Registered: Oct 2000
Location:
Posts: 31

I just received my copy of Yahoo Internet Life (Nov. 2000) in the mail today. On page
131, it appears to show the first photo of the new Handspring Visor Prism!

Take a look at:
http://staff.pop3now.com/alee/visorprism.html

The image appears in a article called "Talk to the hand!" by Rick Broida, the coauthor of How to Do Everything With Your Palm Handheld and How to Do Everything With Your Visor, so I think the image is real! Note the power switch is on the RIGHT side and not the left like regular Visors.

Registered: Feb 2000
Location: Moved to Clie Land
Posts: 331

COOL! Thanks for the look-see. Wish we could tell the thickness of the unit, but the only other difference I noticed was that the screen seemed to be placed more to the left. The BVDX I have has a wider case strip on the left side and it appears that this is reversed in the PRISM.

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"Stupid Handspring."

Registered: Sep 2000
Location:
Posts: 107

Does anyone else think this is real, or do you all think it may just be a mock-up?

The SimCity pic is the exact same one shown in the Handheld Computing (formerly Tap) July/August 2000 issue (pg 11). The only difference being that this Yahoo one seems to be missing the whole portion of the game's menu.

And while the Prism itself may be real (it could easily be a non-functioning unit that they just 'pasted' an existing game pic onto), it could also easily be a simple mock-up based on the existing Visor design. I mean, the whole thing looks like a 'mirrored' Visor (power button on other side, thick screen edge on other side, and TWO seeming microphone holes.

While I'm eager as everyone else to see a real Visor Prism (and to see what it's capable of), to me this just seems iffy. Anyone else?

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-Richard Powell

"Nice guys may finish last, but you know, the company's much better back here."

Registered: May 2000
Location: St. Paul, MN
Posts: 1429

HEHE WOW!!!

Awesome.. This is so cool. It looks kinda thick, and like an off-black color.. The resoloution looks SO much like it's above 160x160.. I guess 60,000+ colors REALLY make's a difference.

They really are advertising it as a game machine!
SimCity for Palm.. I can't wait.. I wish I had more money!

I really like the color of the graffiti area, a nice light purple. Pretty!!!.. Well hope for some more leaks asthe release date get's closer!

-miradu2000
It's HERE, well in picture it is

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: NJ
Posts: 517

At first it seems like they just flipped a picture of a Visor. But the strange part is that it appears to have two microphone holes in it. It isn't translucent either. From the picture it appears a great deal thicker than the current Visor, but hopefully it isn't as wide or tall (which is impossible to tell from the picture).

Registered: Feb 2000
Location: Moved to Clie Land
Posts: 331

but if they "flipped" it, the VISOR emblems and buttons would be mirriored...could still be a paste job but is definately NOT a stock BVDX. How in the world did you'all see the two microphones? Good eye!

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"Stupid Handspring."

Registered: May 2000
Location: Highland Mills, NY
Posts: 65

I am just as excited as the next one to get my hands on the new prism. However, I was somewhat dissapointed not to see a sleek earth shattering model, or at least a change in the appearance. I understand there still needs to be room for the springboard. But I would like to see a streamlined upgrade to the current visor.

just my 2 cents.

Marc

Registered: Apr 2000
Location:
Posts: 266

I agree with it being a good cut and paste job. The Visor itself looks like the image has been distorted to make it look thicker, but then it appears to not be as wide.

And as for the display, it looks like someone pasted that image onto it.

I'm as excited as anyone to see the new models, but I don't believe this to be it.

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Ryan Clayton
www.girlandgeek.com
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Registered: Oct 2000
Location:
Posts: 31

I could go either way on the image. I am almost 100% sure the color image was a cut-and-paste. Everyone does it -- it's extremely difficult to take photos of LCDs at an angle without any glare.

However, I am convinced this is the form factor of the Prism because it appears in a fairly credible magazine (Yahoo! Internet Life), and the article is written by a very credible Palm guru who I am sure has access to pre-release devices (or if the image was provided by the SimCity folks, they must have one for development).

Considering that official details about the Visor Prism are being released in about 8 days, and considering that the Yahoo! Internet Life is dated "November" (by then all NDAs will have expired), I think this is just a case of miscalculated timing.

My bets are it's real.

