I got a handheld so that I could do one thing, to conveniently update all my address book and contact info from my work & home computers in one place. The Visor Deluxe performs that task marginally at best.

The product's marketers and reviewers will tell of a "seamless interface" with the popular email program Outlook Express, compatibility with all versions of Windows, the convenience of the included USB cable and connecting cradle, and insistences from all sources of its "flexibility" with managing data.

Like many people, my work computer is a laptop, networked on Windows NT. It has USB ports. Great, I thought, I can use my handheld's fast USB connector to zip data to and from my laptop. Not so. The USB connector does you no good in Windows NT. So I have to either buy a separate (and slow) serial connector or wait until my work upgrades everyone to Windows 2000. Some compatibility!

But, I thought, at least my (W98) home computer's data can be accessed and updated easily. Wrong again. Various documents from Handspring as well as their web site refernce their compatibility with Outlook Express, but it is very well hidden that you can't use OE to update the Handspring's Address Book. There are separate "Mail" and "Address Book" applications, and only the "Mail" application supports OE. (So I can download messages but NOT email addresses?) It took both an email and long distance telephone call to Handspring to get that straightened out; the documentation on it is poor. Now I have to save my address book, import it to Microsoft Outlook, change Outlook to the default emailer, THEN interface with the Visor, then change the default back to Outlook Express. It would be more convenient to print out the address book now and then, and carry around a piece of paper.

The Handspring folks will also insist that their products are customizable, "store anything your heart desires." Well, I would like to store multiple email addresses or phone numbers with some people in my address book. With the Handspring, you can only store one automatically. It's possible to create a new field manually and enter the second address manually, but that takes a lot of time, and is unsupported by common email programs. It would probably be easy to inadvertently delete new phone numbers when synching your PC and Visor. Again, paper and pencil's more convenient.

The Visor Deluxe can do a good many things, I'm sure, but it ceratinly has been a disappointment to me. I advise reading all compatibility info carefully before buying one, because for many people the Visor won't work out of the box.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 299