Registered: Nov 2001
Location:
Posts: 4

future of springboards

Just wanted to hear some of your thoughts. From wht handspring has been releasing, it seems like they are giving up on springboards. For example look at the new Treos - no springboard slots. And the Edge - I believe it uses normal springboard slots with some adaptor thing. Also a lot of the ppl I know who have handsprings don't own any modules. Anybody have any ideas whats gonna happen to springboard slots? I've invested a bit of money into modules expecting that they would be kept in future models and I'd hate to not be able to use my modules with the latest and greatest. Thanks for your opinions. -btw, the sony's are looking really good these days, no?

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 34

This is the exact reason I just upgraded from my DLX to a PRO. I started to get very cold feet regarding the future of the springboard slot, and I realized I had too much invested in it. So I got what I thought was the best machine HS had to offer, since I don't think there's going to be another with the springboard.

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

Springboard Battle Lost

I suspect that Handspring lost the Springboard battle when "the industry" failed to get on board with the concept and provide Handspring with a licensable accessory line. Hawkins and Co. must have been thinking that Palm, Sony, Targus, etc. would line up to license the concept...and that never even came close to happening.

It seems the only modules that are (consistently) affordable are those offered at firesale prices by companies that are exiting the PDA space "stage left".

Maybe if Handspring had invested early on (when their market cap was over a billion dollars) in making their own modules AFFORDABLE they would have had something...they instead placed their hopes in third-party developers who never realized the margins they needed to be truly successful.

Oh well. I dig my OmniRemote.

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

My Springboards will last a long time, as I'm perfectly happy with my Visor. On the other hand, Springboards (or Visor's in general) won't last very long at ALL in Miradu's hands.

Registered: Jul 2001
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 366

To be perfectly honest, I am not sure how long the Springboards will last. By no means do I think they are dead. As long as Handspring sells Visors with a springboard slot, the springboard will not die. But it is certainly not the success as hoped.

However, despite this gloomy outlook, I love my Memplug, I love my Eyemodule2. They are what is going to keep me from selling my Platinum when I get a new handheld next summer and it ends up not being a Visor (either a Clie or a Treo).

Jason

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Registered: May 2001
Location: Chicago
Posts: 236

Like i say the Springboards are sprung...hahahaha i make myself laugh.
Well i think the only way that the springboards will spring again, (i am so funny), only if HS comes out with a new color PDA or some kind of WOW visor.
It seems that thats not going to Happen.

THANKS ALOT TREO

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Misplaced Canuck in Charleston SC
Posts: 257

Considering that just about every new PDA being released has some sort of expansion capability, I don't think the springboard is dead. Just beacause Handspring released a smartphone without expansion doesn't mean they're dumping the springboard. Treo is a phone that has PDA capabilities. Who wants a phone that you make bigger with added modules when just about every new generation of phones is getting smaller?

Seems to me that compared to SD or memstick, the springboard is a very versatile expansion option. How many non-memory SD or memstick options are available now? Sure, there's a memstick camera, but AFAIK, it's still hasn't been released. There are supposedly more coming, but are they here now? Last I heard the much vaunted SD slot is still waiting for a firm I/O specification so it 's still not useful for anything other than memory.

Look at Handera. They've got a CF slot in addition to SD, but what kind of CF cards can you actually use with it? I have to admit I don't actually know the capabilities of Handera's CF slot because I haven't looked into it.

I think Handspring needs to push the springboard even more. We've already got a whole slew of *different* springboards out there ranging from the practical (modems, phones, GPS) to the somewhat outlandish (Brainwave, massage module). And they're available NOW. Not later waiting for some consortium to diddle around and come out with specifications. And I'm sure there will be more to come in the future.

This is the time for Visor owners to support the Springboard slot even more now!

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 58

I think a lot of people who rushed out and bought Visors early on (like when you could only order direct from Handspring) wrote the Springboard off when they saw the prices of many of the first Springboards to ship; $130 for the Handspring modem, $150 (or was it $199 originally?) for the Eyemodule, $299 for the Minijam, etc...

The HS backup module was out then, too, and only $40, but people bought into Handspring's 'Infinitely Expandable' hype and wanted 'cool' modules as opposed to practical, utilitarian ones. A lot of people balked when Springboards coming onto the market were costing more than the Visor itself.

