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The new Palm VIIx
Several readers wrote in about the new Palm VIIx. It looks really nice and all, but I've got to say that the Handspring looks good too. If anyone's had a chance to use a prerelease of the new VIIx, please post your experiences below.
I want something in the Palm V style casing with a color screen. I also wish they'd get rid of that little writing space and replace it with more screen real-estate and just make writing on the entire screen the default. Maybe even a more natural writing feel like the Cross pen stuff so there's a bit more resistance when I'm writing on the screen to make it feel more like paper.
Actually I'd like it to be slightly larger, but thinner.
Either that or one of those little 'padd's from Star Trek... nice and thin with a very simple interface and a highly efficient input mechnism. I personally can do without all those fancy graphics and 3D bullshit in a tiny device, but that's just me.
The world is neither black nor white nor good nor evil, only many shades of CowboyNeal.
I dunno, I personally dig the ridges, they've probably kept me from dropping the damn thing several times, heh.
Without the pad, it's not Dance Dance Revolution, it's Listen
Not to mention the Visor's memory tweaking that makes it run significantly faster than a palm III. 35% faster, according to my benchmarks, anyway.
Without the pad, it's not Dance Dance Revolution, it's Listen
let me guess, your favorite little rascal is spanky?
The Troll is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me write down my copious notes on a glorified notepad, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my rechargeable batteries. He guides me in paths of new technology for technology's sake. Even though I surf through the valley of the shadow of death (cough, M$, cough), I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your cell phone and your pager they comfort me. You prepare a Newton before me in the presence of my classmates. You anoint my address book with email; my RAM is maxxed out. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of Fry's forever. (Yes, but don't call me Shirley.)
Ignorence is blis.
Well the SD (secure digital) cards have been standardized for almost a year now and the first products are beginning to come out. SD is actually an extension of the MMC format and maintains backwards compatability with MMC. For less sketchy details look at the datasheets abailable from Sandisk.
I am becoming gerund, destroyer of verbs.
yeah.. funny, isn't it.. i'm the first one with the news, yet i'm redundant 'cause some other guy got modded up to 5 quicker..
thanks for noticing, though..
wish
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There have been indications on palm-dev-forum that OS4.0 will be dramatically different. No clue on when it will arrive, but it will presumably be associated with new hardware (possibly the rumored switch to the StrongARM processor; more likely some sort of expansion interface and higher display resolution/larger screens)
i'm waiting for the samsung (developed) YOPI. linux based, color screen, 206 MHz ARM processor, browser, mp3 player, multimedia ready baby. mmmmm. -queque
Standard default rules!
I need to get my Batman Factor up to three. I only have my Leatherman and my Nokia 5120 on my belt right now...
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When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout. --Robert A. Heinlein
Not pricey at all, given its utility.
I use energizer NiMH rechargeable AAAs. They last me about 2-3 weeks, and supposedly last 1000 cycles.
I don't need large brains to have a good time.
and you can pre-order the innogear minijam mp3 player from www.innogear.com now. i did. it reads ebooks and you can use it's 32-64 megs of ram for storage too... i'm just going to love taking it to parties and plugging it into peoples stereo systems so that they can all get off on the latest illegal britney/eminem cut-up. mmmmm. -queque
Standard default rules!
You're right, I did overlook that. Thanks for pointing it out.
On a side note, I wonder how many people need the whole wireless clipped web thingy? I might conceivably use it on my bus ride in the morning/evening (45 min. each way), but that's when I usually sleep. The rest of the time, there's a computer within spitting distance (unless I take lunch out, but that's because I want to get away for awhile).
I work at an ISP, so... There's always computers around. I'm sure some people will like the wireless clipped web stuff, but I don't need it - I will be happy to customize my Visor with a GPS and (maybe) someday with something better than the current EyeModule (the pictures are technically pictures, but they are pretty poor).
Exocet Industries - Taking over the world, one computer at a
Same number of pixels (160x160), smaller display.
I don't wear my Visor on my belt at all - that would be awkward, I think. Since it's the summer, I wear cargo shorts a lot, and just stuff it in a pocket. Otherwise, it's in my back pack a lot.
The most that I might have on my belt is a knife (I'd like a leatherman!), and I've got a Casio Databank 150 watch for when my Visor doesn't seem to be around but I need to note an appointment, use a calculator, whatever.
Exocet Industries - Taking over the world, one computer at a
Runs on AAA batteries rather than rechargeable ones
But you can always get rechargeable AAA's, they just don't come with it.
Certain units have a memory problem. Handspring has released a patch.
This problem also occured in some of the 8 MB Palms.
I have a regular Visor, and so far I like it muchly. I like the fast USB synch, the nice screen, the expansion slot, and the price. The one thing that bugs me is the cover. It doesn't have a nice flipping cover like the Palm's, but instead has a detachable faceplate.
Also, I think Palm is in a bit of a weird spot, kinda like Apple was, they were selling both the software and the hardware. Now Apple no longer licenses their OS. Trouble for HandSpring?
*BZZZT* According to the handspring modules stuff, Avantgo is going to offer special support on some kind of wireless springboards. So.. it may not be hardware , but I promise you it will be wireless.
Magnwa
"A Plugin for the type: text/plain cannot be found"
Damn, seems like netscape is falling back when it comes to keeping up with standards.
Shine on, you crazy diamond.
Skytel sell's service for the motorola T900, its just a little bit wider than my old advisor gold alpha numeric pager and has a lighted 37 key keyboard.. full two way email and has address book.. its only 150 bucks, if you looking for a light ass wearable thats fully functional for wireless email they rock.
Also, people failed to note (*cough* *cough* I did, but got rejected) the new M100, which is supposed to be colourful, $149, 8mb...
Call it a guess, but perhaps your were rejected because the M100 ships with 2MB, not 8MB.
Now, I am not one to be picky, but this might be it!
What took mine in was a 10 foot drop to a concrete floor, with a few pounds of books atop of it.. No cracks, no visible breaks inside or out, but the damn thing wouldn't boot.
--
Care about electronic freedom? Consider donating to the EFF!
First there was the same page as yesterday.
Then there was a list of palm products.
Then there was a little flash (?) thingy with the previous page moved off to palm.com/products
Wassup with that?
When I hit the 'buy now' button, I got a 404 error. A few hours later, I was able to put it in my shopping cart, but the pages loaded so slowly that I couldn't finish an order. Now, I get a Http/1.1: Server too busy. Icky icky icky.
I guess Palm wasn't ready for the /. effect.
--
Care about electronic freedom? Consider donating to the EFF!
I can beat that I dropped mine, from a table 4 feet, on a concrete floor, no case, not even a scratch. not to mention I used mine as a flashlight duriing a power outage once.
The VIIx is better than the Visor because the Visor doesn't have wireless access.. Sure, you could buy the cellular springboard modem for it, but then you still have to buy an ISP. The VIIx comes with Palm.net, which is an ISP and has e-mail. Besides, the translucent color case of the visor might be cool for kids, but the plastic breaks easier and the buttons are crappy. Nice try Visor, but your "good looks" are not for the more professional users that are spending the money.
pt
Will the real Richard Stallman please stand up?
