Slashdot Mirror
The New Handspring Visor: The Edge
Bono writes "Handspring had their site down until 11:30am today so they could announce their new handheld...the Visor Edge. Looks pretty sweet at .44" thick...although the Springboard expansion requires a little add-on that comes with it." When I first read the name all I could think was a thin Visor...with pizza toppings. In any case, the device looks pretty darn cool. The Springboard expansion reminds somewhat of the iPaq does, but hey, more devices, better.
Now more than ever, I have to remember a lot of things, make a lot of notes, be at certain places at certain times, etc. Over the years I've tried a whole host of non-electronic notepads, planners, appointment books, organizers, etc. Every single time I lose the bastards...you know why? Because they cost $5.
My Visor Deluxe was $250, plus $30 for a nice beltclippable Rhinoskin case. I've had it for a year and a half now...and you know why? Because I paid too damn much for it to accidentally leave it somewhere. When I first got it, I constantly checked for its presence on my person to make sure I hadn't lost my investment. Now that I've become very dependent on it, I still check for it so I can do things like jot down the model numbers of the routers at a customer site, or make a few notes to myself about things I need to do when I'm back at the office, or maybe write down the trouble ticket number the telco just gave me for that messed up frame relay line. It's now an integral part of my daily processes. Sure most of the things I use it for could be handled with a good notepad and datebook, but I'd lose those in 10 seconds flat.
"That's Tron. He fights for the Users."
Funny, I was thinking of U2 with pizza toppings. Did anyone else notice that "Bono" submitted "The Edge" article?
Agree do me to, but maybe Hemos checking speller or/and proof reed before posting? Not maybe look idiot, than.
Springboards I & II, which are aparrently incompatible
Memory sticks, for Sonys incarnation of the Palm platform
Palm, which doesn't really provide expansion, save for a keyboard, or a modem
Methinks, that if I'm in the business of building peripherals for the palm platform, I'd search for another field.
As much I love the Palm for it's simplicity and it's straightforwardness the concept of multiple, incompatible extension slots/ports is just damn stupid.
ich bin der musikant
mit taschenrechner in der hand
kraftwerk
- 2001-03-09 15:45:01 Palm m505 (aka "Palm Vc") to be Released March 19th (articles,pilot) (rejected)
Funny, that. Anyhow, here's the article that I originally linked to (with some Edge info as well).Alex Bischoff
---
Alex Bischoff
HTML/CSS coder for hire
Well, you can look at it that way, or you can look at it as Handspring finally coming out with an answer to the Palm V and Palm Vx, which are quite possibly Palm's sexiest models out there (though, when the Palm VIIx comes out in the Palm V case, the wireless will push it over the top). Handspring now has an alternative to their (in my opinion) rather ugly cases that they used in the past, allowing more buisiness type people to pick them up and use them (though I guess they weren't really stopped before).
Handspring is continuing their past trend and taking the old Palm model and giving it a kick in the ass. In this case, they bumped up the processor (which actually makes a good deal of difference) and added a few amenities to make it prettier to the end user.
The one thing that I've never been sure of is why Handspring chose the route that it did for expandability. Why didn't they choose the compact flash format rather than their format? I'm sure there is a good explanation, but right now it seems sort of silly that they would have their own proprietary format when they could vastly expand their compatibility if they would just have compact flash ability.
Gawd, Palm seem to be creeping up on Handspring. The m100 is clearly better than the old Visor.
How do you figure that? The m100 is smaller than the original Visor but it also has a smaller screen. The Visor also has enhanced Datebook and Calculator apps in ROM and a Springboard slot. The m100 has changeable face plates. I'd say that they are both equivalent low end models with a different focus.
The Visor Deluxe needs a $50 rebate to look like it competes with the IIIxe. Sure, the Handspring devices use USB, not serial, which is nice, and include microphones, nice for quick voice memos I am sure, but in the end it just doesn't look comptetitive enough. You can't update the OS without installing a springbrick module, etc.
I have a Visor Deluxe and it competes quite nicely with the IIIxe, rebate or no rebate. As I mentioned before, it has enhanced Datebook and Calculator apps in ROM. I also find that the Visor fits more comfortably in my hand than Palm III machines and that its button have a better feel to them. And the Springboard modules are very useful, I can make a complete backup of my Visor anywhere with the Backup Module and the Flash Module gives me a machine with 16MB of memory.
Now the only thing that you don't get the details for is the speed of the processor. Handspring say that they use the latest PalmOS processor technology (you what?) and that everybody else doesn't - but the IIIc uses the 33MHz Dragonball just like the Prism, etc. Palms are flash upgradable as well.
The IIIc uses a 20MHz Dragonball EZ processor, while the Visor Prism, Platinum, and Edge use a 33MHz Dragonball VZ processor.
Someone care to ease my mind about Palm actually being better value than Handspring?
For me, the Springboard slot is what really makes Handspring a very good value. I have a Backup Module and two Flash Modules. The Backup Module gives me the peace of mind that I can always have an up to date backup of my Visor even if I can't get to my PC to sync. The Flash Modules allow me to have dictionaries, maps, a complete copy of the Bible in two languages, and numerous e-books at my disposal while still maintaining a large number of AvantGo channels and Usenet postings on my Visor and still have plenty of room left.
