Registered: Jul 2001
Location: Providence, RI
Posts: 78

Honestly: Do really think the Neo and Pro are Innovative?

I agree with some of the posts here that the Treo will make or break Handspring Inc. depending on how the economy pans out this year. Its obvious that Handspring is stretched thin working on the Treo because their "new" models, the Neo and Pro, are basically Visor Deluxes with a faster processor which has been on the market for good amount o time already, a better screen, and twice the amount of RAM. Oh...and the OS is slightly newer. Yet the form factor and most features are the same. This was not an upgrade. This was a half-hearted effort by HS to stretch the life of its greyscale models a bit longer.

Wouldn't you like to see a Color Visor in the form-factor of the Edge, or maybe even more revolutionary than the Edge? Handspring probably feels wireless-integrated PDAs are the future and has put all of its assets in the Treo. But companies like Sony and to some extent Palm have capitalized on the multimedia PDA frenzy the Ipaq and Jornada have generated. Yet Handspring remains committed to Greyscale, NON-MULTIMEDIA models. Shame..

I for one believe the Springboard should be eliminated altogether in future models and go with one of they other expansion formats. The Gameboy-type expansion Springboard expansion slot is expensive to produce for, which make the modules excessivley expensive for mediocre add-ons (i.e. very low resolution camera) Just my two cents.

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

Make It Or Break It

It won't be the Treo that will make or break Handspring, and it won't be Palm OS 5 that will make or break Palm.

It will be the timely and widespread deployment of 3G highspeed wireless.

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

Originally posted by RedSoxPDAer
I agree with some of the posts here that the Treo will make or break Handspring Inc. depending on how the economy pans out this year. Its obvious that Handspring is stretched thin working on the Treo because their "new" models, the Neo and Pro, are basically Visor Deluxes with a faster processor which has been on the market for good amount o time already, a better screen, and twice the amount of RAM. Oh...and the OS is slightly newer. Yet the form factor and most features are the same. This was not an upgrade. This was a half-hearted effort by HS to stretch the life of its greyscale models a bit longer.

I really like the Visor form factor. It think it is perfect for a PDA. Not so thin where it feels kinda weak in my hand. Frankly hold an Edge or an m505 feels very odd. Maybe I have gotten really used to my VPL but thats how I feel. I personally am looking to upgrading to the Pro or the Prism. I am not even considering the Edge. I don't really see the comparisons of these models with the Deluxe. I really don't see it. The Neo is the Platinum with a few added tweaks like Fast Lookup and a new colors. Other than that it's a Platinum. So there I can see the lack of innovation. The Pro has to be the ultimate in greyscale devices. Lots of memory (great for eyemodule2 images plus it has a lithium-ion battery in a VPL form factor. Perfect. Give it a color screen and I wouldn't need anything else. That is why I am debating between the Pro and the Prism but hopefully something new will come out other than the Treo between now and May.

Wouldn't you like to see a Color Visor in the form-factor of the Edge, or maybe even more revolutionary than the Edge? Handspring probably feels wireless-integrated PDAs are the future and has put all of its assets in the Treo. But companies like Sony and to some extent Palm have capitalized on the multimedia PDA frenzy the Ipaq and Jornada have generated. Yet Handspring remains committed to Greyscale, NON-MULTIMEDIA models. Shame..

I would only buy an Edge with color that had another expansion slot other than the Springboard. I use the Memplug for the most part with the eyemodule2 and Thinmodem on occasion. It would be nice to have the sled off for the most part and only have it in there when I use something like the camera which would stick out no matter the form factor.

I for one believe the Springboard should be eliminated altogether in future models and go with one of they other expansion formats. The Gameboy-type expansion Springboard expansion slot is expensive to produce for, which make the modules excessivley expensive for mediocre add-ons (i.e. very low resolution camera) Just my two cents.

Some people like those excessively expensive add-ons They should at least have an adapter available for those who use the Springboard modules, in ADDITION to other expansion formats, like SD or CF.

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Did you just go near a burning hot river of lava or are you just happy to see me?

Registered: Dec 2001
Location: Holly Springs, NC
Posts: 124

I don't feel like the Pro or the Neo are drastically new models, or meant to be so. I see it more like a good model car. The first year of a new generation is very new and different (i.e. the Visor Solo - remember the backorders?) The next year has a slightly improved drive train and a couple new colors (Platinum). And so on.... the Neo and the Pro are simply the end of the current generation of Visors. And the Pro is the best monochrome PalmOS PDA you can get. I also imagine it will be the last "New" Visor to share the Deluxe case. It is the last model year before a new generation of the model comes out, and it has all of the small tweaks and tuneups you can expect to find in a mature generation of any product. I went from a Deluxe to a Pro... I knew I was not getting a new product, but I got the most tweaked out version of the current generation of Visor available. Chevy released a Pace Car version of the C4 Corvette late in the C4's life, and it was an awesome car. It was not a new Corvette... so it was not as innovative as the C5, but many people happily paid the premium to have the most tweaked C4 instead of waiting for the C5. After all, when you buy a product late in the generation you get a very solid product. All of the bugs and problems from the earlier versions have been worked out. That is my take on it anyway.