Why pay $149.95 for 8mb more when if you had a Visor, you could get almost 2 8mb flash Springboard modules for that price! (They're $79.95 each)
I personally love my Blue Visor Deluxe... I've never had one problem with it!
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zap.....
You want to talk about apples and oranges, quit using the company name as the product name. It is the Handspring Visor. The name of the product is not the "Handspring." And although it's not due until later this month, the Glenayre @ctiveLink will be the first 2-way Springboard module (and also the first to be usable outside the Visor).
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James Hromadka
"The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved." -- John Ashcroft
Thank you! I've been searching these comments waiting for people to stop putting that damned Visor up on such a high pedestal... I think they just like the pretty colours...
Anyway, I just bought my first handheld (until recently I considered them rather silly) and I opted for a TRGpro. Yeah, they're a bit expensive but if you happen to want expandability they are definitely the only way to go. I've had mine for a little under a week now, and I've been having *great* fun just toying around with it. Pretty soon I may decide to buy a CF modem (or heck, even a serial port would do) so I can play around with a few of the internet apps.
The CF slot is an industry standard (or so I believe), with lots of hardware already on the market, whereas that Spingboard is proprietary.
And now I shall commence in pointing out to all of you Palm and Visor users that I have the ability to buy a 340MB hard disk or 56k modem for my PalmOS device of choice. Nyah.
Actually, according to their grid they do have a few different wireless modules, including an 802.11 compatible module. And it still should come out cheaper than a palm VII, which requires you to use their expensive Palm.net dialup service.
nosilA
and this Palm VIIX, then maybe fashion a connector from the watch to the Palm, run Apache on the watch, use the palm for the Internet connection, then find a Slashdot code clone, viola,
SlashWrist!
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"We're sorry, but the website you're trying to reach has been disconnected."
There are lots of free calculator programs that you can download right off the net. I will agree that Palm's default calc app sucks (order of operations isn't even correct) but I don't agree that a visor is the better machine because the calculator app doesn't suck.
I've had my Visor Deluxe since January, and I absolutely love it. My first Visor died after two weeks, but I called their tech support, and they overnighted me a new one, no questions asked! I put my old one in the return box, sent it back to 'em, and I've had no problems since. It runs like a charm, and I've even been able to get it to work with Linux using the Linux Palm apps. I highly recommend the Visor. For what you pay (in my case, approx $240) you get a great deal, and the Springboard socket makes 'em very expandable.
"The dead do not shoo-bop-aloo-bah." -- Kai, 'Lexx'
Syntax is not important???
"..don't you eat that yellow snow."
Also, there is USB support for the Visor in Linux too http://sourceforge.net/project/?group_id=1404.
JOhn
Campaign for Liberty
Another nice thing about CF is that it's electrically compatible with PCMCIA; you buy a cheap ($10) adapter, and your CF+ modem (or flash memory) will also work with a standard laptop.
My Blog. Sela Ward can sell me long distanc
- There are very few things that Springboard modules can do that software can't. And if you want removable storage, nothing can beat a TRGpro, which is like a Palm IIIxe with a CF slot. A camera is also available for Palm devices.
- The speedup of the HotSync time by using USB instead of serial is negligible. My serial sync takes about 1.5 minutes, downloading of four fairly large AvantGo channels over dialup included. On the other hand, USB synchronizing is not supported under Windows 2000, and may be flakey elsewhere. The serial cradles are extra.
- The case is pretty, but also a bit thicker and bulkier. The cover isn't attached to the unit, which isn't very convenient at all.
Don't get me wrong. I respect Palm's remembering Apple's mistake and allowing others to compete with them, and I applaud Handspring for building such a huge customer base so quickly. I hope that Handspring continues to grow, and that a few other competitors appear.I just fail to see any advantage to buying a Visor for the same price as a similar Palm.
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I believe that the PalmOS 3.5 is either out on the "x" models of the Palms or is due out soon.
As for why the Palm retains marketshare for the overall handheld market, I think that has to do (partially) with the fact of it's earlier stable releases (I don't know: is CE stable yet?) but mostly I think it's due to the fact that the Palms attemt to go for an different part of the market. They don't try to replicate a PC, rather they're just designed to be pda's. You can see this in the fact that the Palm file system is optimized for dealing with pda type info, Palm's are much lighter and smaller than WinCE machines, and their battery life is much longer.
You're not going to play mp3's on a Palm (I've coded for it's processor and believe me it's pretty slow), but at the same time it's got handwriting recognition (of a sort), it's pda functions are great, and with the Palm VII or a V with OmniSky you can use the Internet from any city that has BellSouth (or affiliated) towers. For now at least I think Palm's are going to retain their market share for pda types while WinCE makes gains among people who want their to take computer with them in their pocket. Within a few years though they'll probably do pretty mcuh the same amount of stuff even if slightly differently...
credo quia absurdum
Why are AAA a problem!
Consider that you have to leave the Palm V in a cradle to recharge for a couple hours. Why do this when you can go anywhere, pick up some AAAs, and you're ready to go.
10 seconds of downtime versus a couple hours. I'd say the choice is pretty clear....
About the size of AAA units? Bah, deal.... we'll have plastic batteries soon enough, as long as the major manufacturers don't drag their feet.
The eholster wouldn't be too bad if you could actually put a handgun (Nerf or Glock, choose your poison) and a hipflask on it. Of course if I wore one I'd look like a bowling ball wearing a thong...
-dwd-
Just wondering if anyone has had problems with lithium ion rechargable batteries failing to take a charge after time? My biggest problem with rechargable devices has been that after a year or so, they no longer hold a charge. Of course, I'm referring to cheap devices like cordless drills and beard trimmers, which may just be cheap batteries, but I'd hate to drop $400 on a Palm IIIc/Vx/VIIx and then have to toss it b/c the battery eventually fails...
Thanks, in advance.
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https://www.accountkiller.com/removal-requested
you know, I don't want to hear about the "experiences with palms" that people WILL post.
Bad things often happen to good people,
It is up to them to see that they remain good.
--Ben
I, however, need to sit in english class listening to a professor go on and on about the symbolism of milk IN the glass. Wireless web connectivity sounds great to me.
Also, I want to put this thing in the middle of an in-vehicle GPS navigation system. Some Mapping software I've found + a marine GPS receiver I mount in my car + Palm VII with MapQuest route control software sounds great to me.
--
Care about electronic freedom? Consider donating to the EFF!
www.trgpro.com
Wider IR port, better sound, CF slot, 8mb memory plus 2megs of flash default, ability to run apps off a CF flash card (340mb IBM micro-drive anyone?), ability to store & run apps in flash. Reasonably priced... you get what you pay for.
Ok, that's enough.
-phillip
Anybody have a clue when the new PalmOS is coming out?
Umm, what new PalmOS? There are new PalmOS's coming out all the time; 3.5 was released earlier this year.
I doubt Palm will ever try to wedge something as bloaty as CE into their devices. Maybe I should change that to "I hope they won't". PalmOS does what it needs to do, and it does it well.
Palm will continue to maintain their lead as long as the competition continues to not have a clue.
