Registered: Aug 1999
Location: Inverness, FL
Posts: 428

Handspring today introduced an innovative product trade-up program through which handheld computer owners can exchange almost any handheld computer for $100 toward the purchase of Handspring's slim Visor Edge from Handspring.com.

In addition, customers who already own a Handspring Visor handheld can pass it on to a friend or family member and receive the same $100 to put toward a new Visor Edge.

The trade-up program begins Friday, June 8, 2001 and will run through Sunday, July 1st, 2001 at Handspring.com.

Additionally, Handspring will make the program available to handheld owners during PC Expo, June 26-28 in New York City.

"From day one, people have been asking us how they can trade in their old handheld for one of our Visors," said Ed Colligan, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Handspring, Inc. "We think this is a great way to reward our own Visor customers with an easy opportunity to upgrade to Visor Edge. In addition, the program provides a strong incentive for anyone already invested in a handheld to step up to something new."

People attending TECHXNY, June 26 - 28 at Jacob Javits Convention Center can take advantage of this program at the Handspring store located in the main hall lobby, where Handspring will also be offering its full line of Visor products and select Springboard modules including VisorPhone. Details about participating in the trade-up program will be available on Handspring's website starting Friday.

United DataTech Distributors, a full service reclamation company, will handle recycling and environmentally sound disposal of the incoming products for Handspring. Products qualifying for the trade-up program include handheld computers that utilize the Palm OS, Windows CE, Pocket PC or Symbian operating systems, as well as Apple Newton, Sharp, Psion and Casio handheld computers.

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<B>Marcus Adolfsson</B>
Editor

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

I wish they would have announced this a week or two ago. I've got an old E-11 gathering dust here that would have been perfect.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan USA
Posts: 790

I wish they hadn't limited it to Edge. I'd rather upgrade to Platinum and keep my Stowaway or even Prism.

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Jeff

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 46

Stowaway

I wish you could do something like this with the stowaway. For a small fee they let you trade in your current stowaway for a different model. Then they could sell the trade ins are refurbished.

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I swear, she told me she was 16!

Registered: May 2000
Location: Laurel, MD USA
Posts: 26

I agree with 'envy

I love my Deluxe, have NO interest whatsoever in the Edge, and would only upgrade to a platinum or prism.

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--Steven Lacher

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: at work...
Posts: 736

We sure are a hard to please bunch, aren't we? This is exactly the kind of program that people have been asking for! True, they are limiting it to the edge, but that's better than nothing! For those who always want to get the newest PDA to play with, this is a great way to do it. Probably easier and safer than selling your old PDA on ebay, and may even get you more $$$ if your old handheld was an old Palm Pilot Pro or Palm III.

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

quote:

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Originally posted by Rob
We sure are a hard to please bunch, aren't we? This is exactly the kind of program that people have been asking for! True, they are limiting it to the edge, but that's better than nothing! [...]

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It's not much better than nothing if one has already upgraded.

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Chicago
Posts: 31

Well put Rob! I have an old Wizard that I'd love to get rid of and give my Deluxe to my fiancee. It's a great way for Handspring to get some extra dough and give users what they want!

Registered: Dec 2000
Location: June 10, 2001 San Clemente Pier , CA
Posts: 211

Can't we just trade-up for the COLOR EDGE w/16MB RAM ???


-current Prism/Memplug Lover

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Chicago
Posts: 31

ah, we can only dream...

Registered: Mar 2001
Location:
Posts: 19

If they would put the 100$ towards a visor phone, I would sign up in an instant, service plan and all. That said, I already own a prism, and can't really justify $300 for an edge, no matter how nice it would be to have one.

Oh well.

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Littleton, CO
Posts: 17

Sounds good to me.

I have been using my Palm III with 2MB for over two years.

Since then my doubting wife realized how useful it was and I got her a Green VDX. She cracked the digitizer twice so I bought her an Edge and she loves it. I want one but after spending $400 on hers plus case I can't afford my own.

