Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 10

I guess this is more of a statement than a question. I keep reading Posts that state Visor will become obsolete if modules do not start shipping or because the OS can not be upgraded. If the Visor has 8 meg of memory (up to 16 meg) and runs "all" Palm programs, why are people worrying about the Visor becoming obsolete? It is a great product, performs all Palm functions, and has/had more memory for cheaper price. Even if modules don't come out, it is still a great product. Also, the new OS (3.5 color) doesn't really add much except for color, right? I am like most people, I expect my Visor to last about 1 1/2 years - 2 years - I will break it (sit on it, drop it, etc..) or buy a new Visor II.

I guess I just don't understand! Someone fill me in!

Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 62

The Visor isn't going to be obsolete. The springboard modules provide expansion capability. Before HS came out with the Visor, there were millions of Palm Pilots sold, and no one worried about them becoming obsolete. All of the software that works on the Palm Pilots works on the Visor.

There are just a bunch of worry warts out there who like to complain. If no company comes out with modules, the Visor will still continue to be a useful tool until the next technology jump. Color? I don't care.

Don't worry. Enjoy your Visor and all the things that it gives you, and leave the Grumps to grump to people who really care.

Good Luck

larry

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Metro Station, Hollywood and Highland
Posts: 1018

It's interesting that while so many people complain about the Visor lacking flash ROM OS upgradability, less than 5% of all Palm owners actually got a ROM upgrade. From this we can infer a couple of possibilities:

�That small percentage is *very* vocal
�Many or most of the critics are hypocrites
�This single shortcoming in the Visor has been blow way out of proportion

I bought my first PDA just over a year ago: the Palm III. I'm buying a Visor the day it hits retail. I'll probably buy the first color Visor (with a new OS) a year from now. With these kind of production cycles, OS upgradability in far less significant than it is with PCs.

Besides, even if there was a significant OS update (floating-point math, for instance), a software developer's natural tendency is to write for the broadest possible customer base. I would *never* write a Palm OS app without Visor owners in mind -- to say nothing of the Palm III and V owners who have OS version 3.

So what's the alternative to upgrading the Visor's OS with flash ROM? Buy next year's color Visor.

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Detroooiiit Rock City
Posts: 21

While I agree with Larry, and I think that my Visor (once I get it) will last me a LONG time, the non-flash ROM does scare me some. It is true that most people won't be affected by it because they will just go buy a color organizer once it comes out, some of us don't just have 300$ to toss around every time a new Visor comes out. I personally have been saving a while for one of these, and I now have to save up for better styli and a better case. I would not enjoy having to have to go out and buy a new Visor in a year after working this hard just to get the first one.

just my 1/2 cent

BTW, I am a high school student, and that is why I dont have as much money as some of you may have.

Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 1571

PaQManN:

Don't worry your visor will last you quite a long time. Windows2000 has now been released, and the last time I checked, Windows95 was not obsolete. Why would the visor be any different?...especially considering that the springboard technology will stay the same for the forseeable future?

Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 144

I agree with PaQManN.
I do not plan to buy another PDA in the next few years, even if a color Visor II would be available. I don't need color - if I want color, I turn on my TV! :-)
(just kidding...)
But I do not worry that much about the non-flashable ROM. I have my Desktop PC since 1998 and never flashed the BIOS. Why should I want to upgrade the Visor OS? Release 3.1 seems to work OK, and Patches can still be stored in the RAM. With 8 Megs available, a few hundred k for that do not worry me.
BTW, I am also a student and cannot afford to buy a new PDA every year.
Let's just be happy with our Visor and all the neat useful programs out there...

[This message has been edited by mc9 (edited 03-04-2000).]