Registered: Oct 2000
Location:
Posts: 1

New Visor

in response to fmlydoc,

I would save that judgement for after you have seen the Handspring "Platinum"

They're suppossed to be releasing both a color AND B&W model. You'll notice palm's IIIc is also very conservative simply because of the bulk of the equipment inside.

I suspect the Platinum may be considerably more sleek, or at least altered in some manner.

Dave

Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Coppell, Texas
Posts: 64

Platinum

For one I am more interested in the Platinum, I don't need colr at this time so I think for me it would be a waste of money that I can spend on the 6pak and/or CDMA phone. I hope that one of y'all comes up with photos of the platinum.

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Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Kuala Lumpur
Posts: 247

I think it's a cut and paste job too. My reasons:
1. The On/Off button is on the right - there's no reason it has to be there - after all, if Handspring were to keep the same form factor as the Visor Deluxe (except fatter), then there's no reason to move the On/Off button at all. I believe that it was moved by the cut-and-paster just to make it all that much more believable.
2. This is purely conjecture, but I believe that the Visor Prism won't have just the word "Visor" on it - instead, it will probably have either the word "Prism" on it or even if the "Visor" was reused, it will probably be slightly different.
3. Since the Visor Prism is being touted as, I quote from the ZDNet article, "a gaming machine" (or something to that effect), the current configuration of the buttons is likely to be rearranged to allow for better handheld gaming - maybe in a slightly "V" arrangement.

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Tan Kit Hoong,
Star Publications (M) Ltd
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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Here
Posts: 213

It would make sense that the power button would be moved to the right side. Handspring will push the visor phone and if you are a right handed person whichholds the phone in left hand, you could access the power button more easily. I think the extra hole is either to improve "hands free" microphone operation with the visor phone. Just my guess.

Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Here
Posts: 213

More speculation from the picture, a microphone on each side is to accomodate the use of visor phone with right handed or left handed operation !

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Modesto, CA USA
Posts: 599

Here is my 2cents on the pic - looks like the case is real but the pic seems phony or pasted. As to the reason why the power button is on a different side etc. It probably has a much to do with the lithion ion battery and assembly procedures as anything else. You'd want to differentiate your product just slightly enough so that your assembly line would definitely be easier to manage.

The change in the thicker side on the right - well I don't know about everyone else but it makes more ergonomic sense to me. When holding a Visor my thumb usually rests parallel or along the left side with my fingers overlapping the right side. Now my fingers will be able to rest more comfortably knowing they won't be touching the screen.

Hey we can go on all night about the pics - when can I get one in my hands is the deciding factor.

AS a side note: Best Buy just lowered the price of the Palm IIIc to $299.99....getting ready for the Prism?

Albert - thanks for the pics not bad for a 2 Poster member.

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Moose Man
I may be from the LEFT coast but that's not the correct political view in my mind!

Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Paris
Posts: 66

well done but...

well done but...
it is too easy to make an image that could look like the visor prism
but yours surely can't be the visor Prism


please don't play with my emotion

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All about PDAs but especially for the Visor in french for the moment
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Registered: Oct 2000
Location:
Posts: 31

Just to remind everyone, I didn't make the photo or take the photo! This is as it appears in the magazine. The photo could have been a Photoshop job, but what would be the motivation? They could have just as easily used a Palm IIIc for the photo.

Registered: Feb 2000
Location: Moved to Clie Land
Posts: 331

As a righthanded Visor user, I would PREFER the power button on the right side. I usually use my stylus to turn it on in either the Vaja or Rhodiana case and I find I reach across the screen to do it. It's no big deal, but it would seem to be easier ergonomicaly to just rock my right thumb or punch to the right. This is a VERY minor detail, but it does make more ergonomic sense.

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"Stupid Handspring."

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Columbia, MO
Posts: 125

That photo is curiously similar to this one:

http://news.pdalive.com/pdalive070720091.html

in an article about the Japanese version of the Visor. Looks like it's the standard "new issue Visor photo."

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505 STI

Registered: Oct 2000
Location:
Posts: 31

PDALive took my photo w/o my permission

quote:

---

Originally posted by PaulD
That photo is curiously similar to this one:

http://news.pdalive.com/pdalive070720091.html

in an article about the Japanese version of the Visor. Looks like it's the standard "new issue Visor photo."

---