Over the last year Springboard prices seem to be coming down - aside from the ones that are being discontinued and sold at fire sale prices, relatively inexpensive modules like the Memplug have started showing up... if its $99 pricetag holds true, I think the Handcam will probably represent what many people (including me) originally expected in a Springboard in terms of cost/feature ratio.
It does seem as though the Springboard standard never caught on the way Handspring expected it to, which is probably why they shifted their attention to the Treo. I don't think they're intending to abandon Springboards, but right now all of their eggs are in the Treo's basket, so to speak... if the Treo is a big hit, maybe they'll pump some money back into the Visor line. If Treo is a big flop, Handspring is in deep sh*t, and the Springboard standard may disappear along with the company's assets.

:::sigh:::

I remember thinking Handspring was going to take over the world when I started poking around their web site almost two years ago. I hope they can pull off some good things with the Treo!

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Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Greenwood, IN
Posts: 125

The problem with springboards is that the affordable ones are not useful, and the useful ones are not affordable. The only exceptions I have seen are the some of the memory-oriented modules like the MemPlugs and Backup moduels, and as Keefer pointed out, the modules being sold off because the companies are going out of business. I would also make an exception for the ThinModem, since I would expect to pay in the neighborhood of $100 for a small modem like that. But when you look at some of the modules that you would think would be sub-$75-- like the Audible Advisor, which has very limited functionality and requires a monthly service fee to get the books -- you end up paying twice as much or more. Or the Personal Massager -- which hands-down is the most absurd module yet -- ends up costing $100. Even the games are expensive, although I think computer games in general are expensive.

I think that the springboard slot is going the way of Beta in its competition with VHS. The springboard not a bad idea -- it certainly makes the Visor the most flexible PDA out there in terms of expandability, since you can get an adaptor for CF, SD, or Memory stick. But the choices that are available just haven't balanced out utility with affordability, and "the industry" just hasn't gotten on board. As with Beta, there will probably always be a cadre of loyalists who use springboard-enabled devices above all else, but I think the rest of the industry is going to move elsewhere.

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Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Bonn, Germany
Posts: 55

I think the springboard will die, but is not yet dead, because handspring isn't pushing/marketing it enough.

At first this made good sense, because they didn't have very good modules for good prices.

Now we are starting to see some really useful stuff, cheap modems, several wireless options that have some if not overwhelming advantages over the alternatives. Memory expansion modules are great, but mostly for power users.

I think the springboard module might live on in niche market territory.

It shouldn't be that expensive for HS to keep its Pro and Neon Form Factor running and just updating it periodically, maybe with a better screen, keyboard, or the typical more memory/faster processor stuff.

I think the visor could still be pushed on enterprises quite a bit, mostly in the more applied settings.

The springboard offers a much better interface to the palm than serial or USB, and some things, such as barcode scanners, data collectors, etc, combined bluetooth/barcode readers, etc. are probably most efficiently implented on visor.

So that is where I see a niche market. A company essentially contracts somebody to build a palm based app and a springboard modules in the hundreds or lower thousands and then utitilizes them in house.

I think the treo will be a hit for the mainstream iff hs can land some good nationwide service plans and buddy up with sprint and/or other carriers to offer some sort of $99 or $150 plus contract offer.

just some pondering

-kg

Registered: Nov 2001
Location:
Posts: 4

email from hs

I sent an email to handspring tech support and they said that they will continue to produce visors with the springboard slot. The Treo's are Treo's b/c they don't have the slot. What I want is a Hi-res color Visor Treo with an extra slot for cf memory. Doesn't that just make logical sense??? I'd pay a good chunk of $$ for it too. I think it doesn't make any sense to have memory expandable via the springboard slot. Look at your computers that you're on right now, there's dedicated slots for memory and separate connectors for peripherals. they should NOT be combined. Can anybody enlighten me as to why a dedicated memory slot was never incorporated into any of the HS's ? Sorry, I got off topic... I think i might spawn this memory slot question as a new thread.

Registered: Nov 2001
Location:
Posts: 4

Sony/MS is the springboard killer

just caught this article on palmgear:

http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_Story.asp?ID=2632

$165 for a super cool tiny gps module???