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Metro Station, Hollywood and Highland
Posts: 1018

PaQMaN:

I should elaborate on my previous statement, which now comes off to me as rather glib. I don't think most people have $300 a year for PDAs, but if *upgrading* is an issue, then it's more cost-effective to buy a new one. I paid $400 for my Palm III, and while I'm very happy with it and don't strictly *need* to buy a Visor, the Springboard capability is far more important to me than an OS upgrade. In addition to the Springboard, the Visor comes with four times the memory, USB, improved applications *and* a more current OS. All this for $150 less than what I paid for the Palm III. And I'll probably get $75-100 for my old Palm when I sell it.

Jeff Hawkins has demonstrated numerous times that his judgements about what to include or exclude in his products have generally been superior to that of other manufacturers, pundits and even the general public. He knows that there's a big difference between what people *say* they want in a PDA and what they actually use. He's ignored appeals for PCMCIA slots, voice recognition, real handwriting recognition, etc. -- and somehow sold more PDAs than anyone. People say they want flash upgradability and it's so important; meanwhile 95% of Palm owners never bothered to get an upgrade!

And relax, you'll be able to use your current Visor for a few years. There are plenty of people still using their original PalmPilot who *never* upgraded.

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Connecticut USA
Posts: 2682

I've said this before in other threads... price, price, price!!! In my case, I had been looking at PDA's for quite some time and just couldn't justify the expense for a Palm that was limited in memory and expandability. A CE device was even more cost prohibitive.

Then I read about the Visor, developed by the same guy who created the Palm, built by a company run by the same people who built the Palm. I said to myself that they had to know what they were doing in order to go head-to-head with Palm (as did the venture capital guys who backed them). Plus, this new device was expandable with almost unlimited possibilities. All this at a price significantly less than a Palm or CE.

At that point it was a no brainer for me. Even if I never see a Springboard in my Visor, I have still done better than if I bought something else. Software support for the OS will be around for a long time to come. And, IMHO, once the modules start shipping, this whole argument will probably die away.


------------------
MarkEagle - Ice is nice!

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Monroe, Michigan, USA
Posts: 244

I almost ordered a TRGPro, but a friend got a Visor Deluxe so I had to get one too...then, yesterday I checked out the TRGPro forum at the site which hosts Visor Village (I just followed links, so I don't remember that site's name...) and I don't regret my decision one bit. TRGPro owners seem to have problems similar to Visor owners' problems (scratched screen, need to hard reset, etc.) along with some unique problems...and it actually still seems to take a month to get one!
I never upgraded my OS except thru RAM patches or device replacement when I had Palm devices (Pilot 1000, PalmPilot Personal, 2MB upgrade). I probably wouldn't bother upgrading my Visor's OS if it did have flash ROM--everything works.
Just my 2 cents' worth (just noticed no 'cents' symbol on my keyboard, too).

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Baltimore MD, USA
Posts: 717

quote:

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Originally posted by Tom LaPrise:
Just my 2 cents' worth (just noticed no 'cents' symbol on my keyboard, too).

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Registered: Mar 2000
Location: The Big Glove
Posts: 7

I'm a ninth grader and i have to buy almost i anything i want myself. I have a very small allowance and I am getting the money for my VDX by working all of Spring Break at video store, where i do not reguarly work only as a fill in person, so i am lucky to work once in a month if i'm lucky. I don't have the money to buy a new PDA everyyear. That is the one reason i Chose to buy a good PDA, was of the cheapness of the visor deluxe. Just as long as i can read e-books, play killer games, and organize my life, i am happy with it.


I can't wait for the new MP3 module to come out, i have been holding off for a MP3 or CD player till i could afford a High quality MP3 player

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Metro Station, Hollywood and Highland
Posts: 1018

DJ El Blaine-O

You have the right idea: just get the Visor and don't worry about the flash ROM issue, which is really a non-issue (according to 95% of the market). All the really major OS upgrades are to support new hardware features (like IR or color screens). Since you're not planning to get a color Visor, you don't need the current OS 3.5 for color apps. Compared to the rest of the Palm line, the Visor's a great investment for anyone with limited funds.