Besides, I can telnet to any of my *nix boxes with my Palm -- what else do I need?
-- CP
This is the answer to the question: why do not chicks like geeks.
You know I have a handspring as well... I love the damn thing. I actually like the removeable faceplate. I've perfected the open-flip with one hand. I don't like the flip screen because they are bigger. and don't fold all the way, plus that damn clip at the bottom sticks out. The visor sits neatly on the table with the cover open.
Anybody have a clue when the new PalmOS is coming out? I'm doing work with "Windows Powered Pocket PCs" (I hate marketing), and the WinCE operating system simply kicks PalmOS in the butt.
Besides the amazing hold Palms have on the market, what tricks do they have up their sleaves to maintain their position on top?
"Blue Elf has destroyed the food!"
Because you can't, you won't, and you don't stop...
I've been using the 'deluxe' aka 8MB version of Handspring's Visor now for about three months, and it has been great. It does what I want, since it runs the PalmOS it has plenty of apps available for it, etc. And I do happen to like the springboard module idea - I think of it as a way to customize my handheld (I want to turn it into a GPS unit). My Visor cost $250, direct from the retailer. A GPS unit would run about $150-$-200. Modems for the Visor run $120-$150.
The new Palm VIIx is probably nice (I'm still looking at the stats and I'm not too impressed), but I want to know what makes it cost $150 more.
Exocet Industries - Taking over the world, one computer at a
The m100 has only 2Mb of memory. Colored covers are $19.99 ea. after the initial black one that ships with it. The "handwriting recognition" that you speak about (in addition to the standard graffiti language input) is actually just a raster recording of screen contact so that you can write, sketch, etc. and save it as a sticky note without having to be precise. Hardly intelligent handwriting recognition.
There is no need to use a SlashDot sig for SEO...
it seems to me that palm computing now tries to sell a palm for every kind of audience, not just to those who always need to have the latest cool technical toy... the m100 will be rather cheap and is intendend to satisfy the palm-less masses, and the new palm vx Claudia Schiffer edition is supposed to appeal to the fashion types... I can't wait to get a palm in the colors of my favorite soccer team, complete with a soccer league timetable add-on, the possibilities to expand are seemingly endless for palm :)
:)
although I have to say that my palm III still does the trick and I don't really see the need to update, unless I have a few hundred DM lying around, but then I guess I'd buy a visor, they look kewler.
Wireless Ethernet to your office from 300 feet away maybe....
Its ia seven-X but thats not right for Roman numbers. Lets see here
VIIx... VII is 7 and X is 10 so is it a palm 17?
No thats not right...how does that rule go, if the bigger number is right of a smaller set you subtract so VII-x = 7-10
Oh so its called a plam -3.
I just bought my first PDA, (the PalmOS-based TRGpro) and I am loving it.
Anyway, about the star trek padd thing... I remember way back when watching Data and Geordi LaForge poke and prod on this little notebook-sized device that was possibly hundreds of thousands of times times more powerful than my 386 (16 MHz with 4MB RAM) and this thing's sole purpose was to *display data*. I wondered, back then, if I would ever see anything like it in my lifetime.
I turn 21 in 7 days, and my PalmOS device is about as fast as my old 386 with twice the amount of memory. I'm beginning to feel nostalgic.
[And about how they got data into a padd on ST, the data "synched" to the padd from the main computer using little memory sticks called isolinear data chips. They looked a lot like Sony's memory stick things, except translucent and colourful. Why not radio or infrared synching? I guess Star Trek writers were visionaries rather than inventors.
They also have an interface coming soon to allow infra-red communication from palm device to beeper, to email server. On that same subject, they have something called Activelink module for Visor.
@ctivelink
Executive ability is deciding quickly and getting someone else to do the work. --John G. Pollard
I don't think so. I haven't worn a watch for yers, and I keep my Palm in my pocket, where no-one can see it (wait, that sounded really bad).
Er, that is, my Palm V is small enough even with the nigh invulnerable hard case to stay in my pocket all the time. I use it mostly as a notepad and phonebook though I'm starting to get into some more specialized uses (like dive logs and calculations). I don't care at all if other people see me using it or not, and that is reflected by the really well scratched up cover of the hard case from being in my pocket with my keys all the time.
It's great to have a notebook where everything you ever write winds up in your computer at some point, and information on just about anything you care about but can't remember is always with you.
For me, that replaced a mass of yellow stickies that were threatening to callapse into a singularity.
And no, I'm not a manager either - just a normal programmer type.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I recently bought a Palm IIIxe (~$150) and a Motorola StarTAC ($229 less $50 rebate). I realized a few days after I got the StarTAC that it can be used as a modem, as long as you have the right cable.
Sprint charges $99 for the "Sprint PCS Wireless Web Connection Kit" - their stupid Windows-only dial-up software and the StarTAC-to-DB9 serial cable. Not wanting their software, I searched around and found just the cable for $50 from ephones.com, but since I didn't want a 10 foot hotsync-to-db9-to-gender_bender-to-db9-to-startac cable dangling from my hip, and I am not good at splicing cables, I custom-ordered an 18" Palm Hotsync-to-StarTAC cable for a mere *cough* $85 from SyncableSolutions.com. A few bucks for a job well done is alright.
With the cable plugged into the Palm and the StarTAC, I just dial-up my local ISP account via a PPP connection and my Palm is on the web. Sure, it's only 14.4kbps, but I only paid the one-time fee of $85 for this new wireless Palm (ok, ok, plus the SprintPCS voice minutes I use while online).
Works great with KBrowser (WAP browser) and ProxyWeb (neat image reducing proxy service for Palm).
After the untimely and unsightly death of my Palm III, I decided to invest in a decent case for my replacement. At auction, I got a PalmGlove case for $10. It retails for $20. It's a zippered case made of Neoprene, the same material they make wetsuits out of. I've batted it around a little bit, and the organizer inside doesn't have a scratch on it. The only nice thing it doesn't have is a belt loop, but I can just toss it in my bookbag's front pocket. It's available in a few different colors.
It's much more secure than carrying it in one's pants pocket (I tried that) and I like the stylings of it, even though there are laws passed to ensure I'm never seen wearing a wetsuit. More info available here. I would link to the Palm store, but it's down at the moment.
For more information, click here.
I work in an business wear office and wear a blazer most days. My PalmVx slips into the inside pocket with nary a bulge. If I don't have a blazer, it will fit comfortably in the pocket of most dress pants. If you get to wear jeans to work, I cannot pity you the Batman Factor.
-Kahuna Burger
...will work for Chick tracts...
I have owned the Pilot 5000, Palm III, and now the Handspring Deluxe Visor. I love them all, but I admit I lust after my friends' PalmV. Palms are just too big sometime...for instance to carry to a club.
I was holding out for the new Sony palm-OS pda until I read the specs and discovered that they are not much skinnier than the Handspring and PalmIII. Still, I like the idea of the "jog dial" for scrolling through text. Sony seems to do innovation and user design very, very well (versus the ugly new Palm M100s-IMHO). All sizes are h x w x d.
My advice is to skip the Visor and Palm VIIx, and get the Palm V + external modem--if you will actually use it or wait for the Sony model.
