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MP3 Player Released For Handspring Visor

Posted by Hemos on from the maybe-i-need-to-switch dept.

JeffMagnus writes: "EETimes is carrying this article about a new MP3 player extension for the Handspring Visor. The MP3 player fits into the Visor's Springboard expansion slot or can be used as a separate device. The MP3 player is built by Good Technology, Inc."

8 of 146 comments (clear)

  1. Re:$269! by jheinen · · Score: 4
    "That's not the price of the PDA, it's the price of the module. The highest end Visor (the Visor Deluxe) runs $250."

    Right, so in total, for the Visor, mp3 player, and battery holder, you will pay $559.

    For $499.99 you can get an iPAQ with more RAM, color display, faster processor, and did I mention it plays mp3's out of the box? Did I also mention it will run Linux? Hmmm...difficult choice.

    -Vercingetorix

    --
    -Vercingetorix
    "Necessitas non habet legem." -St. Augustine
  2. What's the point? by CaseyB · · Score: 5
    I'm baffled by this.

    If it's capable of running as a separate unit, then what the heck is the reason for designing it as a Handspring module at all? Editing playlists? Or is the Visor just a very expensive power source? Pretty weak functionality to be paying $100 more than a "conventional" MP3 player for.

    They've just found a way to duct-tape a Nomad to a Visor. They've created an MP3 player that is at once more expensive, far larger (with the Visor, after all), and less convenient than a dedicated player.

    What would have been impressive, would have been creating a "smart" DSP/NVRAM card that used the Visor's CPU and connectivity to cut costs on the MP3 player extension. Bingo, you get a big 64M chunk of memory to keep all kinds of data in, and a DSP that all sorts of applications could make use of. The MP3 player would be just be the included killer app.

  3. I'll wait for the Minijam by Pathwalker · · Score: 4
    Ok - the only MP3 player for the Visor that I've been hearing about until now is the MiniJam from InnoGear.

    The MiniJam looks a lot better in my view - according to the FAQ:

    If you already have MMC cards, it will cost around $100
    (Looks like it's $200 with one 32 meg card)

    plays MP3s at any bit rate from 32K to 320K

    should be software upgradable to support additional codecs in the future

    lets you store programs/data on the MMC cards

    it has a LED alarm

    Looks like a much better deal to me - I'll probably get one.
    --

  4. Standard fine print: by Booker · · Score: 5
    From http://www.good.com/frame.asp?child=/policies/term s.asp:

    Software License.

    THE SOFTWARE INLCUDED WITH THE GOOD TECHNOLOGY PRODUCT IS LICENSED TO YOU, NOT SOLD.

    Good Technology grants you a nonexclusive, license to use the Software, subject to your compliance with the terms and restrictions set forth in this Agreement. You are not permitted to lease or rent, distribute or sublicense the Software or to use the Software in a time-sharing arrangement or in any other unauthorized manner. Further, no license is granted to you in the human readable code of the Software (source code).

    ...snip...

    No Reverse Engineering.
    Modification, reverse engineering, reverse compiling, disassembly, or removal of the Software from the Product on which it is pre-loaded is expressly prohibited, except to the extent that such activity is expressly permitted by applicable law notwithstanding this limitation.


    Just so you know...

    ---

  5. Re:Time to buy by yanowitz · · Score: 5

    And you can load up MC (Stephen) Hawking's
    latest rap tunes to play on it.

  6. Website of Good Technology, Inc. by mholve · · Score: 4

    The company that makes these things is here.

  7. Give away the razor, sell the blades... by AntiPasto · · Score: 5
    It can also be used as a portable player running off a single AA battery in the Energy Clip accessory from Good Technology...The Energy Clip will be available in November for $40.

    Not exactly a cheap battery holder... an example of insanse marketing and pricing, but I guess the springboard market is somewhat a niche...

    However, this is quite an amazing total for an MP3 player: $309... How's come you can spot this kind of stuff like the $40 battery pack a mile a way? I thought this was the *new* economy... but they're doing the old "lets find something otherwise cheap, make it special, and charge out the ass..."

    I think I'll get the CD mp3 players, and to hell with the visor integration... I'm not an organized person anyway so a PDA won't do me any good.

    ----

  8. This is a lot of hardware to throw at the problem, by bob_jordan · · Score: 4

    Having a card with an ARM processor and 64meg of memory would be much more useful if you could use it for other purposes as well. Imagine buying an MP3 player add-on and then downloading software that turns it into a Psion5mx emulator!!! Or maybe use the card as a seperate linux machine and the Handspring as just a terminal. Bizzare but possible if you have what are basically two self-contained machines connected together.

    Bob.