Sony has it's crosshairs set right on HS's forehead.

I think some innovative company needs to produce a Springboard that is a MS adaptor so that we can use all the cool and cheap Sony modules...

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 708

Re: Sony/MS is the springboard killer

quote:

---

Originally posted by sjpn
just caught this article on palmgear:

http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_Story.asp?ID=2632

$165 for a super cool tiny gps module???

Sony has it's crosshairs set right on HS's forehead.

I think some innovative company needs to produce a Springboard that is a MS adaptor so that we can use all the cool and cheap Sony modules...

---

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Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Nashville, TN USA
Posts: 125

I guess my question would be - is it possible to make a springboard module that's cheaper & better than a stand alone?

I've got one of those little Camera stick thinks that doubles as a webcam. I bought it for $50 bucks at a computer show. It has the same resolution as the eyemodule 2 and was significantly cheaper. Yes it has it's draw backs - 2 meg of memory and I can't view the images on the go. But I haven't convinced myself that there are 147 other drawbacks to make up the difference.

Theoretically it should be possible to make the springboard module cheaper than the standalone - you let the visor handle the program stuff and the module handle the hardware. But I think economies of scale blow this out of the water. There are a lot more people without handsprings then with.

I guess I'll have to wait and see. As soon as my visorphone contract runs out I'll use that as an excuse to consider replacing my prism (don't try and find logic in that!). I was looking at the Sharp Linux system & the Clie. I'll just have to see what's out this summer - and if the Treo gets better reception than the Visor Phone Module.

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Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 110

Size matters

I think the real problem with the Springboard slot is none of the above - it's that it simply makes the handheld too darn big. It just isn't possible to design a thin handheld with a bulky expansion slot, and that's the real reason that Palm itself never bought into the Springboard concept. Sure, the thin SD/MS slots do limit your expansion options a bit, but the great majority of the demand for expansion is for memory (or related uses like backup). That can easily be handled by a thin slot. That way, one handheld can satisfy both power users and regular folks, who of course form the great majority of buyers and avoid expansion modules like the plague. For those who want real add-on modules like cameras and GPS, those can plug into the hotsync connector - and it seems that Sony at least is now getting these things to use the MS slot. If one handheld satisfies all users, that saves the company a ton of money and means cheaper handhelds. I don't think HS will put out a truly new handheld (the Neo and Pro are, IMHO, just slightly tweaked Platinums) with a springboard slot, because who would buy a bulky handheld when it faces the Sony T415/600c at the same price point?

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

Another Option

One innovative option would be to integrate more of the hardware components of the popular modules (modem/communications module, camera, universal IR remote) on the circuit board of the PDA itself, sharing many of the associated costs of "expansion" among thousands of users. This would reduce the costs of third-party manufacturing and, at least in theory, allow modules to be delivered more affordably (even if the PDA cost a bit more).

I submit that one reason that the Springboard concept didn't take off (we could argue that it has actually failed) is that Handspring didn't carry enough of the PDA-side baggage in terms of hardware.

Registered: Oct 2001
Location: Silicon Valley
Posts: 66

They should come out with a springboard 2.0

It should compatible with smart media and be the size of a sd slot.
It should come with an adaptor which makes it backwards compatible with the original springboard.
Thus making a small form factor and expansion.

Just a thought

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Alabama, USA
Posts: 92

One of the few, the proud, a multi-springboard owner...

I seem to be one of the few in the crowd here at VC that thinks the Springboard was not a flop and actually provides many useful functions.

I do own quite a few springboards so I feel I can make that statement based on experience. One that I use daily is the now (FREE) VisorPhone module with my Prism. It's the most practical addition that I can see (today) for any Visor User who likes to call home from time to time. Before the VisorPhone, I would "Never" carry my NOKIA 6160 cellular phone with me because it was bulky and wouldn't fit in my pocket. I would carry my PDA but not both. When I heard about the VisorPhone, I rushed out (yes, early adopter at the full price I might add) and bought one. I've been using it for about a year now (give or take a few months) and I couldn't see going back to any PDA that can't operate as a phone. I've used it in Italy, Finland and all over the USA. Even out in the boonies, my phone (GSM I might add) has better reception than my NOKIA that wound up in the trash.

