Registered: Not Yet
Location:
Posts: N/A

A piece in WIRED magazine say the true reason visor is taking the springboard road is to capitalize on the 15 - 20 year old market that grew up playing gameboys.
The visor, according to an inside company source, is seen as a natural extension of the use of gameboy catridges. A significant majority of springboard applications will be games. This is already evident in their first major push of Tiger Woods golf game software.
One evidence of this, is the Visor Solo. This unit is the cheapest and without hardware to sync with your desktop: a gameboy user would not need to sync to a desktop.
Another evidence of it being for this market is the visor's offering of its units in several colors, again a marketing ploy targeting high school students.

Also, Handspring is pushing for Visors to be in Target stores before the Christmas rush. After the initially rush of buyers, visor's price will settle down to $60. It is in springboard cards that Handspring intend to concentrate on. The cheaper the Visor, the more springboards they can sell.

[This message has been edited by V(eye)Sore (edited 10-18-1999).]

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Dayton, TN, USA
Posts: 66

You're cancelling your visor order because some high school kid might use a visor to play games? Does this make sense? What some high school kid does with his visor has no bearing on what I intend to use it for. At first, it'll be a great organizer. And when the "six-pack" springboard comes out, it'll be bye-bye home PC, except when I need to print out something fancy on my inkjet printer. The visor isn't just a toy unless you want it to be.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Rio Rancho, NM, USA
Posts: 129

Okay, let's take this one apart bit by bit...

First, why the heck would some kid pay $149 for a visor, in glorious B/W, when they can get a Color Gameboy for much less? Heck, they could even get a NEO for less!!

There is no 'inside source' regarding the springboard/gameboy connection. Hawkins himself said that the idea for the springboard came from him taking apart a gameboy.

While I think that Tiger Woods is a bit strange as your first major push, I can understand it. For one, just how many kids are actually playing golf games on their current systems? IMHO, the major purchasers of golf software is men, not boys.

Also, remember that only the Deluxe comes in multiple colors, not the Solo.

As for a significant majority of software for the Visor being games... well, isn't that the majority of software for the PC? I'm new to the Palm world, but I wouldn't be surprised if games aren't already one of the leaders of POS software.

If you got this information from Wired, they've really gone downhill... sad, sad, sad

Registered: Sep 1999
Location:
Posts: 4

I wish they will came out with Doom for visor :>>

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 24

Cancelling your Visor just because you might see a 14yr old using one? You'd better get a Palm Vx just to use as a status symbol, that's knda expensive for the younger crowd.
Personally, I don't care who I see using one, the only thing that matters is if the PDA fits my needs.
How do you figure that the majority of springboards will be games? Seems to me that there is only one game module available now and few (actually NONE) of the springboards I have seen in development are game related.
Your screwed up logic is shown again in your statement about colours. Only high school students will want coloured cases? Check out the "what colour did you order poll" and see for yourself...many people of all ages are sick of grey or black for hardware and chose colours. A coloured case does NOT make the unit juvenile, it's just for differing tastes (I myself am not fond of the coloured units but can see the need for people to choose their colour.)
By the way, it would not suck to see a 14 year old with a Visor...you see a snotty kid, I see a future developer or power user. That 14 yr old is probably more proficient with any hardware/software than you are.

[This message has been edited by JHromadka (edited 10-19-1999).]

Registered: Not Yet
Location:
Posts: N/A

I am cancelling mine because of 2 reasons:
1. The visor will be pushed and marketed towards a very young age group. Meaning, its applications and springboards will be mostly games and whatever it is high schoolers are into. No offense to HS students, its just that its been awhile since I got sent to detention!
2. I would hate to pull out my visor in a meeting, or in a company of adult friends and have everyone look at me as if I just pulled out a gameboy.
Why would they look at me like that? When the product is marketed as such and the primary users are kids, they will!!

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 24

Now I am curious as to what PDA you will be buying?
If you get a Palm product the applications will be IDENTICAL to those on the Visor...I wonder if they will gear those to HS students as well?

[This message has been edited by handsprung (edited 10-19-1999).]

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Dayton, TN, USA
Posts: 66

V(eye)Sore,

Your logic is so "stunning" that I don't even know how to argue with it.

[This message has been edited by bpowell423 (edited 10-18-1999).]

Registered: Not Yet
Location:
Posts: N/A

pal,
you cool, bro!
=)

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Plainview, NY
Posts: 116

To cancel because a "14 yr old" will use one is a little absurd. Did you sell your TV,because Barney and Teletubbies are big hits.
I am a grandfather of 6 . I ordered a Visor for my 14 yr old grandson. I also ordered one for my self (both blue). PS are you also selling your computer because they are teaching 3 year olds to use them.
:-}

------------------
Dave B (Grandpa Geek)"If it ain't broke, don't fix it yet!
BUT IF IT IS PLEEZ FIX"

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 17

I am a 14 year-old high school student, and I am insulted that you are saying that all we will be using the visor for is games, when I already am planning on buying the gps and the modem. I don't appreciate being steareotyped by people like yourselves.

Registered: Not Yet
Location:
Posts: N/A

To those not too happy with my post,
please read my reply to the "time magazine reviews visor"
Dont worry, its a totally civil and mature reply unlike yours.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Pittsburgh, PA USA
Posts: 12

Wiggy,
Just out of curiosity, why does a 14 year old need a GPS device? You don't drive and I can't imagine taking a Visor outside for extended periods of times on backpacking/hunting trips. Also, how in the world can a 14 year old afford a Visor/GPS springboard. Then again, how (and why) do 12/13 year olds have cell phones/pagers? Also, looking at the time of your post, shouldn't you be at school right now?

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Texan in Calgary for a while
Posts: 1361

I'm surprised that there are some people that would become insecure because they saw a teenager playing a video game on their Visor. There are hundreds of games out right now that can be played on a Palm organizer (and WinCE for that matter). What are you going to say when you see someone playing a game on one of those?

Truth be known there will be games for any computer that comes out. Sure there is a Tiger springboard, but there are also going to be reference and book springboards.

It is obvious that you do not like the look of the Visor (judging by your UBB id). I can understand you not liking the Visor's form factor, but don't understand why you ordered one in the first place.

BTW, I saw nothing mature in your other posting.

------------------
James Hromadka
VisorCentral.com
Personal Website: http://www.geocities.com/jehromadka

[This message has been edited by JHromadka (edited 10-18-1999).]

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 27

<sarcasm> I think veyesor (whatever) has a point...the 14 year olds really need the new advance features of the new datebook app </sarcasm>

I can't believe you changed your decision based on a Wired article...oh well, your loss; you are just TOO cool!

Registered: Sep 1999
Location:
Posts: 81

When I noticed what kind of people were reading "Wired" -- and taking it seriously -- I stopped buying it.

Registered: Not Yet
Location:
Posts: N/A

when I noticed what kind of people were
buying visor, I cancelled my order
and bought a palm V.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: New York, NY, USA
Posts: 7

I'm 23 years old, and I ordered a Visor Deluxe. I cant wait to get it so I can play games on it

Registered: Sep 1999
Location:
Posts: 81

When I noticed what kind of people supposedly cancelled their supposed Visor orders and continued to post comments in discussions about Visors, I stopped bothering to read their posts.



[This message has been edited by bearpaw (edited 10-18-1999).]

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Orlando, FL
Posts: 29

eye-sore (whatever)

If you don't like the visor or the people that like the visor, why do you continue to frequent this board? Obviously just to irritate people. Sounds like you are the immature one to me.

BTW - I stopped reading Wired articles, after I was sickened by their praise of the "artistic" virus hackers.