered: Aug 2002
Location: Indiana
Posts: 11

Moving to the Prism

Hello there. I'm new to this site but I've always kept my eye on it, its one of my Avantgo channels and has been for a while.

I just migrated to the Prism last weekend. Around here, the Prisms dropped to abpout $150 so I seized the opportunity. I received a Visor Neo last Christmas (my wife still regrets the purchase) and have upgraded it ever since. First with a flash module and Targus Stowaway, then with a Memplug CF, then a Thinmodem, and finally an eyemodule. I feel like I had max'd out the Neo and had my eye on the Prism. As luck would have it, Handspring discontinued the Prism (?) and now I'm the proud owner of the finest color handheld no longer in production. All of my modules have worked just fine, as I keep Olive Tree's Bible Software on the CF card with just about every other important reference work I could download to it.

Just One Question: This Prism is the second one I had my my hands on, since the first was a display model and when I charged it up, the backlight was burnt out. Is this common, or is it an anomaly? How long do I have before I need to worry about replacing it?

Thank you for any help you can provide.

__________________
He is Risen!

Registered: Aug 2002
Location: Collierville(Memphis) TN
Posts: 33

move to Prism

Have had my Prism for two days. Very happy with it. Screen is great. I have some vision problems and one of the great side benefits of color is the paper white background and black type. So much easier to read.

I can't answer your question about the backlight but I'm sure someone on this forum will. I too have been following it for some time but only recently made my first post.

Prism may be discontinued but I suspect it still has a long life to live.

Registered: Aug 2002
Location: St. Louis
Posts: 108

Guys,

I have been a Prism owner since June. As far as I know, there is no "backlight" per se. The bright TFT LCD is always on when the unit is on, although you can dim it or brighten it by holding the ON button down until a pop-up dimmer control appears.

I would not sell that Platinum and hard case if I were you. I just got a refurbished Neo ($80 on CompUSA.com) because the Prism screen is unreadable outside in daylight. Also, I thought it wise to have a back-up to the Prism, especially since the Prism uses the Li-ion battery only and heavy use will deplete it quickly. I found a Kensington aluminum hard case at BestBuy on clearance and I really like it. I wish they made one to fit the Prism!

Also, a Neo or Plat (or Pro) in the hard case will still fit inside the Handspring Neoprene Sport Case so you can have crush protection AND carryability.

__________________
The Prismer

"I am not a number, I am a person!"

Registered: Nov 2001
Location: CA
Posts: 47

I'll second that. I, too, upgraded from a Platinum to Prism (16Mb), and I intend on keeping the Platinum (16Mb) as a backup. I will only go back to monochrome for 2 reasons:

(1) Prism breaks, and Platinum is the only surviving HS model, and
(2) Compelling reason to move-up to another color model, e.g. Treo 270, another PDA brand, etc.

For what I've got and what I use my Prism+Visorphone combo for, it satisfies daily my requirements.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Prismer2
Guys,

I have been a Prism owner since June. As far as I know, there is no "backlight" per se. The bright TFT LCD is always on when the unit is on, although you can dim it or brighten it by holding the ON button down until a pop-up dimmer control appears.

I would not sell that Platinum and hard case if I were you. I just got a refurbished Neo ($80 on CompUSA.com) because the Prism screen is unreadable outside in daylight. Also, I thought it wise to have a back-up to the Prism, especially since the Prism uses the Li-ion battery only and heavy use will deplete it quickly. I found a Kensington aluminum hard case at BestBuy on clearance and I really like it. I wish they made one to fit the Prism!

Also, a Neo or Plat (or Pro) in the hard case will still fit inside the Handspring Neoprene Sport Case so you can have crush protection AND carryability.

---

__________________
Experience is what happens when something unexpected comes up.

Registered: Aug 2002
Location: Collierville(Memphis) TN
Posts: 33

Thanks for your comments. I have been considering keeping the Platinum as a backup. It has really served me well. Had the case on Ebay and so far no bids. Haven't listed the Platinum yet because I was thinking about holding on to it.

Registered: Aug 2002
Location: Indiana
Posts: 11

"Heavy Use"

Sounds like my old Neo will have to stick around for a while. I had a a fellow Minister interested in buying it. BTW, when you described "heavy use," what do you mean? When I was using my Neo, I went through batteries like crazy (about one set every 4-5 days). When I got a recharger kit for it, I had to recharge at least twice per week. Now, with this Prism, its like I've got to charge it every day, just so I can take it out of the office. I am using the Prism for everything I used my Neo for (except outside, of course). This includes writing sermons and lessons (Wordsmith and Stowaway), surfing the internet (Thinmodem) and everyday address, todo, and calendar type stuff. Would you consider this use "heavy" or is it just about right? DO you think Prism was designed with the serious field user in mind, or the gamer who can always have his PDA plugged in? Just curious. It just seems odd, given that Handspring estimated at least, what, a month between charges? I wonder if anyone at Handspring uses their OWN PDA's.

