Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Posts: 28

Greetings,

I have some bad news for all you Visor lovers out there. I have traded in my Visor Dx for a new Palm IIIxe. Why do you ask would I make such a decision? Well I'll tell you why, my answer is unrealistic expectations. For the last seven months I have used my Visor, & have not had a lot of complaints about it. But as I have used my PDA I realized that I really don't need all the gimmicks & gadgets that Handspring has promised & yet has delivered few on. Yes Handspring has all those cool Springboards in the pipeline, but the question is "do I really need all that stuff"? The answer is "no". As someone who doesn't have a lot of disposible income, I really can't picture myself spending $300 on a MP3 or cell phone springboard, when I can buy a regular one way cheaper. Now if you can afford it, I say GO FOR IT. By next week something better will come out & make that particular springboard obsolete.
I decided to buy the Palm IIIxe (AND NO I DON'T WORK FOR PALM OR ANY OTHER PDA MAKER), because it was basic just like my old Palm III and gave me my email, schedule, addresses, To-Do's & a couple of games. Plus the flash memory is a God send! Anyway maybe one day I'll jump back on the Handspring bandwagon again but for now I'm back with Palm.

Regards,
Bearboy

PS: White Sox going all the way this year!!!!

[Edited by bearboy on 09-30-2000 at 10:27 PM]

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 276

That's too bad. I am sorry to hear you didn't find the Handspring as resouceful as most of us. I truly boils down to a matter of opinion. I couldn't be happier with my multi-functional PDA with springboard expansion.

I knew the price of Handspring was low when first produced for the marketplace, and that leading technology (such as a 64MB mp3 plavyer no bigger than half my fist, and a v90 56k modem with storage for Internet apps, Global positioning springboard) would be more expansive and as compact as possible.

At least you didn't buy a PocketPC.

__________________
what?<br>

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: I'm not sure, but I see lots of lights everywhere.
Posts: 1287

Doh!

quote:

---

Originally posted by timmins
At least you didn't buy a PocketPC.

---

To quote Adam Corolla from The Man Show:

"How dare you...how dare you!"

__________________
My blog: Pocketfactory

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Davis, CA, USA
Posts: 72

The Pocket PC is a viable option if you want a PDA and an MP3 player in 1 device. For the cost of my Visor Deluxe and MiniJam I could have bought a 32MB color Pocket PC.

Registered: Sep 2000
Location:
Posts: 4

Please people this is getting very boring, lets have a special scetion for all the moaning!!

Registered: Aug 2000
Location:
Posts: 80

Ok enough is enough.

Ok due to the recent rash of "Visor sux Im gone" posts, I've been forced to speak.

Bearboy: Wtf is with you? You say that all you really need a PDA for is address book, etc. Not only does the Visor come with those, and the addition of city time, and datebook+ but is also the best bargain for the money!

I just don't get it. Even if I never buy a springboard ever (Which I have, the handspring modem) I feel like my visor was money WELL spent. It's easily upgradeable, comes with better built in apps, looks cool, and was a great deal for the money.

...

Registered: Feb 2000
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 165

I've been following these posts for a while too... my ~$0.02 on the issue is that I think springboards will probably come down in price considerably in the long run - after the current component shortages work themselves out and after what's currently cutting edge becomes commonplace.

Companies are entitled to recoup their development costs (yes, even Innogear - even though their track record is lousy), and I suspect the high prices we're seeing in this first wave of Springboards are due in part to initial development costs. The emphasis right now seems to be on just cramming technology into a Springboard-sized unit and getting it to work... I think once companies have done this they'll start figuring out how to improve their existing designs and make them more affordable.

Remember how expensive the first 56K modems were? Nowadays you can pick up a 56K modem for $30. I'm going to sit tight and stand behind Handspring* (I've got the window cling on one of my Saturn's back windows & everything )... my only real problem with the Visor so far is having the hardware for 4-bit grayscale but not being able to take advantage of it with most applications, and that's my own fault for not researching the consequences of a non-upgradeable OS more thoroughly. I knew about the Visor's non-upgradeability when I bought it. so I'm not about to start griping about it now.

I bought my Visor in January, before the third-party Springboards started trickling out, excited by the expandability and eagerly anticipating all of the modules I'd be buying; I'm as frustrated as anybody about the high cost of most Springboards, but the cost of a third-party company's product isn't Handspring's fault.* Handspring's VisorPhone is prohibitively expensive for the "Average Consumer" and most of the first customers will probably be businesses... but that was also the case with the first stand-alone cell phones. On the other hand, the AirPrime CDMA phone module is looking very promising costwise.

Like somebody else on VC said, "You pay to be the first on your block." I'm confident that Springboards will become more inexpensive with time and the only reason I'd get rid of my Graphite VDX would be to get an Orange one instead.

-Andy



* Except for the Glenayre debacle, which I still think is a load of crap. I understand the problem, but there has to be a better solution than for Handspring to make modified Visors for one company's Springboard unit.