I've had my visor for about 4 months now, I love it.
It's a little smaller than the Palm VII and, if my understanding is correct, I can add an 8 MB expansion for a total of 16 MB. 16 Megs in a HANDHELD! That's 15 megs more than my first Mac.
I have had very few compatibility issues with Palm OS software. The IR works perfectly with a Palm VII, just about a week ago I did my first "business card" beaming. It went off without a hitch.
I like the springboard module slot. I can add a modem, or MP3 Player when my pocketbook allows.
All in all, it's a great value for the money.
LK
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
According to Palm's site, the dimensions (wlh and weight) of the m100 are exactly the same as the Palm V and Vx. That in and of itself makes it attractive.
.7" while this is just .4", just over half as thick.
If I didn't already have a V, I'd love to be able to get such a small Palm for $150. the Visor's
That and at $150 I'd be comfortable taking it places I wouldn't risk my Palm V.
This'll definitely be the must-give present for the spouses, SOs and kids of devout Palm V/Vx owners.
Kevin Fox
Kevin Fox
The AvantGo module is going to be a wireless modem, with the AvantGo software wired into its ROM. You'll be able to pull things down directly, just like... oh... say... the Palm VII WebClipping? Hmmm?
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Brazil has decided you're cute.
Exactly...trying to learn to make all those characters certainly puts more than 'normal' wear on that area. :-)
Besides, if you got rid of it, how would you do this?
The Divine Creatrix in a Mortal Shell that stays Crunchy in Milk
The House Between - Original Sci-Fi Series
why is it no one mentioned the YOPI? this handheld looks swell :)
Blah.
good god, that is the ugliest organizer I have ever seen. Perfect example of what happens when the marketing department decides what is eye catching. I'm a fan of form following funtion, therefor I like the handspring a lot better. Well except for those damn dirt catching ridges.
Actually, I use the the spare slipcase from my old Compas.(Network debugging tool) I have exactly that Handspring monster, and it kept slipping off my belt. I saw some heavy duty slip through key clips at the hardware store and thought about gluing one on, but never got around to it..
.sig: Now legally binding!
"Claudia Schaffer Palm 5x "
Thank you, but no. I'll wait on the special edition Natalie Portman Palm Vx with grit timing software.
Steve's Computer Service, Hobbs, NM
does it run linux?
But what's nice about it is that the digitizer is plastic, not glass. While this makes it feel a little bit cheaper, it also makes the unit a LOT more durable. I've dropped my TI calculator (with its plastic screen) dozens of times onto hard floors, and it always survived; dropping a glass-screened Palm on the floor results in the instant death of the organizer.
IMO, this will be a nice selling point in bringing the Palm platform to the educational market. No more spending $100 for a replacement screen.
For more information, click here.
True, but a wireless modem for Handspring will be out soon enough. More then that, there will be a _choice_ of wireless modems and plans. Just take a look here -- 4 wireless modules were shown at PC Expo.
I just flashed my IIIx to PalmOS 3.5.. now I can beam to wince and hotsync through the irda port of laptops without a hotsync cable. The visor cant do that.
I like the port on the visor, but stupid move making it some wacked slot type-- Why the hell dont my pilot have a Compact Flash slot? what retard at 3com is refusing to allow that CF slot to appear?
Hey retards at 3com - put in a CF slot!
(P.S. if you add a smartmedia slot, I'll hate 3com forever (Smart media really sucks!))
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
The Visor Deluxe (which I have) is an even better value, as for only $60 more you quadruple your RAM usage. By the fact that you are reading this on Slashdot you should get the VDX for the extra memory, as you're sure to load it with AvantGo channels and the like.
Call it a shameless plug, but if you want to read more on the Visor and the Springboard modules/accessories available for it, check out www.visorcentral.com.
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James Hromadka
"The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved." -- John Ashcroft
Yeah, the Visor doesn't have flash memory for OS upgrades, but instead offer software patches. In fact, the first Handspring Updater came out a while back... It upgrades to Palm OS v3.1H3.
my other computer is your Windows(tm) box...
I don't see where you can but these anywhere yet. For now, its vaporware.
Executive ability is deciding quickly and getting someone else to do the work. --John G. Pollard
You might want to go to the AvantGo web site and read the press release announced 7/13/00 for some insight. They've teamed up with a company called CreSenda to produce wireless solutions that involve the AvantGo content.
Wireless solution does NOT mean wireless hardware.
$0.02 please.
Funny thing is.. I acctually used mine all the time (b4 i got my Vx).
Maybe you or ur friend got urs to be "cool" but I got mine to use.
And if it's one thing for sure... I certainly didn't get it to look important.
I think the only people who really need to get a life are people who sit around and complain about something, telling eveyone that something sucks, when, infact, they forget that not everyone things like them, or has the same needs as them.
Actually, $45 a month gets you unlimited service for the VII and VIIx now. The biggest advantage Omnisky has then is that it can do full TCP/IP, while the VII's are limited to the Palm.Net gateway, although several apps let you tunnel through it to get at any web site.
If anyone actually has a Visor with a module of some kind, let me know.
Well, I have a EyeModule for my visor, and I love it. I've been having way too much fun with it since I got it.
Plug and play works great - stick it in, and the software gets installed.
The resolution is 320x240 - pretty good for web pages.
Picture quality is good while moving in bright (outdoor) light; if you are indoors, you have to hold still.
If it gets too dark, you get the "Christmas Light" effect that old color quick cams used to get.
--
I own one too and I'd like to add to the other posters comments about the battery. It *would* be nice to have build in rechargables but seeing how my batteries are going to last approximately 6-8 *weeks* between depletion I'm not seeing that as too much of a downer.
The calculator is also far better than the built in Palm calculator (at least on the IIIxe). The visor calculator has nifty modes like scientific and logic.
That said I hope the whole boatload of Palm devices has great success. I'd rather not see 'infighting', rather more one-upmanship.
Fsck cluebie moderators. I'll say what I want, offtopic or not. And fsck having to qualify every bloody statement just
Bad:
Can't update the OS from Linux. I run ONLY linux everywhere. Therefore I can't update the OS.
Damn memory bug basically makes my room mate's palm pilot useless. When she checked 3com's web site, they didn't have a fix out. I'm not sure if they do yet or not.
Good:
I've personally never had the problems with mine that the room mate's had with hers. I've never lost data due to it crashing or had it just completely go apeshit.
I can't update the OS with Linux, but I can do just about everything else with it. So synching and stuff is pretty straight forward.
Of course, the PalmOS is perfectly suited for a limited use PDA. It gives me just the right amount of functionality for what I use it for.
Slim size lets me carry it in my pocket everwhere. I'm more likely to have my palm pilot on me as I am to have a watch.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
Ummmm, dude. I have a Handspring VISOR standard, not deluxe, and it runs great. Cheaper than those "official" Palm Pilots, and runs same software, oh yeah, we've got the 'Net coming too.....
...was a little pager that could send email and stored phone numbers, email addresses, etc. It was tiny, about 2"x1"x1", and fit easily into a pocket (or into its slide-in clip case, which clipped nicely onto my bag's shoulder strap). The interface was a little clunky, only having a handful of buttons and using a virtual keyboard, but it worked and I got pretty quick at typing out little messages to send to people. Then I sent them, from pretty much wherever I was.
