Old, but still the coolest PDA around.
Written: Mar 31 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Tiny machine, cool industrial design, 8MB memory, "enhanced" OS features
Cons: Stupid inversed backlight, annoying springboard system.
The Bottom Line: An extraordinary little PDA with more features than it lets on. If only expansion were better thought-out...
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| onionhead2001's Full Review: Handspring Visor Edge Handheld |
It's hard not to love the Visor Edge. Even outdated by the newer Palm 500 series, it turns more heads than any other PDA around. I'm a gadget-head, but even I know that I don't need color to make an appointment. Don't get me wrong -- it would be nice... but it's not necessary. If you can make this concession, you'll love the Edge, too.
The Edge carries a good 8MB of memory (now outclassed by all the 16MB devices), which is enough to store most things you'll need. I keep an entire drug formulary on mine, and there's still megs to spare. If you really need it, you can expand memory with Springboards, but they're a problem in themselves, which we'll deal with later. The monochrome screen is 4-bit, so it gets decent grayscale, and can even display photos if you want it to. It's more than enough for the important functions of a Palm, even if the backlight blows. I don't know who thinks these inverse backlights are a good idea, but they're not.
It runs with the Palm OS 3.5 - enhanced version. The enhancements are minor, but clear. The silent alarm seemed neat at first, but fails to properly get my attention, since the blinking light is less than impressive (although it does cause the entire corner of the Edge to glow, which looks pretty cool). I'd have preferred a vibrating mechanism. The best new feature is, by far, the fast lookup contact list, which allows you to spell out names using the hardware buttons. It works remarkably well, and each time you use it, you'll smile at how great an idea it is. No kidding.
Some folks whine about the stylus carriage -- griping that it's hard to use. Honestly... it isn't hard to use at all. If your family lineage is sufficiently advanced to boast opposeable thumbs, I assure you, you'll get the hang of the stylus. If it's not... well, go buy an abacus and leave the rest of civilization alone. The stylus is easily detached with one thumb, and holds securely in place when attached. It also gives the unit a distinct look -- and the Edge is largely about style to begin with.
Speaking of which -- this thing is ridiculously cool. It's forged of metal plates, sandwiched together into a tough case which can take quite the beating. I lug this thing around in my pants pocket all day long, and it's holding together just fine. The included flip-open lid adds more protection to the unit, and, through a nice trick of design, adds essentially zero thickness to the device. The end result is an ultra-portable PDA, well under a half-inch thick, and tough as nails. It's a smart architecture, combining uncomprimising style with impressive function. You can get the Edge in metallic silver, or, if you're more daring, cherry red or gunmetal blue. All three look space-age and sleek (though silver is the one that swayed me). The perimeter of the Edge is rimmed by a semi-tranclucent plastic bumper, punctuated by metal rivets that impart a unique industrial look. It is impossible to use this thing in public without drawing jealous attention. Even the rich guys with the Palm 515s will look your way.
Downsides? Sure. The biggest is the Springboard slot. Springboards are a great, albeit pricey, way to expand your PDA. They are rougly the size of an old Gameboy cartridge, and simply slide into most Visors -- adding memory or other functions. But the Edge is too small to hold a Springboard module (its greatest strength is also a component of its one irritation). Instead, you need to slide on this backpack thing that accepts the module. But the backpack is thicker than the Edge itself, and destroys the main selling point and identity of the Edge. Even worse, in order to use the backpack, a strange design requires the flip-top lid to be entirely removed. So now you have a bulky PDA with an exposed screen. Dumb dumb dumb. It's a shame they stumbled at the finish line. It's not a damning problem, really... 8MB is more than enough for most people, and most of the modules are gratuitous anyway -- I can't imagine ever needing one. But if you did need one, I recommened avoiding the Edge for this very reason.
Otherwise, it's a solid PDA with good features for a continually plummeting price. You can nab this for just over $150 now -- and that's a tough offer to turn down for such a sweet little device. Get it before it's gone.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 250
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Epinions.com ID:
onionhead2001
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Location: Charlottesville, VA 22901
Reviews written: 65
Trusted by: 9 members
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