Was the Pro worth it? Most likely not... at least not before the $50 rebate Handspring is now offering. Am I sorry I bought it? Not at all. I would take my top-of-the-line monochrome Pro over my friend's middle-of-the-road m505 any day.

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"Take me where my future's lyin', St. Elmo's Fire." - John Parr

Registered: Jul 2001
Location: Providence, RI
Posts: 78

Doesn't it seem like HS should have done these upgrades long ago though? All of a sudden they implement these changes and then say....Here you go! New HS devices!!

Not that Palm is a model of success but at least it is revamping its lineup to be innovative in terms of design and better expansions options as well.

Doesn't the Springboard slot by its nature take up a lot of space in the Visor? Don't the other expansion slots allow for a thinner, sleeker, and lighter device? Just some questions I had because I wasn't sure (??)

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

I agree with Tonewiz2k that the Neo and the Pro weren't released with "innovation" in mind. They were designed to keep Handspring from selling Visors in the double-digit range, which is why the company discontinued the VDX.

Springboards do limit the degree of miniaturization possible, and for people who can live without I/O modules, the Visor isn't the best choice. But I like my Springboards, and don't care as much about multimedia, which I find little use for on a handheld.

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Eye of Gameboy

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

quote:

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Originally posted by Gameboy70
...But I like my Springboards, and don't care as much about multimedia, which I find little use for on a handheld.

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Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 1571

Getting it all wrong

quote:

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Originally posted by RedSoxPDAer

Doesn't the Springboard slot by its nature take up a lot of space in the Visor? Don't the other expansion slots allow for a thinner, sleeker, and lighter device? Just some questions I had because I wasn't sure (??)

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Registered: Oct 2000
Location:
Posts: 27

A simple answer is no, they are evolutionary.

However, I did buy a Pro (over an M505) mostly because it was cheaper (the Staples $40 off = $210) and has 16MB memory. I spent a couple of days debating the issue in my mind before deciding that I would like a slim color PDA (Palm M505) but wanted one that could adjusted for brightness. The Clie 615T (or whatever the new one is called) is very nice, but I want the unit to support Macintosh out of the box. Therefore I didn't find the color PDA that I wanted and went for increased power on a mono PDA.

Back to the topic...The Neo and Pro really don't offer anything to jump up and down over from a VDX. They are simply a nice upgrade for those needing a basic Palm PDA with expansion capabilities. Is 16MB memory and a built in Li Ion battery worth >$200? That's pretty much for the individual user to decide.

p

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: 'braska
Posts: 211

One of these products is evolutionary, the other is just there.

The Pro is indeed evolutionary with 16MB ram, Li-on battery. I haven't checked the prices on it, but I think someone mentioned $210 after rebate. On the other hand, I could get my Plat upgraded to 16MB for $119. I already have a Thinmodem+, which adds an additional 8mb, but it just allows me to keep more crap with me all of the time. I already made the conversion to using NiMH rechargebles in it, so the built in Li-on doesn't do me a whole lot, other than having to purchase a charger when I travel or use my CF adapter a bunch.

The Neo is a joke as a new model IMHO. It is just a new color added to the Plat to get people who like the colors of the Deluxe to buy it.

I know it won't happen, but I would love to see HS take the Pro and add the same type of screen as the M505. It is not as good as the Prism, but the battery life appears to be better, is readable in sunlight, and is more than adequet for my uses. I am not trying to watch movies on this, I am trying to be productive. This screen would certeinly make FineType fonts atually usable. Oh yeah, and it should be in the same sized case. How long did Palm use the III form factor? That made accessories last for a long time. That is one of the reasons I am not particulairly looking at the Prism.

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Registered: Mar 2000
Location: NYC
Posts: 287

Neo and Pro innovation? No way they are just software updates with a minor Hardware update which is 16MB of memory for the Pro. That is not innovation. Innovation is High Resolution, Jog Dial, slim form factor, 320x320 display, Enhance IR port, a nice metallic case, integration of external memory without compromising form factor and a real speaker. Do you know guys what I am talking about? Yes, it is the T615c by Sony. That is some awesome machine. Handspring is losing innovation due to the wrong vision of Hawkins in the PDA business. We don't want PPC like machines, however, we want innovation in our Palm OS devices without the bricklike form of the Prism. I love my Prism very much, but it has the worst best design in the history of PDAs, and that is not innovation.

Al

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It all started way back in February 2000 with a Blue VDX.

Registered: Nov 2001
Location: Sumner, WA
Posts: 70

quote:

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Originally posted by prometheus
Back to the topic...The Neo and Pro really don't offer anything to jump up and down over from a VDX. They are simply a nice upgrade for those needing a basic Palm PDA with expansion capabilities. Is 16MB memory and a built in Li Ion battery worth >$200? That's pretty much for the individual user to decide.

p

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