Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 10

Response from Handspring

I received this response from Rita Sharma at Handspring this morning. I think that it takes a bit of the gloom off the subject, even though it isn't as strong a message as I would have hoped for.

From Handspring's point of view I can understand that if the market dissapears then they would have to stop producing Visors. I don't think that has happened and it sounds like, at least for the moment, that Visors are going to be produced for a while at least.

Brian Lane
Lead Programmer
Shine Micro
http://www.shinemicro.com


"Hi, Brian

I have received this email through a few sources. I would like to clarify our company's position on the Visor line. Today we are actively producing Visors and there are no current plans to stop building Visors. Handspring plans to continue to do so as long as it represents a good market opportunity. We are consolidating our line to a few key products: Visor Pro, Visor Neo and Visor Edge.

We appreciate your support of the platform. As we make decisions around the life of Visor, it would help to understand your business needs to support your produuct. It is important to remember the we have a robust installed base and continue to sell the Visor products into the market. We believe that Springboard modules could be successful keeping these dynamics and a feasible business model in mind. Please feel free to contact me for additional information.

Best,

Rita Sharma
Business Development Manager
Handspring
189 Bernardo Avenue
Mountain View, CA 94043-5203"

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: washington, dc
Posts: 82

I got a similar reply from Public Relations

from Brian Jaquet, head of Public Relations: (his name and email are on the HS website). He said "no plans _today_ for discontinuing Visor," but he did not say, for example, "we'll continue to provide a platform for Springboards."




Subj:RE: abandoning springboards?
Date:1/17/02 9:47:44 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: [email protected] (Brian Jaquet)
To: [email protected]

Steve,

Thanks for your note. We appreciate your concern about the statement made by our CEO, Donna Dubinsky.

Handspring has no plan today for discontinuing Visor. It is clear though that over time, communicators will represent the majority of the market, and this is where we see the greatest opportunity for Handspring. This is a long-term vision for the company, not an immediate plan of action, though we are focusing most of our innovation on communicators and consolidating our Visor line to a few key products: Visor Pro, Visor Neo and Visor Edge. In the long run, communicators will dominate our product line.

I have been checking the boards and have seen some of the discouraging remarks presented. Obviously there are passionate users out there who appreciate what we have done with Visor and Springboard and are now making their opinions known.

Please let me know if you have further questions.

Regards,
Brian

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Them Twin Cities
Posts: 1758

Re: Response from Handspring

Wow, thanks for that, let's pick it apart...

quote:

---

Handspring plans to continue to do so as long as it represents a good market opportunity.

---

[/b]
...and not a moment longer?

quote:

---

We are consolidating our line to a few key products: Visor Pro, Visor Neo and Visor Edge.

---

something missing? Prism? does that mean there's a new one, or that they've finally given up on color?

quote:

---

We believe that Springboard modules could be successful keeping these dynamics and a feasible business model in mind. Please feel free to contact me for additional information.

---

that sounds grim. "Could" be successful (meaning isn't...?), but only with a "feasible business model in mind"... hm....

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Registered: Jan 2002
Location:
Posts: 8

No Prism in the Future

I contacted the Handspring PR department and received a similar message back. If you look at the =message carefully, it appears that the Prism is out of the picture.

Steve

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: washington, dc
Posts: 82

when is the fire sale on Prism?

yeah I noticed that too (no Prisms in the future). Donna's phone call reiterated that they were able to get rid of Deluxes (and Plats?) with not much excess inventory. If they have a firesale on Prisms, I may get one. (now $299 new/$229 refurb).

we just got a handcam, and it's pretty cool, although the pictures look pretty lame in b&w.

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

I just finished up a great phone conversation with Brian - a full article is pending...

the key points:

The Visor is NOT dead. Handspring will continue to make and focus it's three lines - Neo, Pro, Edge - though R&D of course will be down in that category.

They are continuing to produce the Prism, but will not focus on it. Do not expect a Prism II from Handspring...

I'll post a full article later today or tommorow (I have a swim meet from 5pm-10 and from 10am-5pm... so I'm bsuy this weekend )

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Registered: Jan 2002
Location:
Posts: 8

Okay, the Prism is dead.

If we want innovation on a Palm device we will have to select from Handera, Sony, or Palm (snicker, snicker). The only real choices are Handera or Sony at this point.

I wish someone would come up with an adapter to run Springboard modules via a CF or Mem Stick slot. I really wanted to stick with the Handspring line and move up to a high res color model within the next year.

Oh well, probably another "Win" for Microsoft unless Palm comes back with some serious multimedia extensions. Hopefully the purchase of BeOS was more than a tax write off.

Steve

Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Silicon Valley, California
Posts: 173

C'mon! How much could it POSSIBLY cost to put 16 MB of RAM into the Prism???? That would AT LEAST be a compromise!

Registered: Aug 2001
Location:
Posts: 383

Yeah i don't think it should be too hard to throw in 16MB with a Deluxe Form Factor to make people happy.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: New York, New York
Posts: 560

So the prosm line is dead. That doesn't mean color devicdes from handspring are dead. Does it?

They are still coming out with a color treo.

I thought they said the edge was a mistake?

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Felipe Garcia
Happy Treo 600 user, so far. Thanx Cingular for having an unlocked phone.

My Treo 600 is my phone, my PDA, my watch, and my MP3 player. Oh yeah, I take a picture once in a while with it. Convergence is such a great thing.

Registered: Sep 2000
Location:
Posts: 107

Could it be a case of "six of one, half a dozen of another"?

I mean, if they DO release new models that are mere updates to existing ones (much like the Neo/Pro were updates to the Deluxe/Platinum), there's no real reason that color couldn't be one of those updates, is there?

I mean, a derivative of the Visor Edge with color is still a derivative of the Visor Edge, isn't it?

A 16mb color Pro is still a version of the Pro, right?

Or does it mean that the Neo, Pro, and Edge are the last Visors we'll ever see? Sure, there'll still be Visors around and being sold by HandSpring, but they'll no longer be any NEW Visor models created, is that how it is? Has there been any direct absolute answer to that question?

If I want a device with viewable color indoors and out, are my only PalmOS choices now the m505 and the Clies?

*sigh*

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