No $400 Palm needed to store an address book, no $20+/mo. cell phone needed for contacting people or being contacted, and it was tiny. I'm thinking about buying one (the company that owned that one took it back when I left).
I just wish I could remember who made it... Motorola I know makes a bigger, clunkier, clamshell-type email pager with a full (miniature) keyboard, but I didn't like it nearly as much.
I'd think that the slashdot community would be more interested in a Psion, since they have keyboards. Currently I use a Psion Revo with a Nokia 8890 for 'net access. Considering the Revo is the smallest PDA with a keyboard, it's a great way to have a mobile Linux terminal. Telnet anyone? Try that with Palm graffiti.
With my Revo and 8890, I have Telnet/FTP/WWW/ICQ/IRC in my pocket. The Revo is pretty good offline too (word processor, etc).
The Psion Revo is super small. If you have room for a Palm VII in your pocket, then you definitely have room for a Revo. And it uses an IR port to communicate with a GSM (Global Standard) cell phone, rather than a proprietary wireless network.
More people should know about the Psion PDA's. It's too bad they aren't as popular in the USA, but that's mainly because GSM isn't the standard here (it is in Europe). The Revo makes good use of the GSM network. Not only for PPP connections, but it can send/recv text messages.
I'm telling you, if you're into Linux and remote stuff, you *want* a Psion.
-Justin
I've got both a PalmPilot IIIx and a Cassiopieia E-115; after using the Pocket PC for a month, I have to say that for the most part, the Palm kicks it's ass for getting real work done. If I can find graffiti for WinCE it may be a bit of a closer race; that popup keyboard is nowhere near as good as graffiti. However, there are a few things I find myself using the Pocket PC for that it is very good at:
But no matter what, it's not a waste. I can't wait to put NetBSD on my E-115. :)
WWJD? JWRTFM!!!
I have a Visor Deluxe (8MB) in blue. I love the thing, to be honest. Here's a breakdown of the good and bad about it:
Good:
Inexpensive
USB-native hotsynch utilizing the entire throughput for very fast synch operations
Datebook+ is superior to Datebook
Springboard expansion slot already has modules for modems, barcode scanners, books, games, remote controls, digital cameras and (I think) ethernet, with others on the way.
Macintosh ready out-of-the-box
Bad:
No flash ROM (but the OS can be upgraded under certain circumstances)
Runs on AAA batteries rather than rechargeable ones
Certain units have a memory problem. Handspring has released a patch.
Is it the handheld for everyone? Probably not. However, based on the number and types of springboard modules on the market already, it's only a matter of time before the Visor will have all the capabilities of a Palm VII.
----------
Something cleverI have one and I am happy with it. Also it comes with a USB connector standard. The PalmPilot range on the other hand only comes with the legacy serial connector. The USB connector makes a big difference as all future PCs & Macs and OSs will support it and RS232 Serial will need an adapter.
Currently the only important OS that doesn't support USB is NT - Linux has a kernel patch available. The other neat thing with the Visor, are the SpringBoard modules, although I haven't bought one yet the option is there. Oh, and the Visor is in colour and comes with 8Mb in the delux edition - I wouldn't even consider the 2Mb
base model given the price of th delux edition.
The only thing that would have been great on the Visor is a battery recharge option. If they do eventually add rechargable battery support, then it should be for AAA batteries and not for something that you can't replace on the road. I have heard that there is a hardware hack to charge from the USB cradle, but I haven't been able to confirm this.
Jumpstart the tartan drive.
Dear God...
I have a hard time dealing with all the Mac/Linux/Unix/Windows flame wars that occur all the time. Are we now going to have Palm/Visor/iPaq flame wars.
To be honest, I think this post is OK because it is actually comparing the two products in a meaningful way. I can see, however, it leading to "The Palm is buggy and totally useless" posts or "Who wants colors in a PDA, I just want it to work well" posts. Seems like everything turns into a me vs. them flame war...
B"Fifty million Americans can't be wrong," said Rep. Billy Tauzin. Gore - 50,999,897 Bush - 50,456,002
It seems like the server is heading for the graveyard as well. :) (Got a 500 error a few times).
- I don't care if they globalize against free speech. All my best free thoughts are done in my head.
If the check the post # and posting time, the post marked as redundet actually occured BEFORE the one marked as a +5.
Please be sure to check who is the repeat before scorching redundency.
-={(Astynax)}=-
-={(Astynax)}=-
"Darkness beyond Twilight"
Yeah, but you could always add 8 megs of ram with SuperPilot Memory Board for $149.95.
That's all well and good, but you can flash a Palm III, IIIx, or V (or any other model with flash ROM) up to 3.3 officially. If you're a developer, you can even snag an OS 3.5 ROM to bring your unit up to date. Minor patches (like v. 2.0.6) were a RAM-installed option back on the PalmPilot series of devices.
For more information, click here.
cnnfn's version of the m100 press release is here in case you don't want to wait for palm.com's slashdotted, graphics intensive site to load.
I have a Visor Deluxe I got last week and frankly, I'm wondering why it took me so long to get one. I'm extremely pleased with it. I'm waiting for some more Springboard modules to come out so that I can get something I really want (like the Geode or the MP3 player or, perhaps, the TV Remote Control).
I've already updated the OS - nice feature, that, contrary to some reports you CAN do that. It's not a Flash Upgrade, it's kept in the RAM, but it does run as an upgrade to the PalmOS.
My sole problem with it was the initial timezone setting - it was set for Pacific and I'm in the Eastern, but Handspring support answered that question for me quickly. I checked web pages and their internal help and couldn't find anything (James Hromadka, that should go in the FAQ). (In case you're interested, go into CityTime, click the pulldown and go to Select Home City.)
Downsides overall: The battery life is not as long as it's claimed to be, and the cradle doesn't recharge it. The case they provide isn't the greatest, and the hard cover isn't a flip-type, you have to remove it and put it on the back. (I bought a separate case for it when I got the Visor.)
All told, I'm very pleased with my Visor Deluxe, and as soon as I see the Killer Springboard Module, I think I'll be even more pleased.
----
Brazil has decided you're cute.
Does the various Palm Utititles that were writtne for linux work with the Handspring Visor? I know the visor Runs Palm OS But are the communication protocols the same?
--------========+++Dont Feed The Lab Techs+++========--------
If you're one that trusts press releases and the like, it would be important to note that Handspring has three wireless modems/modules coming its way:
So, if one is holding out specifically because of a "lack of wireless" on a Visor, then, perhaps, these will come out soon enough. Personally, I use the Thincom modem, which does its job just fine.
Now, if one is holding out for which product is "superior" to the other, I can't help -- I only have experience with the Visor, which I purchased 'cause it was the best, IMO, available at the time.
w00t!
What do I do, when it seems I relate to Judas more than You?
Still not dead.
If you we're REALLY smart you'd be making enought money to but an iPaq for $2000 on ebay, throw in a $500 microdrive and you got yourself one bad mother fucker :)
"Everyones gotta' be something / Me I'm stupid / It's all I ever wanted to be" -MGB
They aren't owned by by ms or Aol.