__________________
<br>"Form follows function - that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union" -Frank Lloyd Wright

Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Posts: 28

Whoa Lacutis,

Getting a little nasty eh? Maybe you should stop watching the Star Trek reruns & pay more attention to what I'm saying. Your right the Visor has all those things but why should I keep buying into all the hype? I sold my Visor for a great price(someone elso bought into the hype) and picked up a Palm IIIxe way cheaper and does all the things I really need it to do.
I will say this again, it's a fine machine & the reason I bought it was the possibility of expansion, but with the Springboards slow to arrive & WAY overpriced & not neccesarily all that useful why should I keep dishing out hard earned $$$ for stuff I really don't need. Its all a matter of opinion thats all!

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Connecticut USA
Posts: 2682

quote:

---

Originally posted by bearboy
...but with the Springboards slow to arrive & WAY overpriced & not neccesarily all that useful why should I keep dishing out hard earned $$$ for stuff I really don't need.

---

I'm confused here myself... just because you have (er... had, in the case of bearboy ) a Visor doesn't mean you have to "dish out hard earned $$$ for stuff" like Springboards. To me, this is like saying your car has an ashtray, so you have to smoke. It's a feature of the Visor that doesn't need to be used by everyone. In my case, the only modules currently available that even interest me are the modems. The rest, while some of them are nice, and others are cool, just don't appeal to me (at this point in time).

If you think that the IIIxe is a better value, then fine, by all means go for it. But I do think it's unfair to knock the Visor because of the lack of modules. The enhanced apps and native USB syncing, IMHO, outweigh the lack of an upgradable ROM (which, in reality, is not that big a deal). By itself, the Visor is a very capable PDA when used for its core functionality.

(the above was from MarkEagle, the member... below is from MarkEagle, the moderator )

quote:

---

Originally posted by bearboy
Its all a matter of opinion thats all!

---

For or against, everyone is going to have an opinion on this subject. Let's do our best to keep it from getting personal.

__________________

God bless America, my home sweet home...

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

bearboy:

I think what's confusing people isn't your choice to switch, but your choice to go to the trouble to sell your Visor to buy a Palm with a largely identical feature set (same form factor, 8MB, etc.). It's not like you upgraded to a Vx, a Cli� or an iPaq.

Another VC member, Chipset, did the same thing a few months ago, but his reason for going with the IIIxe was to use OmniSky immediately. Moreover, he mentioned this in passing. He didn't start a "Goodbye Handspring" thread to broadcast his dissatisfaction. And no one challenged his reasoning, because it seemed like it was based on sound judgement, and didn't seem inflammatory -- even when he said that his IIIxe/OmniSky combo "beats waiting for Springboards."

Honestly, if I had known last September that it would take a more than a year for a single wireless Springboard to become available for the Visor (even a one-way pager!), I would've purchased a Vx and enjoyed it until a wireless module did become available.

But even as a consumer advocate, I do believe there's still such a thing as personal responsibility, and if I bought the Visor strictly on the basis of the wireless issue (which I didn't; price was another factor), then that's an error of my judgement, not Handspring's hype and "promises."

Registered: Aug 2000
Location:
Posts: 63

Visor vs. Palm IIIxe

Ok, I'm thinking about trading up to a sony CLIE, however I don't see the point Bearboy is trying to make. I mean I'm all about people trying out what they like and find what works best for them. But trading a Visor for Palm IIIxe, because you "don't buy into the hype".

This makes, absolutely no sense at all. I'm not pro or anti visor, I use a Visor because it was cheap, and it does what I want(datebook+, memopad, todo, avantgo). I also liked the colors(I'm ashamed to admit it, I use to bash iMacs so much about the color thing). I mean I use one springboard, the backup module. But I wouldn't trade in the Visor to a Palm IIIxe becuase I didn't like the springboard options. I mean I have my issues with some of the springboards, but I don't want a Palm handheld without the springboard because I don't use it.

I think the reason people are questioning your trade is because your point make zero sense. If you had said "I'm trading to a Palm IIIxe because I want to be able to upgrade the OS". Well OK then. But you said all you want it for is the basics, in which case a OS upgrade won't help you at all. You also mentioned the flash memory was a godsend. Well I got flash memory on my Visor. Its a backup module and it holds the whole 8 megs. If your wanting flash memory for storing important files, then your going to be slightly limited with the flash memory on the PalmIIIxe

So, again, I'm not pro-visor, nor am I anti-Visor. I think all the complaining on this board the past few days is just people exploring other options. But your reasoning for getting a Palm IIIxe, makes no sense.

-Visorholic

__________________

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: I'm not sure, but I see lots of lights everywhere.
Posts: 1287

Re: Visor vs. Palm IIIxe

quote:

---

Originally posted by Visorholic
Ok, I'm thinking about trading up to a sony CLIE...

