Registered: Oct 2001
Location:
Posts: 203

Introducing the Twist?

What new PDA does Handspring have up their sleaves for this quarter. It isn't a Visor, yet it isn't a Treo. Michael takes a look.

http://www.visorcentral.com/content/Stories/1427-1.htm

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

No wireless capability

The new organizer will not have any wireless capability. PIC says that
according to Allen Bush from Handspring, "The new device Donna mentioned today in our conference call is in fact an organizer, not a wirelessly enabled device. I can see how you may have misinterpreted Donna's statement that the product would support our communicator product strategy. What we meant was that the product could borrow some of the design characteristics of our communicator family - not that it would be wirelessly enabled."

My prediction is that this will simply be a Treo form factor device (with keyboard) with the wireless capability stripped out. They'll probably price it around $150.

Handspring lost a ton of money last quarter and has sold less than 50K Treos (ouch!). There's no way they could afford to engineer a new device. It makes more sense for them to go into damage control mode and try to get a little more revenue out of the huge investment they've made in tooling up for Treo production.

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

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

Dave, I saw what Allen said after I put up the article. I wrote a I added that as a discliamer at the top, but I still think it's possible to have Bluetooth! But realisticly, you are probably right (as always ). I am almost certain it will have a built in keyboard...

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-miradu

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 391

(aside: the link to this thread from the article seems to be broken: it's pointing to thread 22837 instead of 22836)

This news fills me with anomie.

Seriously... after the failure of the Edge and the apparently sluggish sales of the Treo, Handspring has to catch on that their winning strategy was the Springboard slot.

A Treo (with or without wireless) with an Edge connector and backpack would probably be the place to start. An Edge with 16M, so you don't have as much need for a flash memory module and the intermittent nature of the Edge connector would be less of an issue.

How about a color Pro? Or an Edge with built-in Springboard-compatible flash memory? How about that: Edge form factor, 16M RAM, 16M Flash in "springboard slot 2 (internal)" with FileMover and Backup...

There's lots of things they can do, but if they don't include a Springboard slot, well... hey, Sony's making some pretty nifty devices. And they're selling a lot of them...

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Rev. Peter da Silva, ULC<br>
<a href=http://www.taronga.com/~peter/>Ar rug t� barr�g ar do mhact�re inniu?</a>

Last edited by argent on 04-16-2002 at 06:40 PM

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 110

m130 with a thumboard

I agree with DaveK - the "new" PDA, since it's "not a Visor," won't have a springboard slot, and since it's "based on the Treo" will have a thumboard. Plus, the tiny Treo screen. Color, I figure, although I suppose they could be doing both B&W and color versions and still calling it "one" new organizer. If this is right - and I can't imagine HS investing in more than this, given their 'bet the company on Treo' strategy - it sounds like an m130 with a thumboard. Yawn.

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Posts: 415

every pda needs and "edge"(not talking about the VE). it needs PDA funtions + a hook. something to make it special and stand out.

The palm M100s are cheap. and have faceplates. thats 2 hooks.

pocket pcs have 2 hooks: color screens and mp3 capabilit.

the new CLIE NR70v has like 4 hooks: MP3, Color screen, and a keyboard and a camera!

the treo has 1 hook. its a pda... and a cellphone.

the visors were ahead of the game when they came out. USB syncing and expansion slot. of course, those two things are now so standard that they are not hooks anymore. mind you, the expansion slot was a very very good one. but most importantly, they cost the same as an equivalent PALM without those features

I fear that the new device is going to suck.

If handspring were to make a device with a built in mp3 player, or a SMALL device with a color screen and expansion slot priced competitivly...

in short, you cant succede with mediocre product.

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-thorin

I have a webcomic. You should read it, or I may do something rash. <b><a href=http://driveby.keenspace.com/>Drive-by Loitering</a></b> is updated every monday, wednesday and friday.

<!img src=http://www.frontfly.com/myrouter/vcsig2.gif alt="Soundsgood is too elite for the punks."><img src=http://www.frontfly.com/vcsig.gif ><!img src=http://www.frontfly.com/myrouter/vcsig2.gif alt="Soundsgood is too elite for the punks.">

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

I've been looking for a reason to buy handspring. Just maybe...

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-Joshua
Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Sydney Australia
Posts: 1883

quote:

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Originally posted by argent
(aside: the link to this thread from the article seems to be broken: it's pointing to thread 22837 instead of 22836)

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<IMG WIDTH="200" HEIGHT="50" SRC=http://www.visorcentral.com/images/visorcentral.gif> VisorCentral Discussion Moderator
Do files get embarrassed when they get unzipped?

Registered: Feb 2000
Location: SW Virginia
Posts: 290

quote:

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In the Article "Handspring PDA with a Twist?" Michael Ducker wrote:
A Palm OS PDA with built in 802.11b isn�t on the market yet...

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Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 391

quote:

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Originally posted by potter
SPT 1700.

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Rev. Peter da Silva, ULC<br>
<a href=http://www.taronga.com/~peter/>Ar rug t� barr�g ar do mhact�re inniu?</a>

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

quote:

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Originally posted by argent
Actualy, that's not bad for ruggedized devices with wireless LAN and barcode scanner support.

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

hmm - I forgot all about the symbol devices! They really have been active in makign industrial PDAs... They don't have any consumer ones though. *sigh* I guess I'll have to find another way to barcode my home inventory, and than inventory it

__________________
-miradu

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 118

SPT1700

Last time I was at the Barrona Indian Casino in San Diego, they were using SPT1700s to scan "frequent gambler" cards. Very slick!

Registered: Feb 2002
Location: Washburn University in Topeka, KS
Posts: 450

quote:

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Originally posted by miradu
hmm - I forgot all about the symbol devices! They really have been active in makign industrial PDAs... They don't have any consumer ones though. *sigh* I guess I'll have to find another way to barcode my home inventory, and than inventory it

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Friends don't let Friends vote Democrat
Victory 2002 - Republicans Win Control of the Senate
Now onto Victory 2004 - FOUR MORE YEARS

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Buffalo, MO, USA
Posts: 1

Sony?

quote:

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How about a color Pro? Or an Edge with built-in Springboard-compatible flash memory? How about that: Edge form factor, 16M RAM, 16M Flash in "springboard slot 2 (internal)" with FileMover and Backup...

There's lots of things they can do, but if they don't include a Springboard slot, well... hey, Sony's making some pretty nifty devices. And they're selling a lot of them... [/B]

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What is "Springboard Slot 2 (internal)?"

2 Springboard Slots? Amen brother.
Bring it on.

I saw in the local Best Buy ad in today's Sunday Paper, that the new 16mb Sony Clie (sorry don't know the number) B/W, for $199.
My wife fought my urge to run right out and buy one.
ultimately, sense I have always been a model behind on every computer/electronic device I own. (Hey they are finally affordable, and I am still way, way ahead of everyone else around here) anyway, I just figured on buying a Visor Pro.
then this new Visor/ not a visor got announced. I still think that I will end up getting a visor Pro due to my springboard investment. (32mbs via springboard has to be kewl but I am very interested in seeing the new one.
oh yeah, the Pro better drop below this Sony Clie, or I am Jumping ship.

Before I get any comments on how I need to upgrade to the times, I just want to tell ya'll, we just got Digital Cell phone Service where I live about a year ago, where I work there is not cell phone service.
Please think of me as you use your wireless lan tonight.