Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 434

While reflecting on many of the newbie posts, I think there is some fundamental information that is not coming through regarding Palm devices in general, and the Visors in particular. There really is a foundation that these devices are built on.

Palm devices are first and foremost replacements for paper day planners. What separates Palm devices from CE devices is their elegance as an electronic organizer. They kill CE devices with their lower price, convenience and ease at processing, filing and retrieving text. While Palm devices can do many other things well, these other things are not central to the mission of the Palm. The further your needs are removed from this core Palm competency, the less likely it is that a Palm device will fully meet your needs.

The core competency of Palm devices has a bearing on any concerns you may have regarding obsolescence - - the root of the ROM based OS angst. I fail to see anything in OS v3.5 that improves on the core competencies of the Palm (I'll be interested to learn if I've missed something).

If you accept my assessment of OS v3.5, then it follows that the apps that leverage the platform's core competency will not benefit from the APIs new to v3.5. If there is no benefit to writing _specifically_ for v3.5, it is unlikely that developers of "core" apps will risk writing apps that won't work on the Visor (and the IIIe and earlier non-upgradeable Palm devices).

This notion of the Palm platform's core compentency also bears on what really distinguishes the Visor from Palm devices - - the Springboard slot. This slot allows Handspring (or third parties) to extend the platform into areas beyond the platform's core compentency; and this is something that is only somewhat possible with Palm devices. Further, your investment in Springboard modules will be preserved as the Palm platform evolves, and Handspring ships new versions of the Visor (something that Palm devices can't even dream of matching).

If the preceding paragraph was too abstract for you, try these two contrasting scenarios:

Today you can attach a Palm III or V to a keyboard (but you could not use the same keyboard on a III and V). Your options for checking your work with an on-line dictionary are nil. If you wished to e-mail the file you just finished working on (without syncing), you would probably want to compose the message, disconnect from the keyboard, attach a modem (which you also could not use on both a III and a V), and send your message. In two years, when you upgrade to a Palm IX (hypothetical name), you will probably have to buy a new keyboard and modem (because Palm has finally seen the light, and gone native with USB support). Note that the availability of a dictionary is unknown as it would depend on the amout of RAM the OS supports (because you would have to load the whole darn thing into RAM).

Today the above could not be done with a Visor. In the near future, you will be able to type that message on a keyboard, check your work with a Springboard module that contains an on-line dictionary, pull the dictionary module out and slap a modem into the Springboard slot, and shoot your e-mail (with attached file) out to your ISP. You can go right back to working on another file, because you have never unhooked from the keyboard. Two years from now, when you buy your new Super Visor Pro (hypothetical name), your keyboard and Springboard modules are still usable with the Super Visor Pro.

If expansion matters to you and if you can live with the uncertainty of exactly when the announced Springboard modules will ship, then I don't see how you can ignore the Visor. If not, then you are down to deciding on the basis of other less fundamental factors that differentiate Visors from Palm's devices (color cases, color screens, USB, size, cost, etc.).

As soon as a keyboard and a modem are available, some people could get by indefinitely on just a Visor Deluxe (maybe even a Visor) and the backup module! This is a feat that can not be duplicated with any other handheld on the market. While others have made this last point, it is worth repeating.

BTW, am I alone in wondering if a larger form factor Visor (something like 2xTall by 3xWide) would be the ultimate portable desktop replacement? No. Obviously it wouldn't be for everyone (myself included), but for many workers it would do . . .

[This message has been edited by yucca (edited 02-06-2000).] Thanks for edits help!

[This message has been edited by yucca (edited 02-07-2000).]

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Houston, TX, USA
Posts: 23

In the above, remove and replace Springboard Slot for Handspring Slot, Springboard Module for Handspring Module - but you knew that.

Great post! Very clear distinctions.

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Rob
[email protected]
http://www.tonerguy.com

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: I'm not sure, but I see lots of lights everywhere.
Posts: 1287

Excellent post Yucca,
This brings me to a point about the Palm I have saying for a long time. And that is this: If Palm doesn't move their OS from being an Organizer to full function multimedia environment, they are doomed to be crushed by Microsoft!

I love the Palm! In fact I carry a Palm Vx. But Microsoft is clearly ahead of it's time with many features in the upcoming Pocket PC. The only things that have held Palm-Size PCs back so far have been a poor interface, out of range price, and no compelling devices.

That may change with what Microsoft has just around the corner.

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Kansas City
Posts: 18

Excellent, excellent explanation, Yucca! In fact, I vote that we copy the text of your message over to the FAQ area for newbies to check out!

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 242

quote:

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Originally posted by foo fighter:
Excellent post Yucca,
This brings me to a point about the Palm I have saying for a long time. And that is this: If Palm doesn't move their OS from being an Organizer to full function multimedia environment, they are doomed to be crushed by Microsoft!.....

