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You can do 1200bps/9600bps amateur packet with your Handspring Visor and a TNC using the Shine Micro SM2496 $99 TNC module. You can see my station running at www.findham.net

Brian Lane
(Yes, I'm lead programmer for Shine Micro, but that doesn't mean that it isn't a cool project).

Hey, thanks for remembering us! But we're not Vaporware, we're just not in production yet. Beta testers have real units and are using them as we speak.

Documentation and Open Source software is available from our website at www.shinemicro.com, and the author of PocketAPRS has one and is in the process of porting his program over to our module.

Brian Lane
Lead Programmer
Shine Micro
Home of the SM2496 Visor Module

Hey, thanks for remembering us! But we're not Vaporware, we're just not in production yet. Beta testers have real units and are using them as we speak.

Documentation and Open Source software is available from our website at www.shinemicro.com, and the author of PocketAPRS has one and is in the process of porting his program over to our module.

Brian Lane
Lead Programmer
Shine Micro
Home of the SM2496 Visor Module

And it could support Ogg Vorbis if someone had the time to port it to the 160MHz TMS320C5416 DSP that we are using.

Brian Lane

Lead Programmer

Shine Micro

Home of the SM2496 Visor module.

Another reason why this is definitely not a professional device: the microphone connection is a stereo 3.5mm jack. I would expect to see at least a 1/4" balanced jack per channl, ideally XLRs with phantom power.

There are better alternatives out there:

• Sonifex Courier (as used by BBC and NPR - serious kit.
• Marantz PMD600 series (semi-pro, good connectivity).
• MiniDisc systems (some of them), as you know.

And, in the Vaporware corner, the Shine MP3 Recorder for Handspring Visor!

You have to. When the manufacturer drops their product line people stop buying it, that means they won't be buying Springboard modules either. You can't afford to develop a new product if there isn't a market for it.

Yes, there are alot of Visors out there, but how comfortable are you going to feel spending more money on your now obsolete device? The Springboard market hasn't been doing as well as expected as it is, but now we will never know if it would have reached a critical mass, will we?

Brian Lane
Lead Programmer
Shine Micro
Maker of the SM2496 DSP module

Handspring has just destroyed the Springboard and Visor markets with these statements. I am lead programmer for Shine Micro Shine Micro, maker of the SM2496 DSP module for the Visor, and we have been working hard to bring our product to market. Currently it is in Beta testing, but it now appears that we are going to have to redesign for a different platform, or dump the project entierly.

The quote was that the will be exiting the PDA market "but not today". That doesn't provide any kind of reassurance to any of the Springboard deleopers who have invested a great amount of time and effort into what is now a dead product line.
Yes, all product lines are finite. But you usually don't have the manufacturer announcing this fact prematurely. I don't see any reason for someone to buy a Visor or a Springboard module now that they know that the support will not be there sometime in the near future.

It sounds like Handspring is turning into a fancy cellphone company. I don't think that they will survive this move. The Visor and Springboard are a good product and would have carried them far into the future (just look at Palm).

Brian Lane
Lead Programmer
Shine Micro
Maker of the SM2496 DSP module

Handspring has just destroyed the Springboard and Visor markets with these statements. I am lead programmer for Shine Micro Shine Micro, maker of the SM2496 DSP module for the Visor, and we have been working hard to bring our product to market. Currently it is in Beta testing, but it now appears that we are going to have to redesign for a different platform, or dump the project entierly.

The quote was that the will be exiting the PDA market "but not today". That doesn't provide any kind of reassurance to any of the Springboard deleopers who have invested a great amount of time and effort into what is now a dead product line.
Yes, all product lines are finite. But you usually don't have the manufacturer announcing this fact prematurely. I don't see any reason for someone to buy a Visor or a Springboard module now that they know that the support will not be there sometime in the near future.

It sounds like Handspring is turning into a fancy cellphone company. I don't think that they will survive this move. The Visor and Springboard are a good product and would have carried them far into the future (just look at Palm).

Brian Lane
Lead Programmer
Shine Micro
Maker of the SM2496 DSP module

First the disclaimer - I'm lead programmer on this project so I'm biased. It isn't complete yet, but it will be available 'Real Soon Now'. We have beta units that we are testing right now and I am writing software as quickly as possible.

The SM2496 is a general purpose DSP module for the Handspring Visor that uses a 160MHz TI DSP, 96kHz 24bit codec and has an MMC slot for MP3 storage. We use DOS formatted MMCs so transferring files using a MMC reader is fast and easy. With stereo inputs and outputs it can Play and Record stereo MP3 files at 128kbps.

The module could also be used as a Game soundcard for Visor games, HAM radio modem (I have 1200bps and 9600bps G3RUH running), or any other audio application that a creative DSP programmer can come up with.

Development modules with a Software Development Kit and JTAG interface for use with TI compatible JTAG pods will be availble soon (sooner than the consumer MP3 version). Any TI DSP programmers want to port Ogg Vorbis to the unit?

Brian Lane brian@shinemicro.com
Shine Micro

First the disclaimer - I'm lead programmer on this project so I'm biased. It isn't complete yet, but it will be available 'Real Soon Now'. We have beta units that we are testing right now and I am writing software as quickly as possible.

The SM2496 is a general purpose DSP module for the Handspring Visor that uses a 160MHz TI DSP, 96kHz 24bit codec and has an MMC slot for MP3 storage. We use DOS formatted MMCs so transferring files using a MMC reader is fast and easy. With stereo inputs and outputs it can Play and Record stereo MP3 files at 128kbps.

The module could also be used as a Game soundcard for Visor games, HAM radio modem (I have 1200bps and 9600bps G3RUH running), or any other audio application that a creative DSP programmer can come up with.

Development modules with a Software Development Kit and JTAG interface for use with TI compatible JTAG pods will be availble soon (sooner than the consumer MP3 version). Any TI DSP programmers want to port Ogg Vorbis to the unit?

Brian Lane brian@shinemicro.com
Shine Micro

First the disclaimer - I'm lead programmer on this project so I'm biased. It isn't complete yet, but it will be available 'Real Soon Now'. We have beta units that we are testing right now and I am writing software as quickly as possible.

The SM2496 is a general purpose DSP module for the Handspring Visor that uses a 160MHz TI DSP, 96kHz 24bit codec and has an MMC slot for MP3 storage. We use DOS formatted MMCs so transferring files using a MMC reader is fast and easy. With stereo inputs and outputs it can Play and Record stereo MP3 files at 128kbps.

The module could also be used as a Game soundcard for Visor games, HAM radio modem (I have 1200bps and 9600bps G3RUH running), or any other audio application that a creative DSP programmer can come up with.

Development modules with a Software Development Kit and JTAG interface for use with TI compatible JTAG pods will be availble soon (sooner than the consumer MP3 version). Any TI DSP programmers want to port Ogg Vorbis to the unit?

Brian Lane brian@shinemicro.com
Shine Micro