Registered: Jul 2001
Location:
Posts: 4

Visor Prism

FYI,

I have owned a Visor Prism for about 6 months. I have had Fatal Errors no matter what I install to it or don't install. As for Handspring technical support they have NO clue or won't admit that there 3.5H OS is buggy. I have seen so many people with the same issue so I have dumped my Prism and now own a Compaq IPAQ and have been very happy with it.

If your looking for a Palm OS PDA device stick with PALM or Sony Clie.

Jeff

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 604

Sorry to hear you had a problem with yours. However, I don't think your experience is represenative of the Prism community as a whole.

I've had a Prism since December, and I haven't found it to be any more prone to crashes/fatal errors than my Visor DLX or my prior Palm Pro with routine operation.

I do get occasional errors using my Minstrel S, GPS and MP3 modules, but that's almost always the module's doing, not the Prism, and they aren't catastrophic errors anyway - a simple soft reset usually does the trick.

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 708

I have owned my Prism since the beginning of December and have found it to be extremely stable. The only time I have had problems are with some of the Beta releases of PiDirect (which have been resolved) and some software that is known not to work with OS3.5. Not just Handsprings 3.5, but PalmOS 3.5.

I believe that the Prism is no more buggy than any other Palm device and they are all less prone to crashing than the PocketPC devices.

The thing I always wonder, is why come here and tell us? Why not go tell the people in PocketPC land? Are you looking for someone to agree, because you have come to the wrong place for that.

__________________
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. JOHN 14:2

Registered: Jul 2001
Location:
Posts: 4

Last time I checked that was my right as an United State Citizen. Freedom of speech!!!


I know a few people who have a visor prism and are happy with it in fact I have given a couple of prisms to friends and they are very happy with it. My biggest problem is the support that I have gotten from Handspring. I just got a lemon Prism. I AM A BIG SUPPORTER OF PALM DEVICES.

The PPC just does the functions that I require better then the PALM OS. I am not saying that PPC is superior or has less problems in fact there is about as many complaints about the IPAQ as there is about Prism. It is that I have had NO problems with my IPAQ as I have had with the prism.

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 60

Since you've had it for 6 months, you're within the year time frame.

Call Handspring and tell them you want a replacement. If they won't send you one for the "Fatal Errors" make something up. I got a replacement because my charging light wouldn't come on.

You'll have to go through the "yes I tried resetting it. Ok, let's try it again.... yes, i've tried hard resetting it. Ok, let's try it again..."

But I found their support to be helpful when I tried, it probably just depends on who you get. They made me go through the reset, the hard reset, and then sent my replacement. They pay S&H both ways.

They'll want a Credit Card number, in case you don't send your old one back, but I sent mine back promptly and they never charged my CC.

Registered: Feb 2001
Location:
Posts: 447

quote:

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Originally posted by hjeff2
Last time I checked that was my right as an United State Citizen. Freedom of speech!!!

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Registered: Jul 2001
Location:
Posts: 4

quote:

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Originally posted by Thunderbird291

Last time I checked it was our right to say that your problem doesn't represent all of the Visor Prisms in the world. Yea, free speech works both ways.

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Sacramento, Ca
Posts: 35

I have roughly 200 files on my prism (I think maybe 250-300 in fact), and the only times I've reset is when I'm beta testing.

Never had to do a major reset that cleared the ram.

I use my prism for hours in a day, and when I come home my wife plays games on it for an hour or so in the evening.

I seriously looked at the Ipac before buying my prism I really wanted to get it. It is a well spec'd machine. I'm sure you'll have fun with it. However when I started looking for software online, and visited the user forums.. I came back to Palm OS. Not to mention that OS seemed awkward. no Wordsmith, No Bonsai, No AbaBall, No Bejeweled... I don't feel like I'm missing out by having a Prism. :-)

The Clie ALLLLMOST had me. But the prism screen is nice and bright, and evenly lit. Clie is higher res, but I didn't like the dark spots in the screen with the light on, and without the light on I could have just as well kept the VDX for how dim it was.

