Registered: Feb 2001
Location:
Posts: 138

Re: Maybe they forgot where they came from?

quote:

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Originally posted by Traveliter

*sniff* I've been SUCH the HS evangelist, too. This is disheartening. I've been a proud non-Palm owner but I am willing to switch if they are going to abandon me.

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Registered: Mar 2001
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 71

Whoa! I just read the news at lunch on VC's Avango channel & look how quick the topic grew! Here's just a couple of points, comments/questions if someone could educate me:


1. Sure the Treos look nice, but how durable are they? Can your PDA or communicator take the same abuse as a mobile phone?

2. Isn't it still a little too expensive (at least for me) to buy a Treo unit & maintain a service contract for HS to make a radical announcement like: "...Handspring eventually plans to stop making traditional organizers, focusing solely on wireless "communicator" devices."

3. Can we hope that Springboard developers are assuming that the expansion slot won't be abandoned in future HS products? How about the consumers who have invested in modules...won't they feel left in the cold by HS?

Shouldn't HS have made some mention of the Springboard slot in this announcement? Just wondering...

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"This world is totally Fugazi." -Fish (Marillion)

Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 2

If I were a hardware developper I would be scared of developping a Springboard module by such a broad and vague statement! That is bad news for all of us who own Visors - no more expansion... Might as well buy a plain Palm 105 if that happens.

Registered: Dec 2001
Location: WoodStock,GA
Posts: 7

Ok with all else mentioned, I guess everyone else can afford the monthly fee of the wirless service, but personly i think its a rip off, so many minutes for exstravagent amounts of money NO thanks.. when you can get unlimted usage for 30 dollars or under a month, then i will find these wirless divices appealing but not untill then...Steve

Registered: Dec 2001
Location: Holly Springs, NC
Posts: 124

I may be showing my ignorance here... and I do not fully adopt this idea... Palm delayed the i705 (and now apparently the model has a T instead of an i) and now Handspring is going to push the Treo and eventually phase out the Visor line. I remember hearing about a possible Palm/Handspring merger... could these be moves by the two companies to start to specialize in two different markets, so the merger could be smoother?

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"Take me where my future's lyin', St. Elmo's Fire." - John Parr

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

I was afraid of this when I said the SB slot was going bye-bye after the Treo announcement.

I guess it comes down to one thing for me.

When my wife signed up for her new cell phone account we groused about having to pay $39 for a phone when signing up for SunCom service

I remember saying "They should give these things away if you're going to give them $70/month - I'm only paying $99/month for my S-10 pickup lease"

But after a few minutes of trepidation I was thrilled to fork over my $400+ bucks for my prism.

It may do more things than a typical cell phone, but they're playing with the real big boys now. If they think Sony was tough, wait until Nokia gets ahold of them. Phones will always be disposable in my mind.

Cash out your stock now boys, I'm thinking the light at the end of this here tunnel is an oncoming train!

Hmmm.....

Now as Yorick might say...

To Clie, or not to Clie that is the question!

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Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 1571

Re: No more "traditional " devices.

quote:

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Originally posted by T. Lewis
Handspring may be missing the point. There are two markets here. Some people want a convergence device / communicator. I want a more powerful pocket computer to eventually replace most of my laptop functions. If I can stick a CF card in it and access the internet, great but its never going to replace my very small cell phone. It looks like Sony or a PPC device like the new Toshiba are headed in the direction I want to go, a true pocket computer not a souped up cell phone.

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Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 1571

Disagree

quote:

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Originally posted by foo fighter


The problem is, they are now competing with a much broader spectrum. Palm, Sony, and Microsoft to a lesser extent, have soundly beaten them in the PDA space. But now they are facing the might of Nokia, and that's a game Handspring is sure to lose. When it comes to mindshare in mobile wireless products, consumers think Nokia first before any other vendor. Treo will never hold up against the truly innovative devices coming from Nokia, Sony-Ericsson, Motorola, and Microsoft's Stinger partners.

It's sad, but I see this as a no win scenario for HS.

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Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 1571

Re: I'm wondering....

What is the difference between your Visor Neo when you got it and now? Springboard development have dried up for some time.

I think Handspring decided to exit the PDA arena when they realize they cannot compete wih the almost monthly release of new devices by Sony. Sony is the reason why there was no color unit last year.

I for one will be shelling out the $400 USD to get the Treo. This is exactly what I was looking for when I bought my first Visor..Wireless... Now i can just carry one device instead of two or three or five (if you count all the springboard modules).

quote:

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Originally posted by bwohlgemuth
I'm wondering when HS made this decision? I doubt they had a board meeting yesterday morning and Dub made the announcement that quickly. This has to have been something that has been in the works for months. You don't abandon a core business unless you do tons and tons of study into it.

Bottom line, they are abandoning a bunch of users and developers to probably try to save the company. If you own HS stock, I'd be looking at selling it. I don't think the Treo is going to be THAT big of a step forward in PCS services. Hell, I won't push out the $200 for the SprintPCS Phone right now (in a recession). Why the hell do these guys think that I'm going to dump $400 on a cell phone & PDA combined?

I really wish I would have heard about this before I bought my new Neo just after Christmas. Maybe Best Buy will take it back and I'll grab myself a Clie....

B

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

quote:

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Originally posted by Tonewiz2k
[BI remember hearing about a possible Palm/Handspring merger... could these be moves by the two companies to start to specialize in two different markets, so the merger could be smoother? [/B]

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If Hawkins hadn't ridiculed Palm at Comdex for their managerial problems, I would be all over this...

heck, it's probably the funnest piece of rampant speculation since this whole thing started, WTG!

