Visor Prism comes close but does not cross the finish line
Written: Dec 08 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Color, rechargeable battery, fast, 8 MB
Cons: Bulky
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| ahwilliams's Full Review: Handspring Visor Prism Handheld |
The HandSpring Visor Prism is the most feature filled Palm OS device to date. As such you would expect it to gain my highest marks. However, I feel this device falls just short of the finish line and will need to ripen just a bit more before it lives up to its expectations.
Specifications:
The Prism dimensions are 4.8” x 3.0” x 0.8” and weighs 6.9 oz. This presents, to me, its greatest flaw. When the Palm V series came out I felt they had finally made a device that was worth carrying around. The benchmark that most people use is the front shirt pocket test, i.e. would you forget you were carrying it if it was in your shirt pocket. None of the Visors pass this test and the Prism actually takes steps in the wrong direction. To give you a comparison, the Palm Vx, which costs about the same, weighs 2.9 oz less and is ½ the thickness.
The active matrix, backlit display is 16-bit, which yields 65,536 colors. This is quite an improvement over the palm IIIc which only offers 8-bit (256) color. The Motorola Dragonball VZ processor runs at 33mHz which is twice as fast as the Motorola Dragonball Ez found in other devices like the Palm V’s. The case comes in cobalt blue and comes with a leather case. The stylus is a decent weight and has a good feel, which is a lot more important than you might think. The basic layout of the device is the same as other Palm OS Devices and has the standard suite of buttons. There is a springboard expansion slot, which represents the visors main advantage over the Palm series. It also has the an IR port which can be used to beam data, applications, synchronize data to a PC, or act as a universal remote control.
The good:
I must admit when I first turned on the device I was quite impressed, the colors definitely make a difference. It reminded me of the first color television my family purchased, after looking at gray screens for years, the color really makes an impact. The Operating system is a small step up, Palm OS V3.5.2 and has a faster processor than earlier Palm OS devices.
It comes with a Lithium-ion battery which is a definite improvement over the original visor and will save you countless AAA batteries. The 8mb RAM compares well with other high end Palm OS Devices and the new 33mHz processor does much to increase performance.
The springboard slot allows you to install applications and add functionality to the Prism. Devices like digital cameras, GPS systems, and wireless modems are available and are easily installed in the ‘game-boy’ like slot.
The Bad:
It does not improve on the boxy look of the previous models visor has delivered and for the price I would have liked to have seen something a bit sleeker. The screen is quite crisp and is easy on the eyes but not as much as other color LCD I have worked with. Like the Palm V series you will need to have the cradle with you to recharge the batteries if you should decide to go on the road, unless you are a very light user.
The largest detractor, as I have said is the size. I absolutely love this device but can’t get past the size issue. In order for a portable device to be useful, it must be comfortably portable and this device does not get a passing mark on that basis alone.
Low down:
This device is just too expensive to justify the perks given it's drawbacks. If you are interested in the features that are offered by this device, my advice is to wait until they are able to put them in a more functional model.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
ahwilliams
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Member: Alex Williams
Reviews written: 25
Trusted by: 54 members
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