Registered: Mar 2001
Location: San Diego, California
Posts: 441

Here's my predictions on what the next visor will be:

Color screen that works better in sunlight

Re-Chargeable Li-Ion battery (A much better one than the prism's ;-) )

LED Alarm

Form factor no larger than VPL possibly somewhere near the Edge's form factor. HS has hinted at a color screen in the edge, they just weren't "happy" with it yet.

8mb memory, 16mb would make this a huge selling point

Fast lookup feature (from the edge)

Aluminum or some type of metal case

Palm OS 4.0

Internal Springboard, although I'd go for the piggy-back one if it meant being thin

Starting at about $449 and when it's announced a rebate offer on the Prisms


As I've said a few times before, I'm looking forward to seeing what this new Visor is and I'm praying that it's released in June. Somebody else mentioned on VC that he had noticed that VPR's have been showing up under $400 around the net so this may be an indication that these dealers are trying to move their stock of VPR's. New color visor soon?

Let me know what you think the features may be. (Not necessarily what you want your *dream* visor to be )

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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Aberdeen, SD
Posts: 2531

I agree with everything except OS 4 (and they'd keep 8MB, I'm fairly sure). I think they'll stick with 3.5.2 to suck as much life out of it as possible. Handspring doesn't spend money when it can get a large portion of the functionality using what they have (flash RAM comes to mind), and they're not going to waste developing resources optimizing a new OS, when their currently optimized OS would work just as well.

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-Joshua
Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Prison
Posts: 421

Ah...

Ah, if it's going to have the form factor, it's going to cost around the same as the M505. Handspring can either beat it by price or by features. I reccomend features.

1) Add Flash Memory. After owning a VDX and a Palm, I seriously Handspring simply needs to add the Flash memory, ESPECIALLY in the upper-end of the PDA class.

2) How 'bout one of them new-fangled soft silkscreens? With doodads like the eyemodule and other demanding things, a soft silkscreen would be MORE than welcome!

3) How about making that Microphone MORE than simply Vaporware? In fact, why not add some "real" Audio capabilities? Maybe not Mp3's, but how about the ability to record voices, and listen to them later? Handspring's not the company to do it, but hopefully someone is listening!

4) Well, I don't own an EDGE, so I can't say much about this, but why not create what I would call "dual expansion ports" instead of featuring one Springboard slot and the USB thingy where we hotsync. Both being the exact same and having the possibility Springboard adaptors. Why? For those of us with an EyeModule especially, we'd like to be able to have a memory card in at the same time while we shoot movies/photos from our Visor!


Well, those are my gripings.
And yes, Visors DO need Flash RAM.

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<b><font size=1 color=teal>"Sorry about the whole thing about losing your life savings, but that Palmpilot is property of Enron, so please give it back"

Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Aberdeen, SD
Posts: 2531

Re: Ah...

quote:

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Originally posted by bblue
...And yes, Visors DO need Flash RAM.

---

No, they DON'T.

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-Joshua
Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Champaign, IL
Posts: 200

Asking only for flash ROM is useless. You also have to ask Handspring to provide UPDATES. I haven't seen very many updates at all for the Vdx, and the one I installed I don't even know what it does. But it definitely doesn't add any features like 16-color grayscale OS support, beaming in DateBk+, working daylight savings time...

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

Flash is useless, BUT, a dual springboard has been talked about among VC'ers for awhile. IT is an important function that we need. Maybe it'sjust a sb slot, plus a memory slot, or a special sb adapttation that's only made for memoery cards, but can accetps adaptors. I want a better SLIMMER color display, and I need the OS 4 API's . Hopefully HS will expand on them, and make them even better.

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-miradu

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Kansas City, MO
Posts: 295

bblue, it sounds to me like you are describing the HandEra 330.

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<><

Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Elkins Park, Pa
Posts: 577

quote:

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Originally posted by dalamar70
Asking only for flash ROM is useless. You also have to ask Handspring to provide UPDATES. I haven't seen very many updates at all for the Vdx, and the one I installed I don't even know what it does. But it definitely doesn't add any features like 16-color grayscale OS support, beaming in DateBk+, working daylight savings time...

---

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-Bernie

"One word sums up probably the responsibility of any vice president, and that one word is 'to be prepared'.
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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Aberdeen, SD
Posts: 2531

quote:

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Originally posted by ernieba1


You haven't seen any updates, because the flash ROMless visors can't handle any.

---

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-Joshua
Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Prison
Posts: 421

Uh...

ernieba1 is right.


Visors don't run their exclusive OS, they run the Palm OS. Palm designs its OS for software updates. That's simply how it works. Owning a IIIxe that HAS Flash RAM, I have found it a necessity. You simply CANNOT appreciate the value until you've been used a handheld that has it.


I wouldn't mind Flash RAM IF handspring provided updates, but they really have not done that to the extent that would justify their cause.

Not to mention, Flash doesn't get erased every time your battery dies out.

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<b><font size=1 color=teal>"Sorry about the whole thing about losing your life savings, but that Palmpilot is property of Enron, so please give it back"