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Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 434

While I share Mark's sentiments, I disagree with his examples. You can effectively browse the web with Lynx, a text only web browser for desktop (and larger) systems. Yes. Some sites won't work with Lynx (at least until I find their de-Jazzied alias). I browse "canned web content" daily via AvantGo and iSilo, and don't see the Palm's screen size as a big problem for this purpose. Heck! I'm even reading novels without any discomfort or inconvenience. The ability to grab information off the web anywhere and anytime is useful. I would agree that a PDA only portal to the web would be too limiting.

re: the Palm keyboards
The keyboards enhance the utility of the Palm for those who are willing to tote the keyboards.

The point that I would make is this - - support for the above activities need not come at the expense of the Palm's core purpose. While I agree that the Palm VII crosses the line (I would have to give up existing functionality to use the device), similar capability on a Visor would not cross the line. In the case of the Visor, the functionality would come in the form of a Handspring module, and no harm would come to those who don't want to incur any penalties associated with it. The same is true with keyboards. Their addition to one person's kit does nothing to harm a user who wants nothing to do with keyboards.

A better example with a negative impact is color. This is potentially dangerous on two fronts. First, there is a good chance that at least a few apps that work just fine on non-color Visors will be written in a way that leverages color at the expense of the existing user base. If nothing else, developers may feel compelled to use it; and this will, at best, slow the development of applications (optimizing an app to support both color and b/w).

More importantly, the move to support color signals that Palm believes it can't be competitive by sticking to what has traditionally made it successful. I know very few people who carried color pens for use with a paper day planner. The inconvenience did not outweigh the benefits of color. Why would anyone assume that the rules are different just because the day planner is electronic? Yes. My arguement fails if the screen is easier to read in proportion to any loss in battery life, increase in cost, and any increase in size or weight.

The situation is even worse if Palm arrived at this decision because they believe that CE has established color as a check-list "must have" item. OTOH, if the IIIc is a trial ballon designed to determine just how many people will accept the limitations that it imposes, it is possible that an orderly transition will occur. For I have no doubt that someday color will be the only choice on a Palm device, and I have no doubt that someday we will have a higher resolution screen. I just hope that the latter occurs before the former.

[This message has been edited by yucca (edited 02-09-2000).]

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: "Children are a gift from God, they are a reward"
Posts: 1049

Execellent Post!
This is so much better than " My PDA is better than your PDA". PDAs are moving into the hands of the general public at an exciting rate. I'm sure we will see many more experiments in form and function as companies try to capture their share of the market. I personally think that its a pretty boneheaded move on Palms part to try to compete with Wince PDAs (if thats what they're trying to do) by adding color to their mix. A good analogy would be the winning marathon runner switching his training style to match the training style of the guy he already has a history of beating. Now if Palm has some stratagy up its sleeve that we, and it seems any one else, doesn't know about- this may prove to be a good move. Another analogy (from true life) might be the six figure Luxury Volkswagen sedan (yes VW) that has been bandied about. My point being that simply because you can design a higher priced product(but with less sales volume) to compete with other higher priced products, should you?
Palm OS (and the Visor) PDAs serve different users than Wince PDAs. It seems that more new users are attracted to the Palm platform. The Visor seems poised to serve that need because of the inherent flexibility and customizable nature of the Springboard slot platform. Color screens, while "cool" will not really have an effect on that- just like the Palm Vs small form factor (and resulting small memory) aren't going to make an impact on present day, and near future, use of the more flexible Visor (and TRG) Palm derivitives. They're just sexy new sports cars that most people won't buy, because they won't fill the needs that most people have. Visors are more like SUVs or minivans.

Michael Walters
"Trying to change someone elses' mind is like trying to teach a pig to sing, it frustrates you and annoys the pig."

[This message has been edited by BobbyMike (edited 02-11-2000).]

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

Previous comment:
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If Palm doesn't move their OS from being an Organizer to full function multimedia environment, they are doomed to be crushed by Microsoft!
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Why would I want a "full function multimedia environment" in a PDA device?

I have yet to see a compelling reason to ever use a Windows CE device. It has "all the functionality of Windows" (if there is such thing as "funtionality" in Windows ) in a device with a 4 inch screen, which ultimately reduces the actual functionality of the device.

I absolutely love the Palm OS. It's simple, clean and does everything I need to do with a great tap-screen interface. There are a LOT of things that I would do to improve the usability of the interface, but "multimedia" enhancements really won't make it any more USEABLE. In fact, I really don't even see a color screen as a significant useability enhancement.

As a previous post mentions, if I want the usefulness of an actual computer OS, I'll break out my laptop or Powerbook. If I want the convenience of a small device, with software optimized for such a device, I'll use my PDA.

Microsoft has not seen this. Palm (and Apple, for that matter) have. Microsoft's "lets take Windows and smash it into a dinky device" is just blind arrogance. They didn't fully think through the reasons of why a person uses a PDA. I think they've already lost the first round of the PDA war.

Just some more comments for debate...