---

__________________
My blog: Pocketfactory

Registered: May 2000
Location: Highland Mills, NY
Posts: 65

foo fighter,

I was wondering why you are purchasing a ipaq? I have often contimpalated a switch. I am waiting for the prism before I reevaluate. I hope it is not another IIIc. Any comments??

Aslo, I purchased my visor Dlx without the intention of purchasing any of the more elaborate modules. I mostly use the 8MB and the backup module. I would like color. So I will wait

Marc

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: I'm not sure, but I see lots of lights everywhere.
Posts: 1287

fmlydoc-

Basically the iPAQ (and other Pocket PCs) offer what the Visor does through modules, only at a much better value. This isn't a wrong or right choice, it merely depends on what you want from your PDA. If you want a PDA with a built-in MP3 player, ebook readability, higher resolution display, color...yada yada yada, then the iPAQ is the hands down winner. Based on these criteria, the Visor is actually more expensive and it doesn't even offer (yet) a color display. By the time you pay for a Visor deluxe + Mp3 module you will be paying at least $500. When the color Visor (Prism) comes out, this will get even worse; $450 for a color Visor + $260 for an MP3 module...Ouch!!! By contrast you can buy a color Pocket PC for less than $400 which offers all of these features.

If you are a Windows user running mainly Microsoft applications such as Outlook 2000 (which comes with your Pocket PC), Word, Excel, Media Player, Money 2000/2001, then the iPAQ is definitely the way to go. It functions much more seamlessly as an extension of your desktop than a Palm based device. For example, if you have a Word Doc file that you want to transfer to your Visor, you must first convert it into Palm's native *.pdb file format, then load it into the Palm installer, then do a HotSync (which syncs everything and takes several seconds/minutes to complete). But on a Pocket PC, you simply drag your Word document over to the Pocket PC folder on your desktop and it transfers immediately over to your device. If your device is sitting in its cradle and you receive an email, that new message would automatically go into your iPAQ without any user intervention. You can open email attachments such as Word Docs, Excel spreadsheets, jpegs, gifs, html documents, bmp files, and so forth. And of course one the coolest features is the MP3 player which allows you to listen to your favorite band (Foo Fighters in my case) all while browsing through your AvantGo channels or reading your email. Pretty slick. Currently, Palm based device simply don't offer this level of capabilities due to both their limitations and their design philosophy. It's the classic; "Less filling...tastes great" argument. No one is wrong or right. It's simply a matter of needs.

I've owned an iPAQ as well as a Jornada before, and while the Pocket PC OS does still have a few rough edges, Microsoft is getting it right. They are so close right now it's scary! I'll put it to you this way; If I were Carl Yankowski, I would be laying in bed every night suffering from insomnia brought on by stress.

I'm hoping that Palm is developing comparable features and functionality into their next generation devices/OS. Although, judging from the reaction of industry analysts who have seem Palms next trick, this isn't going to happen. From what I understand, the next Palms will concentrate on wireless and that is about it. That means we won't be buying headphones for our Palm Vs anytime soon.

__________________
My blog: Pocketfactory

Registered: May 2000
Location: Highland Mills, NY
Posts: 65

foo fighter,

Thanks for the candid reply. I previously owned a Casio E-105 but switched back to the Palm OS mainly beacuse because of the wealth of medical applicatons avail. I do a lot of reading on my handheld, however am very peersuaded by the amt of third party applications avail for the Palm OS. Will this change? Maybe is was the WIn Ce device I purchased but I did not prefer the hourglass always pop up. Maybe this is not the place to cntinue this thread if yuo don't mind would you prefer me to e-mail this seperately as I would love to pick your brain.


Marc

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: I'm not sure, but I see lots of lights everywhere.
Posts: 1287

Feel free to email any question you have. I will be more than happy to answer.

__________________
My blog: Pocketfactory

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

quote:

---

Originally posted by bearboy
Greetings,

I have some bad news for all you Visor lovers out there. I have traded in my Visor Dx for a new Palm IIIxe.

---

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 391

quote:

---

[i]I sold my Visor for a great price(someone elso bought into the hype) and picked up a Palm IIIxe way cheaper and does all the things I really need it to do. [/B]

---

__________________
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: Oct 1999
Location: I'm not sure, but I see lots of lights everywhere.
Posts: 1287

quote:

---

Originally posted by argent
[QUOTE]
There is little software for Windows CE...Most of what there is, is expensive.

---

__________________
My blog: Pocketfactory

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 391

I might believe in the end to the Pocket PC shortage "soon", except that the platform has been out for years now... nearly as long as the Palm... without the promised day ever coming. Microsoft seems determined to kill it: they've managed to cripple it with incompatible upgrades over and over again. Plus, the API makes the Palm's look clean, and there's not nearly as much insulation between apps and the UI.

So. New software. There's new software every day. Mostly every day. Mostly 2-3 packages.

Look at Palmgear. Its "top 10" rolls over every day.

And the software *I* need to get to bring my PPC up to the level of the Palm, well, it seems to start at $30 on up. The stuff that's under $20 is mostly stuff that's free on the Palm.

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