This Prism of mine can be a replacement for a computer. I've got Word, Excel, Project, Games, Email, Web, fauxdeauShop (my name for DrawIt), Digital picture display.

While the Ipac 'can' do these things (can it do project?) I know for a fact that Prism can do it better for me. I really don't feel the need to sync to a PC at all to do the computing I need to do.

Prism is a standalone computing solution if you want basics in a small package I don't see a better solution. (I recommend the Stowaway and Targus case to hold both Prism and keyboard together). I have basically a laptop without the cords and batteries to drag around... and it fits in a cargo pants pocket. Ipac is a device that wants to be useful but just isn't.

James

Registered: Apr 2001
Location:
Posts: 21

Crashes

Before saying the the unit itself check on the software you have it is very possible there is a peice of software on the prisim causing problems I know I have AIM and it causes crashes all the time on my unit.

Registered: Jun 2001
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 12

God give the guy a break. He didn't like his Prism and he replaced it. I think Prism functions really well, has a great screen, and has wonderful expansion capabilities. But after 3 weeks with it, I gave mine up too. Because, no matter how good it works, the fact remains that it's the size of four decks of playing cards put together. I exchanged it for a Palm m505 and though the screen isn't as good, it's so, so much easier to carry around through my workday.

Everyone carries on in here with such loyalty, you'd think Handspring were Apple. While I AM Apple loyal, given the fact that the OS is the same for Palm-based handhelds, people really should choose whichever PDA they feel fits them best, regardless of manufacturer.

Which of course means when Handspring finally comes out with a slim, color device, I WILL be tempted.

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 708

quote:

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Originally posted by brooklynguide
God give the guy a break. He didn't like his Prism and he replaced it. I think Prism functions really well, has a great screen, and has wonderful expansion capabilities. But after 3 weeks with it, I gave mine up too. Because, no matter how good it works, the fact remains that it's the size of four decks of playing cards put together. I exchanged it for a Palm m505 and though the screen isn't as good, it's so, so much easier to carry around through my workday.

Everyone carries on in here with such loyalty, you'd think Handspring were Apple. While I AM Apple loyal, given the fact that the OS is the same for Palm-based handhelds, people really should choose whichever PDA they feel fits them best, regardless of manufacturer.

Which of course means when Handspring finally comes out with a slim, color device, I WILL be tempted.

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__________________
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. JOHN 14:2

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 604

Brooklynguide:

You make a valid point about the Prism form factor - I wish mine was a little slimmer. However, the original poster on this thread dumped his for an IPaq, which really isn't an improvement - particularly if you have the expansion sleeve attached.

Registered: Not Yet
Location:
Posts: N/A

OK, I broke down and bought the VisorPhone @ $49.00 !

Am currently using the Vdx, but will probably upgrade to the Prism once I determine that VP is going to work for me.

I SERIOUSLY planned to buy the Clie until this release of the VP.

Going with VP, I gain a cell phone as well as wireless connection to the net. Clie offered wireless (future), but this would have still left me carrying a cellphone in addition to the Vdx.

If the VP+Vdx works as advertised, Handspring has me locked in! Not a bad result for reducing the price of the VP, huh?

Assuming everything works as advertised, will await Handsprings release of a color hi-res unit > soon I hope.

Thickness becomes irrelevant with the visorphone anyway.

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: NYC
Posts: 287

When I first got my Prism I was so excited that I spent all day installing programs (color ones of course). I thought that after a few months my rainbow was going to fade away. However, After I got my Eyemodule2 things got much more excited. I had a lot of fun with it and I'm still having it. However, it's been almost 8 months since I first used it and I rainbow was abou to fade way. But, Pi Technology made my rainbow shine again. I'm having a lot of fun with my MemPlug and PiDirect. Now, with my 32 MB SM I have lots and lots of applications and games. I have no problem with my Prism even if with hacks installed. You just have to learn how to take care of it.

Al

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