As far as upgrading the OS is concerned, I don't really worry about it too much. I upgraded my old Palm III from PalmOS 3.0 to 3.3 and only saw minor differences (Euro support, better IR). I have a Palm IIIc and a Visor Deluxe and the only feature from PalmOS 3.5 that I miss on my Visor is the ability to mask (instead of outright hide) private records. In exchange, I get a faster machine (Handspring does a better job than Palm when it comes to tweaking the PalmOS for speed) with tons of extra storage through Flash Modules. I'd say that's a fair trade.
Does this
I first owned a Palm 500, Palm 1000 (if I remember correctly that far back), a Palm V and now a Palm Vx. I simply love the Vx. All I can say is that Handspring's new offering is simply not competitive - I might have bought it if I did not already have a Vx. And I might think about buying one in the future if they double the memory and halve the price (or add color and price it at around $300).
These companies are still trying to make Mac like profit margins in a market that is rapidly being driven to PC like commodity level economics. It is only because the few current vendors of Palm devices participate in a de facto form of price fixing (they are all greedy) on their high end models that these damned things are still so expensive.
I can't wait until there is some *real* price competition in this market.
-josh
1. It doesn't use existing cradles. I purchased an extra cradle for my home when I purchased my VISOR. Handspring says I have to purchase another one now?!?!
2. At $399, Jumping up to one of the WinCE devices isn't going to be that much of leap. For myself, I'm going to wait for a Linux device. But for other people, the incentive to buy a WinCE device will be greater: Color, Multimedia, the MICROSOFT (tm) name.
The older Visors offer many of the benefits of the new Edge Visor without the price hike. Is $200 justified for more memory? Sure you also get an OS upgrade, but this is invisible to the average user. Over the past few years I've seen 2 classes of devices: The cheap (around $150-$200), but powerful Palms/Visors and the expensive WinCE devices. Anything in the middle usually includes wireless (like the Palm VII) and doesn't seem to be as popular. I don't see the real appeal of the Edge Visor as it doesn't seem to offer a decent performance for the price.
3. Wireless connectivity. Forget these stupid subscription services. I want to see REAL wireless networking. I want to see wireless TCP/IP capable devices NOW. I want to see these handheld companies team up with manufacturers of wireless hubs and access points and give me something I can use to connect to my building's wireless network. I'll worry about the ultimate connection to the internet. As long as I have a choice in the matter, I'll be able to negociate the best deal for ME.
That being said, of course Visor Edge is playing catch-up -- in case anyone hasn't noticed, the Palm Vx has been Palm's best-selling model, largely because Handspring has no comparable model. Handspring is making a good business move by putting out an essentially equivalent model with a flashy design, which nearly guarantees that they'll capture at least a piece of the Palm Vx market.
I know you were only commenting on the model itself and not Handspring or Palm, but I just have to point out that Palm's new marketting strategy is absolutely absurd -- they put out the Palm m105, a model inferior to the Palm IIIxe, at a higher price, with a flashy appearance and an extensive advertising campaign. And it'll work, too.
That being said, I prefer Handspring to Palm in general, mostly because I've always been rooting for the underdog. But when Best Buy started selling Palm IIIxe's this week for a mere $150, I went out and bought it. I'm appalled by Palm's promotion of the m105, but everything boils down to money.
-- Imagine how much more advanced our technology would be if we had eight fingers per hand.
33mhz is slow? Not for a PalmOS based system... From a quick check of Palm's page most PalmOS based systems are clocked at 16-18mhz, which is more than fast enough for what they are supposed to do. There is a Visor on the market (the VIsor Platinum) that runs at 32mhz. Considering the memory, processor, and size I think they've hit their market perfectly.
33mhz may be painfully slow for a desktop, but for a palm, it's blazingly fast. Remember, people aren't running X on the Palm.
If I could only live my life with my threshold at 4...
Yet, this new "Edge" is simply not that much better .... here is a link to a handspring hosted comparison table. It shows that the Vx is smaller and lighter. Where the Edge is better is only because it has the latest software (which can be upgraded on the Vx anyway), has a microphone, the "springboard" (which I have never seen used...) and has a blinking light ... ;-)
Really, Visor Edge is playing catch up still.
.. if only.
I respectfully disagree. I just read an article on K5 which I totally agree with.
In a nutshell, sloppy writing tends to indicate sloppy thinking. This leads to disorganized thoughts being put down in a barely coherent manner. Comments which have been thoughtfully written and given a 5-second review are the ones which I take more seriously.
Likewise, when I'm hiring somebody, I toss their cover letter and resume in the can if I catch a mistake. Why, you ask, would I care about spelling and grammar for a programming position? Because if they didn't take the time to check their work then I feel that they will produce sloppy results if I hire them. The one time I relaxed this requirement of mine I was quickly proven right.
I didn't even care so much that their own writing was so sloppy. They could just as easily have taken the effort to have it corrected by somebody else and would have, and then their resume wouldn't be in my fine paper recycling box, but instead perhaps in the "interview" pile. That they didn't know how to spell is of no consequence. I only cared that they take the time to do it right, and perhaps get the resources they need to do that. That way I know they'll make an excellent programmer.
Let's face it. Nobody is going to understand you or take you seriously if you can't get your thoughts across in writing. Content can only be king if people can read it.
You can accomplish anything you set your mind to. The impossible just takes a little longer.
Today, Palm announced that they were introducing a new model. Breaking with their current naming traditions, they decided to call the new model "Bono".
U2 can have one, for the low low price of $399.
Linux - Because Mommy taught me to Share.