A wise man one said that 640k would be enough for anyone :-)
No, he didn't. Sorry.
For more information, click here.
Palm pilot or whatever they are stink. I hate this 8mb bullcrap. I would like one with a lot of available space and good processor. I guess I will just have to wait a couple of years :( .
FYI - If you're interested in development on the Palm OS I highly recommend the Palm Developers Conference. It has to be one of the best conferences I've been to.
if your using it for reading, no question, you need a Pocket PC (colour). Check out pocketpc.com or MSDN or somewhere and look up 'cleartype'. It's kinda' hard to explain, but MS has come up with a way (on LCD's) to make text on a screen look almost exactly like ink on paper (no, not ailining.. way more complicated than that) ...they DO innovate you know :)
"Everyones gotta' be something / Me I'm stupid / It's all I ever wanted to be" -MGB
I work doing tech support for palm, and while the new units disturb me, the visor doesn't seem to be any better off.... Infact I might say they are worse off.
Primarily, the warranties are very different: with any palm you get a 1 year warranty as opposed to a 30 day warranty, and (currently) tech support for the palm is free. Beyond this, there is a $100 flat fee for the palm, wheras the visor charges you for time spent and parts seperately-- it can get expensive! Furthermore the expandable qualities of the visor remove it's comparitive cost value. I'd really like it if they mixed the features of the palm V (size) palm IIIc (color) palm VII (wireless internet) and the TRGPro (expandability). While the visor is expandable, and does a far better job of this than palm, the trg is far better than the visor.
I hope this has been informative.
there's no need for soemthing as retarted as grafiti on P/PC, you can run "transcriber" and it will recognize actual handwriting (any handwriting.. printing, cursive.. and maybe even grafiti if you'd want to).. and usually with better accuracy than grafiti (as long as you write half legibily :)
"Everyones gotta' be something / Me I'm stupid / It's all I ever wanted to be" -MGB
Internally, there were blue Palm Vs that only people who were on the Palm V team received. People around Palm were very jealous of the cool devices and some people who had them were asked not to show them off at work. Since they were obviously so cool, it's about time that they offered them up for the people of the world to buy.
Veni, veni, veni.
I like color also, but it seems to me that much of what I can do with a palm I can do in black and white. I mean, do I really need appointments in color? sure I can prioritize/categorize, but how important is that? I'm not saying color isn't good, but as I understand it it drains batteries MUCH faster. So, is there a way to solve this problem? I would prefer B/W with longer battery life to color, but seeing as I can't afford either...
---
Uh, I had a Compas+, a Netronics II, a Visor, a Gerber Gatorback and a Leatherman on my belt, plus a laptop in a carrying case for quite a while. Cellphones and pagers are in the pocket under the watch, so the vibrate feature isn't ignorable.
;)
One good thing about the Batman Factor; If you walk in to a place armed to the teeth, they assume you know what you're doing. Try it. Walk into some random office in jeans and a plain Tee with a BF over three (devices), and ask to see the telco equipment.
.sig: Now legally binding!
I don't need an extra modem: my Palm IIIx connects seamlessly by IR to my GSM mobile (a Nokia 8210, really tiny great thing). OK, it's 9600bps but I can get my mail in the train.
:( OK, I know there's tri-band mobiles that work everywhere available from Motorola, but that's another story.
Browsing is slow, although I can access WAP sites that are a little bit faster but scarce in content. And GSM mobiles work almost everywhere in the world, except in the USA of course
Considering the power and memory available on Palm PDAs, I think 9600bps (or 14.400 in rare cases) are quite enough to send or receive email. If you need more, get a laptop. It'll still work with the mobile phone as a modem and there's great chances you'll have a regular modem in it. Or just wait for the 3G phones, it'll be 2MB/s...
Now, I'd love to see those Palm/phone hybrids from Kyocera that are on the US market only 'cause they don't do GSM (only CDMA) OTOH, I like having the choice between having a tiny mobile (79g only) that fits anywhere and the full geek gear (a Palm III is quite bulky, can't wait getting a Vx!).
In other words, why would somebody want a *real* modem in a Palm, when usually you got the mobile ready for the task, with no cable/hassle with it? OK, here everyone has a mobile and all Palm owners I know also have a mobile, since they pretty much fit together in a standard geek logic.
.max
-- It's always darker before it goes pitch black.
AFAIK, there's no patch for the 8MB problem. If you look at the web site closely, I think the patch is for the 8MB MODULE, not the Visor deluxe.
I had one of the defective ones, which kind of sucked. My visor crashed twice in about three days, after working just fine for about three or four months. The first help desk tech I called blamed the installed software, which both pissed me off, and made me call back when it crashed again.
The second time they were very nice about it, and shipped a (non-problematic) replacement tout de suite. I suspect that this might be a mandate from on high, since it doesn't make much sense to keep the defective ones out there.
Other than that, it's been great. I added on one of the Targus keyboards to take notes in class, and it's terrific. Most of the functionality of a laptop in 1/8 the weight and space.
ceci n'est pas un sig.
Although, I do admit, my Palm III cracked in a similar fashion to a few on this site, prompting me to buy a Palm IIIe.
- I don't care if they globalize against free speech. All my best free thoughts are done in my head.
Now these things are affordable and powerful, I think I can ditch my Casio CFX-9850 for it. It would be great for most students because it has a lot more RAM 2+MB than most graph-calcs (32k-128k + 128k-256k ROM). My Casio and TI-85 are slow pieces of shit and only the Casio has color (in living tri-color). Additionally, I can ditch the agenda and I can plug in a modem for "educational purposes" such as reading /.. Plus, hot-syncing equations and progs are fun :). Just if it could play MP3's. I'll need the Casio pocket pc for that.
That thought wristwatches with a built-in calculator were a really cool idea.
Geeks buy them, thinking it makes them look important. Get a life guys.
I loved my Visor, it was a good buy and better value than a Pilot. At least until I had to deal with the company itself when the screen cracked.
I was lucky in getting my Visor only a week after ordering it. Most of my friends with Visors didn't receive theirs for months. Unfortunately it seems that their customer service dept. hasn't yet sped up though. Nothing like being ignored by the company to make you feel good about buying their products.
3com is a large corporation, and they know how to handle workflow and customers. If Handspring doesn't get to my support inquiry soon, I'll just go Pilot. At least 3com has color PDAs.
Be warned,
Adrian Z
Fervent wonders why his original thread about the M100 could be considered "Offtopic".
- I don't care if they globalize against free speech. All my best free thoughts are done in my head.
I've been using a VII and a V+OmniSky service (via Novatel CDPD modem) for work recently and I think that the Omnisky is the way to go. For $49 (I think) a month we get unlimited service on the Omnisky at 19.2k, whereas the Palm VII is limited to a much smaller amount of data for $39 a month at a much lower BW (although it seems to have a lower latency).
The cool thing about the OmniSky is that you can pull the modem off of the Palm V when you decide you don't want wireless access and the thing is much smaller. Also, I get the feeling the Palm VII is doomed because it's tied to an older packet radio network compared to the OmniSky.
