Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 33

Vague Handspring wireless update

The Industry Standard reports here that in the earnings call yesterday, Dubinsky confirmed that there will be news on an integrated wireless device by the end of the year. No other important details for now, as HS is following their usual tactic of keeping tight-lipped on specifics until just before launch.

We all know these deadlines tend to become flexible as they get closer, but it's nice to know that something wireless is coming relatively soon. Five months isn't too far away...

Jeff

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

I just wonder what "before the end of the calendar year" really means -- just in time for Christmas or earlier? It seems like September/October has been Handspring's preferred time for announcing new products. Besides, I am itching for an upgrade and don't want to wait five months!

I wonder if there are more price cuts on the way, given the news about unshipped inventory mentioned in the article? I could be talked into an early upgrade to a cheap Prism instead of a wireless unit.

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BertBert
Mark 12:28-31

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

Visor's recent price cuts seem to indicate that yes, a major new model is on the way and that there will be a new version of the visorphone. The fact that they expect their margins to increase by that much in December indicates that what ever they are going to come out with they believe that it is a doozy and feel strongly that it will pull them out of this slump. So the next model will not be a simple, form-factor model update like the Edge but something bigger. At least in their minds anyway. A Visor with a built in wireless modem and maybe a phone as well? I think it would be great to have a Visor thats in color, has Edge's form-factor, springboard, and a built-in modem/phone. I would buy it if I had the 500-550 dollars they are probably going to charge for it.

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

quote:

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Originally posted by volcanopele
I would buy it if I had the 500-550 dollars they are probably going to charge for it.

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BertBert
Mark 12:28-31

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

Originally posted by volcanopele:
Visor's recent price cuts seem to indicate that yes, a major new model is on the way and that there will be a new version of the visorphone. The fact that they expect their margins to increase by that much in December indicates that what ever they are going to come out with they believe that it is a doozy and feel strongly that it will pull them out of this slump. [...]

Also, don't forget that their margins have to be affected by how much they've been growing. Establishing their product over the globe is surely not cheap. Once they're established, this would help margins out as well.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 434

I've been saying this for years, but I still maintain that the proper price for the average PDA user is under US$300. Perhaps that's changing with the popular PocketPC $500 machines, and the upscale Palm 505's marketing to executive types, but I still don't see the point of spending that kind of dough for such a device.