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

Woo Hoo, Slashdot finally accepted one of my stories!

"Handspring Delays Treo, Plans To Drop Organizer Line"

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=...ted&threshold=2

of course, as most /. PDA stories do, it has devolved into a PPC vs. Palm rant...

...and yes, I'm "backlonthethird," it's an old D&D name...

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Plant City, FL
Posts: 385

quote:

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Originally posted by volcanopele
PIT, the maker of the Memplug, for example is selling their PiDirect software to Clie, Sony, and Palm users with PiBackup to be available to them soon. I would not suprised if Kopsis does the same kind of thing.

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I can't speak for other Springboard module makers, but for about the last six months we've been operating under the assumption that there would be no new devices with Springboard slots. The Neo/Pro actually surprised me at first, but when it gets down to it, they're not really new devices.

Luckily for Kopsis, the core of our business is (and always has been) engineering services. The FlashAdapter is a "sideline" that exists mainly because I wanted one The great thing about being an engineer is that if you want something bad enough and it doesn't exist, you just go make it yourself I'm thrilled that so many people have found the module that we designed useful and developing and maintaining the software has been a lot of fun. For that very reason, we'll continue to support our FlashAdapter customers (probably long after the last Springboard slot equipped Visor has rolled off the assembly line).

But let's not forget that Handspring sold a lot of Visors. Gradually those machines will break and be discarded, but most will remain in service for at least a couple more years. Even when PDA fanatics dump their Visors for a new shiny toy, the old one ends up in the hands of someone that wants to do real work with it. The FlashAdapter does a lot to help keep old Visors usable, so I think we'll continue to see interest in those type of products for quite some time.

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<ul><li>Dave Kessler<br>President - Kopsis, Inc.</li></ul>

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Nebraska- the Good life
Posts: 695

quote:

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Originally posted by dkessler
[B

But let's not forget that Handspring sold a lot of Visors. Gradually those machines will break and be discarded, but most will remain in service for at least a couple more years. Even when PDA fanatics dump their Visors for a new shiny toy, the old one ends up in the hands of someone that wants to do real work with it. The FlashAdapter does a lot to help keep old Visors usable, so I think we'll continue to see interest in those type of products for quite some time. [/B]

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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Seattle
Posts: 5

I was disappointed as well at first. My Visor Deluxe has seen better days and I was holding out for a better, rechargable, color Visor, which doesn't appear to be happening now. I wound up purchasing the Pro when the price dropped this week.

I think it's probably a good move for Handspring, but I feel a little abandoned because there is no springboard in the Treo and no mention that they are going to incorporate that technology in upcoming communicators. One of the main reasons I got the Visor in the first place was for the Springboard expansion slot. I would think that Handspring wouldn't "punish" existing Visor owners by abandoning that functionality altogether, but I guess we'll have to wait and see...

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 248

Boy is my new 760C pretty! I've got the MP3 functionality I love in my Jornada, and the simplicity of a Palm = Happy Camper.

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Houston
Posts: 6

So, everybody is bailing out, eh? What a bunch of wussies...

If HS stopped making organizers tomorrow, they'd only be easy to get for about ten to fifteen years more. What IS the problem, folks?

I think Ms. D will look at the balance sheet and keep some organizers, anyway. So far, she's just jawing. Use. Enjoy.

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Happy trails,
Bill

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

quote:

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Originally posted by jeantrot
If I were a hardware developper I would be scared of developping a Springboard module...

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Norton, MA
Posts: 4

Nuncio also exiting Handspring line of products...

I don't understand why people think a PDA is the same as a PC. It is not, that was not the intention. I guess they'll be losing most of their market because college students (as well as most people) won't want to put down $500 for a device just to check their schedule, or look up a phone number. If you really must have constant communications, then don't leave home and stay on the phone all day. I can't imagine needing to browse the web while driving. It's bad enough now with more accidents being caused by cell phone use.
So, if I reallly think I need the power of a PC and the mobility of a handheld, then I'd get a laptop.

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Nuncio Bitis
Norton, MA

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1 2 was 1 2
Whenever 1 1 1 1 race,
1 2 1 1 2.
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Registered: Jan 2001
Location:
Posts: 16

Your Visor hasn't lost functionality.

Hey guys,
This isn't the end of your Visor. It still works the same as it did before the announcement was made.
It only means that springboards and keyboards will be cheaper for those of us who choose to ride our Visors into the ground.
I was impressed with the Treo when I first saw it but if there's no expansion slot, I don't want it.
Put a springboard slot on it and I'll consider it - when my Visor bites the dust.

Registered: Jul 2001
Location: Providence, RI
Posts: 78

People here are complaining about not needing wireless features and jumping ship to Sony and PocketPC because they are remaining "true" to the original PDA ideology.

I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade... but Sony and all the PocketPC manufacturers are planning on integrating wireless capabilities into all of their future models. The era of the "dummy" disconnected PDA is coming to an end soon. Handspring is just switching emphasis so that it can be a pioneer when this new market booms.

I'd rather have a color Treo 270 than my grayscale (aka boring) Visor Deluxe. I'll hold onto my Deluxe for a while until Handspring begins to produce wireless connected PDA's that are light, good formfactor, and integrated antenna. I don't want my PDA to be my phone necessarily. But I wouldn't mind having my PDA connected to the world. The only example I can point to is the Palm VII, but only a lot better designed.