That might change with this deal.

Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Mountain View, CA
Posts: 211

Dang. I fell kinda ripped off. I gave my Prism To my Mom who has been bugging me about getting a Visor for Months and get me an Edge (Which is Awesome I might add) I could have saved $100!! Grrrr. I wanted to spend that on the CF adapter from Portable Innovation.

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<FONT face="verdana,arial,helvetica" size="1" >NetCaptor and Odigo Rule!<i></font>
"The Internet is now on computers?"
Homer Simpson

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Prison
Posts: 421

WHY OH WHY?????

The friend/family thing is cool.

But a measly $100.00 for my Visor Deluxe /or/ my IIIxe?

A: I COULD SELL IT ON eBAY FOR NEARLY TWICE THAT!
B: I payed $250 (w/out any special rebates ) , and only $100.00 ??? COME ON!
C: I won't be sleeping easy tonight knowing that my Visor/Palm which has served me well is going to get crushed into a cube.!

It's making me CRY! Why don't you just give your Visors to me? I'll pay shipping, AND it will have a nice home! To think, someone in Malaysia put his/her HEART into making your Visor, and all us rich snobs care about is how cool it is! THINK OF THE POOR UNDERPAID PEOPLE WHO SAID "nyang ching wah wing moochiwa eng loazi" (in english translated) "this Visor is my life's work, I put my heart and soul into it, I hope it finds a nice home!" !!

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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: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

Re: WHY OH WHY?????

quote:

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Originally posted by bblue
A: I COULD SELL IT ON eBAY FOR NEARLY TWICE THAT!

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Registered: Jun 2001
Location:
Posts: 1

BBlue....No need to cry!

This is pasted right from Handsprings website announcement:

"In addition, customers who already own a Handspring Visor handheld can pass it on to a friend or family member and receive the same $100 to put toward a new Visor Edge"

So seems current Handspring owners get to keep units & get the $100 off to upgrade.

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 37

You shouldn't be upset about how "little" Handspring is giving you for your current Visor.

Handspring isn't really giving you $100 for your Visor. If you own a Handspring product, you don't have to trade anything in. The rebate says "pass it on" to a friend, or something, but no one's going to know if you just keep it.

For Handspring owners, just think of it as a $100 discount. That's a nice "Thanks for buying a Visor in the past" as far as I'm concerned.

The question is, if you already own an Edge, do you get a discount on ANOTHER Edge? Not that I have one (or would want two); I'm just curious.

For the people who bought an Edge very recently, this kind of sucks. But that's just the way the game is played when it comes to computers. You want to be an early adopter, you need to accept being screwed every once in a while.

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mrjoec
www.mrjoec.com

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 1683

As mrjoec points out, this isn't actually a trade up program.

Handspring probably has a ton of edges backlogging the inventory channels and they need to dump them.

Instead of dropping the price $100, and adding to the trend of ALL PDAs dropping in price, they are disguising the price drop as a customer loyalty program.

They don't care that you are currently a Handspring user or even if you actually have a handheld. They just want to move the edges without damaging the profit margins of all of their (and other companies) current Palm OS PDAs.

This isn't a bad thing, it's just how companies do business. We as consumers need to understand this better.

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We're all naked if you turn us inside out.
-David Byrne

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: NC, Indiana
Posts: 465

I think this is a great idea! People have talked about how they want such a program and Handspring has given it to us. Although some might call the $100 measly, I think it's very good considering how beat up my VDx is. Also consider that you can do this to any handheld. In fact, if you want to give your Visor to someone else you can do that too and still cut $100 off the price! Although I can't personally justifiy upgrading a device with no advantages besides size for $300 I'm sure some can and will.

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-Vincent

Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Baltimore, MD
Posts: 260

supposedly...

supposedly the price will drop to $299 also, then it will only be $199 with the trade-in...