__________________
He is Risen!

Registered: Aug 2002
Location: St. Louis
Posts: 108

Prism batttery life

Prism battery life of one month between charges refers to the time that the battery will last IF YOU NEVER TURN IT ON! This is important because the Li-ion battery will keep its charge and serve for many years only if it is maintained properly. That includes not overcharging it (leaving it in the cradle overnight, for example) and not letting it drain down completely. Unlike Ni-CAD and to some extent Ni-MH batteries, topping off is actually good for the Li-ion batteries. What you DO NOT want to do is discharge the Li-ion battery completely, because that may just kill it. I believe that Handspring says the available operating time on a full charge is about 6-8 hours, depending primarily on screen brightness. Other things affect battery life also, like if you leave "beaming" on in your preferences. I assume this sends some current through the IR circuit.

There are some myths about rechargeable batteries, especially the so-called "memory" effect. In normal consumer user, Ni-based battery "memory" is something you do not need to worry about. The phenomena was discovered as a problem with the Ni-CAD batteries in satellites which are recharged by solar cells. Scientists discovered that, since the satellites discharged their batteries about the same amount every day and only recharged for a fixed period while in sunlight, this memory effect would develop, and the only cure was to discharge the batteries fully before recharging. But of course, it became "common knowledge" that Ni-CADs have a "memory" effect and so the myth continues. The varied use that a PDA will see between charges should not cause this problem at all.

Overcharging, especially with a high-current fast charger, including the Prism cradle, will kill most all rechargable batteries if the practice is kept up. I killed several Ni-MH cell phone batteries in my car by leaving them plugged into a fast charging cigarette lighter plug. The best charger for any re-chargeable battery is a "trickle" charger that only puts out less than 200-300 mA, usually requiring an overnight charge to reach its full capacity. A decent compromise is the so-called "smart charger", that has a high current charge for a short time (1-2 hours), then changes to trickle charge after that. Another type of "smart charger" and one that makes the most sense, has a temperature sensor, since it is the heat generated by overcharging that destroys the battery. This type will charge on "high" until it senses excess heat, then it will change to "trickle".

I hope this helps.

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The Prismer

"I am not a number, I am a person!"

Registered: Aug 2002
Location: Indiana
Posts: 11

Battery Life

Being new to the Prism, I was wondering. I know the Lion battery will eventually go kaputt. I read somewhere that I've got about two years before I am going to have to think about replacing the battery. I know the screen light will go dark on me someday (given my initial purchase, a display model, refused to light up sufficiently to use). Is there such a thing as a "recommended maintenance schedule" for the Prism to make it last as long as possible?

__________________
He is Risen!

Registered: Aug 2002
Location: St. Louis
Posts: 108

Prism maintainence?

Everything I hae read indicates there is no "recommended maintenance schedule" for the Prism. What is there to maintain?

Just a few tips:

Do not drain down the Li-ion battery completely if possible. This will also save from having to do a back-up. Usually there is enough charge left to maintain the memory, if not to power the screen. Frequent topping off does not hurt the Li-ion battery. Watch that flashing light and remove ithe Prism when it is full. If you want to work with the Prism in the cradle, leave it on to prevent overcharging. Pull it out when you are done.

Do not overcharge by leaving the Prism in the cradle overnight. At least do not make a habit of it. This can shorten the long-term battery life, or so I have read.

Most people agree it is a good idea to use a screen protector. I use the Fellowes WrightRight films and the ones for the Palm III (color) work fine on the Prism. I have heard that protective films made only for B&W can mess up the color image.

Always use a plastic stylus rather than a ballpoint pen or other hard metal objects to poke at the screen. This is because metal can scratch the plastic surface. There is some thought that the spring-loaded styli are less damaging to the screen than the standard stylus since they absorb some of the shock. I also like to use my fingertips or fingernails if I can. Although this is less accurate than a stylus, it works, although you may have to clean off smudges from oily fingers.

DON'T drop your Prism, sit on it, or set/drop heavy objects on it! Of course accidents can happen. It is best to ALWAYS transport your Prism in a protective case. The leather slip case that came with your Prism offers some protection, however padded cases are better. Look for ones that have a stiff board or card to protect the screen better. Crush proof boxes are available also, but they do not look as nice and are generally not as functional as the padded leather or neoprene cases.

Do not leave out in a hot car or in direct sunlight for very long. Heat buld-up can damage sensitive electronics, either killing it outright or shortening its lifespan. I do not know if freezing will create any problems, but why take the chance?

Just my thoughts on the subject.

__________________
The Prismer

"I am not a number, I am a person!"

Registered: Sep 2002
Location:
Posts: 15

Dear Prismer,

I'm also a new Prism owner, and your two posts on this thread are excellent- thanks! I was interested especially in the useful info you had on batteries.

I just got a protable charger/sync cable ($20) that charges from the USB port of the computer. I'm sure this is much lower power than the cradle.

One question: when I got the Prism, the battery was totally dead and I had to charge it fully before using it. I suppose this is true of all Prisms. So the quality of my battery depends on how long ago it was made = how long/much it was discharged?

Thanks for all your interesting info.