Friends can reach me, I can check e-mail at Work/Home and do just about anything I can do with my laptop remotely without having to lug around 40lbs.

Ok, so I initially stress the VisorPhone in this example. It's practical but will soon be relplaced with the TREO. I'm OK with that. The TREO is cool and I may own BOTH.

However, I also like the Xircom Springport 802.11b adapter. It was costly initially, but I've picked one up on Ebay now (NEW I might add) for about $120, some go for less today. I can walk anywhere on my lot (about 500ft. into my backyard) and browse the net, check e-mail or read the news while sitting under a tree watching my daughter and the dogs play. This unit is great, another example of a successful Springboard (yet retail price is agreeably too high).

So now what, just two modules? But no. The SoundsGood is another model of a great Springboard device. I use it frequently while jogging (with the EnergyClip) and when travelling on a plane, the VisorPhone is useless anyways so I, instead, pop in the SoundsGood and listen to some very clear tunes. A great device!

I also like the Memplug CF, Eyemodule2 ... I'll stop here.

With over 60 Springboard modules available, you can surely find one that suits a good many of your needs. Sure, I'd like them all combined in one unit too. Realistically, that's about 6-10 years down the road.

You won't see a product that boasts the following for another 10 years: 802.11b, MemPlug CF (w 1GB), BlueTooth, VisorPhone/TREO, Eyemodule4, EarthLink GPS and Muscle Massager. So, for today, I can pick what I want, when I want it. For me, the Springboard is not only a Success it's a heck of allot of fun.

I don't want to pee in your Cherios Jeff, but the Springboard was a brilliant concept and will be missed in the TREO. Perhaps a 2nd Generation with a smaller size is inorder?

Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 1571

quote:

---

Originally posted by Travis
I guess my question would be - is it possible to make a springboard module that's cheaper & better than a stand alone?

---

Registered: Mar 2001
Location:
Posts: 32

I think everyone here is missing what is really killing Springboard as an expansion option. It is not size, because Springboards are already smaller than a number of objects that people carry with them every day. People who think a Springboard is too big are just caught up in the PR BS of miniaturization competition. It is not price, because there are plenty of people willing to pay exorbitant prices for a good product. It is not even the competition, because no one else is even pushing their expansion slot to the extremes the Springboard slot is being pushed.

What is killing, or perhaps has already killed, Springboard is the fact that every Springboard released falls just short of being a perfect product. No matter how good the Springboard, it never fails that there is some overstatement by the manufacturer, or some limitation of the device, or some odd design choice that keeps it from being a "killer product." I don't know exactly why it is that the Springboard attracted so many flakey developers, but I have never before seen a technology so flooded with almost-useful products made by fly by night companies that are about as trustworthy as an ex-con.

Companies like Innogear, GeoDiscovery and many others are only half the problem. Then there are all the products made by companies that somehow fell just short of making a must have module. Modules that would be great if you could use them with your existing case, or modules that sounded nice until you realized that it just made up for a function other PDAs had built in that the Visor was lacking, or worse yet modules that are absolutely what you expected and wanted for the entire 10 minutes that they function before totally draining your batteries!

The fact is that what will be the death of Springboard is that if you doubt the advertised functionality of a Springboard module, you are probably wise. There is absolutely no reason for consumers to have faith in the Springboard technology, because up to now, it has been an unmitigated disappointment.

Don't get me wrong, The technical aspect of Springboard has lived up to what it was suppose to be, it is the design choices of the manufacturers that killed it, not the technology itself. I mean, who wants a two-way pager module that is bigger than a pager, or a phone module that is bigger than a phone. How many people got burned because a company released a product for sale in the beta phase? How many people rushed out to buy the first CF Memplug, only to now wish they had a unit in which the CF card would fit flush with the top of the Visor so you could use it with a hardcase? I think if Springboard dies, Handspring has no one to blame but themselves, because they did nothing to protect their customers from shoddy products, and snake-oil salesmen who were endorsed by Handspring. I don't expect any new technology to be without its rough spots and bad apples, but the entire Springboard market has been nothing but one big rough spot, and that is what is going to kill it.

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