Been using it for about a week, and I'm happy with it. 33.6 modem, flash upgrade to 56k this fall ( or so they say ). Then there's the 8mb Flash module and a backup module, but that's not as interesting as the other stuff. Visit Palm Gear's Module site for currently released module stuff. I chose the Thincom for the on-board browser, terminal and mail apps -- a little disappointed since the terminal and mail apps are shareware...
I have a visor deluxe, while a colleague has a new palm. Based a very unscientific experiment we seemed to find that a small java app running with the KVM and KVMUtil was faster on the Palm than the Handspring (but ALL java apps are deathly slow on the Palm OS anyway). Has anyone had a similar experience? I would have expected the performance to be pretty much the same (given similar configurations, obviously...)
-------------------------
A person of moderate zeal
wish
---
Talk about apples and oranges... there is no wireless 'net for the Handspring yet. Also, people failed to note (*cough* *cough* I did, but got rejected) the new M100, which is supposed to be colourful, $149, 8mb, and maybe even handwriting recognition. And, there's a new Claudia Schaffer Palm 5x (insert palm joke here).
Free BeOS, runs from a Linux partition
Sorry about that. Earlier today, Palm's details sheet on the m100 indicated that the unit had Flash ROM, although it also said that the box included a "HotSync cadle." Fortunately, the m100 ships with Palm OS 3.5, the most current version.
For more information, click here.
I keep reading about people with Visors trumpeting the Springboard modules as an "insanely great" feature of these things. Are any of them out? I can remember Visor putting out a huge list of companies releasing these things, and I for one, haven't seen squat so far. If anyone actually has a Visor with a module of some kind, let me know.
WWJD -- What Would Jimi Do?
(Smash amp, burn guitar, take home the groupies)
The m100, also on Palm's web site came out today. It has 2MB of RAM and is designed to replace the Palm IIIe, and compete with the Handspring Visor. Despite not having the Visor's SpringBoard slot, the m100 sports a cover with a special hole so that you can see the clock through it, and changeable faceplates. It also allegedly has flash memory for OS upgrades, something the Visor lacks.
Also today, the Vx debuted in two limited-edition colors: champagne and "millennium blue." Kind of a shame that there wasn't any other innovation attached.
For more information, click here.
- cell phone (digital + analog)
- PDA
- GPS
- MP3 player
- affordable! ***
Last thing I need today is a freaking eholster !!!!
Linux Lover
I have a blue visor deluxe and I love it. It has one major flaw that i'm sure lefties will agree with me on.. (yes, yes, i know we're living in a right handed world, but designers should at least take note of it), my pinky happens to rest near the on/off switch, and it's quite easy for it to shut off mid-sentence. I've spoken to others that this has happened to as well, on both the palm pilot and the visor and have been a little irked. I've had to resort to writing with my pinky outstretched like if i was holding a wineglass. While I love my visor, I had a Cassiopeia before this, and the on/off switch was placed conveniently on the actual side of the case, but at the same time there were some other problems with my hand leaning on the action buttons there.
Ah, I sense that you do not have experience in the rechargeable Palms, Ashpool. First of all, it does not take 'a couple of hours' to recharge the palm. In fact, i would rather say about 5 minutes. And frankly, my battery has NEVER gone under 60%, since the Palm recharges in the cradle... The litium-ion recharging extremely fast.
I've used the IIIc and the III and I have to say there's no compelling reason for the colour display. The only useful thing I can do is view colour images. The OS itself was designed before colour and gains very little from the being in colour (in fact it renders noticeably slower). The IIIc is just Palm's answer to the colour WinCE devices.
I also hate the fact that I have to recharge my Palm in the cradle. AAA batteries are a much better idea.
The one point I do agree on is the form factor. The Palm V is the only remotely attractive device in the Palm stable. The IIIc form factor just plain sucks (they took the III and made it bigger! What the hell?). The VII is also a sterling example of appalling case design. I can't say the M100 grabs me either with it's smaller display.
My next Palm WILL be a Vx...8MB, crisp display and nice form factor...although of course it won't work with my existing cradles (but that's another mail altogether!).
My boss just opened one up not five minutes ago, and it has already been dropped. Sustained no damage after a drop onto thin carpet from a height of ~4 feet, so at least we know they're resiliant.
Color displays are good for expecially one thing: Black and white text! normal B&W screens are really black & green/grey/dirty screens and believe me if you read a lot on your palm that makes a great difference
It's a little smaller than the Palm VII and, if my understanding is correct, I can add an 8 MB expansion for a total of 16 MB. 16 Megs in a HANDHELD! That's 15 megs more than my first Mac. 16 Mb! A wise man one said that 640k would be enough for anyone :-)
Steven Murdoch.
web: http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/sjm217/
Does the m100 have the same dimensions as the other Palm screens? The picture of it on the palm site makes it look shorter than the VII. Same number of pixels?
Just wonderin'
--
"May I have ten thousand marbles, please?"
It looks cool, but with the exception of hideously overpriced software, I'm very happy with my Psion Series 5mx. 16 meg, flash slot, IR port, serial port, and a keyboard (doesn't come with anything like graffiti, but Scribble works fairly well and it's free). It works fine using my cell phone as a modem or even a regular external modem.
(Side note: Can palms do this as well? I know about hooking them up to GPS with serial cables).
Chris the MathFreak
With Palm's next generation of devices coming out in 2001, the VIIx is just a last attempt to milk the PalmOS 3.5 for what it's worth, and sucker VII users into getting the VIIx for the extra memory. When the next generation of Palms comes out in 2001, all the current Palms, including the Claudio Shiffer, will be on their way to obselete.
It'll be like having a 486sx when the Pentiums come out.
pt
Will the real Richard Stallman please stand up?
i dropped mine into a vat of molten lava. i lost my hand when i reached in to retrieve my palm so i can't attest to its durability.
You know, I just purchased one a few weeks back and loaded it up with all sorts of goodies. I've not had any problems with it thus far. There is the memory error problem that Handspring's website documents, but I fixed that easily.
For ~$250 you really can't go wrong. (Besides, by girlfriend wants one!)
"Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst."
I use the ShockSuit SportCase from RhinoSkin. I love it! The clip is great, and it provides a great mixture of protection and geekiness. Check out the reviews here.
I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous...
Why do you think I use computers in the first place? I type well, but my handwriting is horrid. :)
WWJD? JWRTFM!!!
I have been misinformed..... thank you
I have the original palm, 3 years now ( dropped it several times, and carried it everywhere) I love it love it love it. one beef though I cant'play donkey kong which means I have to upgrade. my next purchase will be the visor though I am thoroughly impressed with the drop in upgradability of the visor. this plus a wireless modem, a telnet,and e-mail client and I'm happy.
all this with no extra bulkage
I think Handspring is still the better deal. Third parties have already shown heavy commitments to make products for it such as Wireless ethernet, addon camera, etc.. Who cares about a 'Wireless' modem when you can have wireless ethernet to your office. To me, that's much more of an advantage. So far, the Handspring can do everything the Palm can do. -Iota
God is Real Unless Declared Integer
Reading those stories about how flimsy palms are makes me hesitate when buying one.
Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
It broke within three weeks! The plastic the tips are made out of is really weak. Crumbles right to bits after a couple weeks. Never again!
--
Editor Emeritus and Senior Writer, TeleRead.org
I agree 100% with reimero, and would like to add:
Good
Much easier to hold onto (not that it was a problem before, but I can be much lazier now)
With the 8M flash Springboard module, I now have *16M* of storage space
The GPS/GSM/WAP/SMS module comes out in 18 days
Since there's so much Unix software out for Palm, I didn't have to bother with installing Windows anywhere when I got the Visor
The Visor, IMnsHO, looks way cooler
Bad
Other Springboard stuff, like the 802.11 wireless module, keeps getting delayed :(
IR port is on the side instead of on the top (ridiculous)
The non-graphite Visor Deluxes look weird with a color on the top and clear on the bottom. I would have purchased a color one in a heartbeat had it been color front and back.
...which is really what is pissing you off, isn't it? :)
I don't need or want color. With the exception of the iPAQ at $799+, every other color PDA out there has a screen that is absolutely unreadable outdoors. Why on earth would I want that? The screen on my Palm V is wonderfully sharp inside or outside.
Li Ion? I've got that now in my Palm V. Wireless? Not everyone needs or wants that, especially if I have to pay $25 bucks a month for it.
The bottom line is you can have just about everything YOU want, but you'd have to pay about $800 for it. Most people aren't willing to pay that for a PDA.
As for your single new Palm unit for customers to invest in, that's just silly. No computer/PDA/phone can be everything to all people. Different strokes for different folks, which is why Palm is making all these different units.
Anybody else remember back when Apple had a ton of similar macintoshes, with different cases, and different prices, and noone could tell the difference?
They about ran themselves into the grave with that nonsense. Does it look like Palm is doing the same thing, now?
Weapons of Mass Analysis
This page has more details on the hardware.
If you're comparing the III series to the Visor, they have roughly the same BF - e.g. how stupid you look wearing them on your belt. So, all other things equal, I'd have to say hands down the visor whoops the pants off the IIIseries, especially since you can get nifties like modules to do I/O, hopefully bluetooth, maybe even 802.11 someday.
Now, the Palm V series are the pinnacle of handheld engineering right now IMHO due to the incredibly low batman factor. The belt clip-on case doesn't make you look like a tool, and it's actually light enough that you can just put it in your pocket. The WinCE devices and other's just can't win due to the high BF: You can't carry them EVERYWHERE. Which, I think is the point of a handheld device..
Batman factor is especially important if you've already got one or two things on your belt; I usually have my startac and a leatherman, so my BF is pretty high. :)
For the record; I own a Palm Pro, 1 Meg, use it every day, and don't wear it on my belt. I can't decide between a visor and a Palm V, but since I have a vaio already for I/O, I'll probably end up with a V. They're sweeeet. I can't seem to kill my old US Robotics Pro though, despite not bothering to put it in a case, not bothering with screen protectors, etc etc, it won't die. Damnit. :)
..don't panic
RIM provides mobile email services in their Blackberry 957, which is pda sized and has a qwerty keyboard. I've never had any luck using the touch-screen based stuff (poor graffiti skill), and once you get used to the keyboard you can type info in relatively fast. as for web functionality, there are plenty of scraping utils out there like this one http://www.lanexperts.com/frobot.htm
also. http://www.rim.net
I hate to sound like an Apple apologist here, but Palm is just buying itself time before unveiling its new handhelds next year. They plan to move from the 68000-based Motorola processors to ARM processors at the same time they upgrade to Palm OS 4. They also plan on introducing yet ANOTHER expansion standard, the SD card, to go with new devices. Details are sketchy at this time.
They haven't made any official announcements of specific handhelds or even the OS, yet. I wouldn't call this vaporware. FUD? Maybe.
For more information, click here.
Other than the VIIx and the previously mentioned M100, Palm also introduced two special edition Vx models (in "champagne" and "millenium blue"), an ethernet cradle (overpriced at $250 if you ask me) that can be used to sync Pilots over the network, and a new, "blazingly fast" 33.6 modem. The VIIx wasn't the only major announcement, perhaps /. should have read the *whole* press release
Give me news that the priceplan for Palm.Net has changed to something that is half-reasonable.
THAT would be newsworthy.
http://windows.scares.us
There are reviews out there. Read them and become enlightened.
The visor looks like a pretty neat toy for a lot less money. Does anyone have experience with it?
GeneralKael -- Slacker Extraordinaire
Don't you people ever go outside? All the color screens I have seen on PDAs and notebooks must emit light to be seen, which means when you are outside, they have to compete with the sun. The result is you can't really see the screen and your batteries are going dead fast.
I was recently sitting outdoors at Starbucks and this guy who had seen all those commercials showing folks with laptops escaping the office decided to try it himself. But when he discovered he couldn't see the screen, he had to go back inside. It was a beautiful day too.
It is little like the clerk in a store who saw me carrying my Razor scooter, thought it looked cool, but asked whether they were available with an engine? Well, sort of, but did he really think I should be dripping gasoline on the bus, or in his store? Or was he thinking I should be carrying some heavy rechargable model with limited range?
Be careful what features you ask for, you might get them. Where can you buy a B&W laptop nowadays? And other than folks running Photoshop or doing video editing, do you really need color enough to always stay indoors?
The Palm is a success not because it is less capable than was the Newton, it is a success because it decided how capable to be, and then nailed it! (The Newton promised the moon and stars, but only achieved a moderate orbit, and at geosynchronous prices.) Keep it simple.
-kb, the Kent who has a Palm VII, and wonders whether the VIIx's "active matrix" screen is much clearer and whether the backlight works better.
Somewhat offtopic, and apologies beforehand... (although I honestly think the m100 is more newsworthy with lots of new things than the VIIx, which is really just a VII with 8MB of RAM) Anyhow, the m100's plastic screen, thin profile, louder alarm, and low cost are all appealing to me - just having lost my Palm III due to a broken screen. But... what's up with nuking the Desktop mail and Expense functions? Can I possibly add those programs back to my m100, if I choose to get it? The Palm.com site is ambiguous about this, and to be honest, I really am shocked they got rid of those programs. If I can't add these applications later on (which I doubt I can), essentially, they are telling me to go get a different model, or buy 3rd party programs, are they not? Your insight is appreciated, as in this case, regardless of what my .sig says, I'm clueless.
I've also written opinion pieces on the M100 (my opinion: uglier than heck!) and the Claudia Schiffer Palm Vx (my opinion: why???).
(Full disclosure: Yes, they are Themestream articles.)
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Editor Emeritus and Senior Writer, TeleRead.org
It aint a CF slot- all of my CF devices that work fine in other devices will not work in the visor.
when Handspring was asked why they replied that he visor does not have a cf slot, and is not advertised as having one.
Sorry charlie, it aint a cf slot
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
The only thing that the VIIx adds is more memory, according to Palm's press release. So take the experiences of having a Palm VII and multiply times 4.
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James Hromadka
"The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved." -- John Ashcroft