Registered: Dec 2001
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
Posts: 73

Covers

In search of the perfect case or cover for my new prism. First owned a Palm IIIxe and then moved to a HP Jornada and now have seen the light once again and own a Prism. I really liked the simplicity of the IIIxe and HP's flip cover. Is there such an animal for the Prism? I noticed that the Pro and other Handspring models come with a snap cover, is that available for the Prism?

For the time being I have ordered a EB Slipper but fear it will add to the bulk of the device. I don't like the slip case the Handspring packages with the prism because of the bulk.

Any advice is appreciated.

Registered: Jun 2001
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 108

I have just ordered the "Foam Case" from Rhinoskin. www.rhinoskin.com . It looks like a nice case has a belt clip with an "O Ring" that detaches. It is due in on January 3rd, so I can't honestly report on it until then.

It is replacing a nylon pouch that came with an old "Compex" parallel port networking card. It was ugly and gray, but was a perfect fit for the Prism. The belt loop finally broke a few weeks back...

On a side note, why did you dump the jornada and come pack to the Palm OS? It would be interesting to here your story...

Doug

Registered: Dec 2001
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
Posts: 73

Gave up the Pocket PC

I cut my teeth on Palm OS and really liked it. I tried Windows CE and found it complicated. When PocketPC came around I gave it a whirl hoping it would combine the best of both Palm OS and Windows CE. I chose the Jornada and gave up the Palm IIIxe.

I really liked the Jornada but the more I used Pocket PC the more I missed the Palm. Programs for the PocketPC were few and far between, more memory was required (a compact flash card was a must) for what programs I had, and navigation through the programming was challenging. If you didn't shut down a program, it kept running in the background.

Sony introduced the CLIE and I decided to come back to Palm OS but found similar problems with the Sony units. Programs were very abundant for the Palm OS but accessories for the CLIE were limited and very expensive. So I went to Handspring and chose the Prism (even though I am really considering exchanging it for the Pro).

Accessories were more extensive and reasonably priced. In comparing the Prism to the Jornada, I like the Prism better. The screen is sharper and I like the graffiti pad. The Jornada had a pop-up pad which meant you were "writing" more on the viewable screen. The battery seems to have a longer life with the Jornada than the Prism. A fully charged Jornada would last about two weeks while the Prism last a couple of days.

Having said that, I am really thinking about going from the Prism to the Pro. The color screen is nice but short battery life and daylight viewing problems are big hurdles to overcome. The Pro has a sharp screen, more memory, and without colorization the batteries last longer. Tough call and I really don't think either will be a bad choice.

Registered: Nov 2001
Location:
Posts: 33

A Flip Cover

Hey Coppertop,
I feel your pain , I too once had a HP Jornada and now I own a Prism The flip cover is something that I miss.

quote:

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I noticed that the Pro and other Handspring models come with a snap cover, is that available for the Prism?

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Your Prism should have come with a snap cover. Mines did, my wife's, my brother's, my brother's wife, my... well you get the picture. You ought to call handspring and ask for one. Somewhere on this discussion board, some one stated that Handspring sent him a snap cover free of charge.

quote:

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I really liked the simplicity of the IIIxe and HP's flip cover. Is there such an animal for the Prism?

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First let me ask you a question. Do you use your springboard slot? If your answer is no, then you will be happy, if your answer is yes...well you may or may not be happy with the resolution to your problem. Check out the url. These guys make exactly what you are looking for but unfortunately, it takes up the springboard port. http://www.flipcover.com/
Well I hope this will work for you, I thought about buying it, but my memplug module is firmly "stuck" in my visor

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Greenville, SC
Posts: 172

I used a flipcover from http://www.flipcover.com/ but it did not fit quite right and actually caused the case to chip away near the sync port becasuse it was so tight. I bought a flip cover for my sister's Deluxe and it fit perfectly.

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Galley

Registered: Dec 2001
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
Posts: 73

FOLLOW UP

Just a follow-up on my Prism vs. Pro debate. I decided to stick with the Prism. I looked hard at the Pro and liked just about everything about it but one item, the backlight.

I had hesitations about the Prism due to battery life and viewing the screen in daylight. The Prism has a super image indoors and especially at night. The Pro has a super image outdoors and in well lit indoor settings. The Pro also has a backlight to help in low-light situations, where the Prism has no feature in bright-light situations.

So I thought. The last two Palm devices I had were the Palm IIIxe and the Sony Clie 320. They have excellant back lights and I thought the Pro would be no different. Wrong.

I hit the backlight button and got an x-ray of the screen. Yuck. It only helped matters in extreme darkness. It made matters worse in marginal lighting. Needless to say I hung on to the Prism. I would rather have to squint in day light or hunt for some shade than become cross-eyed at night looking at x-rays.

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

Backlight and flipcover

A couple of notes...

About the backlight on the Pro (which I assume is the same as my Platinum)...if you don't mind using hacks, there is at least one (and probably several others) available to invert the backlight. I've got GreenLight hack (more info here ) and it seems to do the trick.

About the flipcover and springboards, there is an option for using the flipcover with a springboard module, if you don't mind gluing a "dock" (for lack of a better term) for the hinge and cover to your springboard. Flipcover.com sells these on their site. Obviously this only works with non-protruding springboards. It could even work with a memplug with a small adjustment. Someone here on VC posted a picture of their slight surgery on the flipcover "dock" that allows them to use their memplug with the flipcover. The thread is here . I'm considering doing this myself if/when I pick up a memplug. I believe there was also someone on VC who simply glued the "dock" to their Visor, leaving the springboard slot untouched (but, I would imagine, interfering with some of the oversized springboards).

Just some more info to consider.


Jeff

Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 26

I just ordered the EB FlipperX for my not-yet-received Prism (to replace the Platinum that my dog ate). I did a fairly extensive internet search, therefore not able to hold one in my hand and get a feel for it. However, it looks very comperable to a number of more expensive cases, ie Rhinoskin, but it's only $19.95. And, they don't charge for tax or shipping. Not a bad deal. It seems to have all the features I'm looking for, so time will tell if I'm happy with it. If I'm not, I haven't sunk a ton of money into it, so not too much lost. If it's good, I'll be delighted. I'll keep you all posted.

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