The Handspring Visor Deluxe is the best PDA for the money. I have used a Palm IIIx in the past as well as a Compaq IPAQ and I now find that the Visor Deluxe combines all the good features of both those devices while dispensing with the bad.

Let me explain: the Palm IIIx was great, but was not expandable. The IPAQ had a beautiful color screen, multimedia capabilities, and expandability, but character recognition was poor and the sleeve expansion device was bulky and awkward. In addition, the Windows CE operating system is a poor substitute for the Palm operating system (OS), especially if you want to use your PDA in a traditional manner, i.e. for scheduling, contacts, memos.

The Handspring Visor Deluxe puts it all together. It runs the rock-solid version 3.1 of the Palm operating system and includes with its basic applications an enhanced Datebook (called Datebook+) that gives you so many nice features you'll likely use it exclusively instead of the basic Datebook.

The Visor Deluxe's Springboard slot is the real star. Currently, you can choose from MP3 players, GPS navigation systems, memory expansion modules, and even a cellular phone springboard for your Visor. More springboards are in the works. Personally, I bought the Hagiwara 16MB flash module which allows me to store a 5MB dictionary plus some medical software on the springboard, while leaving my 8MB of base RAM relatively untouched on the Visor Deluxe.

The Visor Deluxe beats the Palms in terms of look and feel as well. Handspring devices feel just right in the hand and the application push buttons are slightly concave, allowing for easy activation using the stylus tip. The older Palm III devices had rounded buttons that were difficult to activate with the stylus tip without incurring serious slippage.

Some have complained about the Visor Deluxe's protective snapcover, which does not flip up and down like the popular "Star Trek communicator-like" cover of the Palm III series machines. I, however, have grown to like the Visor's cover. It looks fabulous (I own a graphite Visor Deluxe), fits snugly -- affording great screen protection -- and, when it's clipped to the back of the Visor Deluxe, provides a nice, secure hand-hold, reducing the possibility that you'll drop the device. If you practice, you can become quite proficient at removing, clipping to the back, removing, clipping to the front. Of course, if you hate the idea of a separate piece of plastic to deal with as a cover, consider a leather flip-top case for the Visor.

In terms of negative comments about the Visor, one could say that the case is a bit thick owing to the addition of Springboard capability. (Palm V users love their machines because they can be comfortably carried in the shirt pocket -- the same cannot be said of the Visor Deluxe, which will feel a bit awkward and heavy when placed in a front shirt pocket).

In addition, the Palm OS on the Visor Deluxe is not "flash" upgradeable. This is a big point of debate among techies. Most Palm units are upgradeable via Flash memory. This means that when Palm releases a completely new operating system (OS), Palm owners simply "flash" this OS into their devices and that's that. You cannot do this on a Visor Deluxe because it does not have the necessary flash memory.

So, you ask, how important is this flash memory capability? The answer is that it depends on what you need out of your PDA. Techies want the latest and greatest software, so flash memory capability is important to them. The fact is that Handspring already has released several software patches that include some of the more popular features of Palm's recent OS updates (infra red hot synch is an example), so you can be sure Handspring will not leave you out in the cold if something new and useful arrives on the scene. The Visor Deluxe has been around for awhile, and it is selling quite well, so the lack of flash memory doesn't seem to be a problem for most Visor owners. It certainly isn't a problem for me, and I'd classify myself as half techie/half casual user.

To date, I am extremely pleased with my Visor Deluxe. I've owned it for about a year. As of this writing, Palm has released the new M105 with 8MB of memory and is slated to release the M505, which will be a color version of the Palm V with an expansion slot. Handspring is said to be on the verge of releasing new products as well. Some are advising potential PDA owners to wait for the new models before buying. I disagree. If you need a PDA now, why not purchase one that has been on the market for awhile and is a proven success? Handspring has recently announced a $50 rebate on the Visor Deluxe (as of 3/2/01). This means $199 for an 8MB Palm Organizer (choose from ice, orange, green, or graphite colors) with unlimited expansion options via Springboard.

Cheers,

/Steelkilt






Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 199