NedM's Full Review: Handspring Visor Edge Handheld
Handspring has come out of the gate with two competitors to Palm Computing's big sellers. The Visor Deluxe matches up mostly against the Palm V (even moreso now that Palm has dropped its prices to approach the Visor's) and the Visor compares loosely with the Palm III. If you want to hear about the heavyweight bout, see my review "Handsrping over Palm for Flexibility" on the Visor Deluxe. At the risk of being redundant, this is a review comparing the Visor (base model) and Palm III, emphasizing the Springboard as the reason to select the Visor.
Let's assume, minor quibbles aside, that the Palm III and Visor boast essentially the same functionality. Having helped create the existing Palm Pilot line, the Handspring brass knew what it would take to break into the handheld, Palm Operating System market. Since almost everyone who has one seems to like their Palm handheld device, they needed to raise the bar with something other than marginally better performance or a handful dollars shaved off the price. Their solution is functionality. Instead of "anything you can do, we can do better", the Visor is playing "can't touch this" with the Palm III.
I'm writing, of course, about the Springboard, the expansion slot in the medulla oblongotta of the Visor which allows it to be upgraded to fit the developer's imagination (as well as the user's). You can plug-and-play other electronic gizmos (phone, modem, MP3 player) with the Springboard, or keep it for more conventional computing (memory, power, games, applications). The possibilities are boundless, unless you want color, but let's not get tied up with that just yet.
Let me extrapolate. Start with the market leader in PDA's (something like 75% of the market)- the Palm OS. Recognize that there is already a subworld of techies writing freeware code for the Palm Operating System, making it handy, fun, and even chic in some sad, twisted circles. Insert a product which can join in this fray without missing a beat, and even step up the tempo if anyone's willing to dance. Add to that an entrepreneurial group of module producers looking to turn a quick tech-buck, and you've got a hot commodity on your hands. I think we're learning from the recent past that when you challenge developers to be creative, you get interesting (sometimes even useful) responses. Thus the Visor bumps the Palm hype to the next pitch.
Let's go through this one more time. You've decided to buy a handheld to sync with e-mails, run your daily life, and play with in general. You've already ruled out Windows CE, because it's even harder to deal with the Blue Screen Of Death in your hands than on your desktop. So you're going Palm. Assuming comparable Palm OS functionality (which we can) we choose Visor vs. Palm III by style, price, and expandability. Handspring's Visor ties or wins each battle, leaving you typing in their URL and looking forward to next season's Springboard catalog. I'm right there with you.
HandSpring Visor Edge Handheld PDA (1015NA) 8MB, Graffiti, Slip it in your pocket. Put it in your purse. You'll barely even notice that you're..More at PDAPreferred
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