The one thing noone seems to have mentioned so far is that Handspring product support and product reliability generally sucks, and hopefully Palm will improve upon that. I've been using a Handspring Visor Prism and VisorPhone combo as my smartphone for a few years now, and I replaced it THREE TIMES under warranty. Each time was a struggle with Handspring support, and they would never agree to cross-ship. I bought this combo while it was still a new product, and paid close to $1000 for it (yes I know how quickly the price came down - don't remind me). It died again shortly after the warranty expired, and I'm replacing it with a used one from The Visor Store.
Why not just buy a Treo? I refuse to pay $500 for a smartphone with poor reliability from a company with demonstrably poor customer service. This assessment is borne out by my own experience over the past few years and the reviews I've read on customer-ratings sites. Nearly every one of these sites contains complaints from Treo users about these issues, and it's a deadly combination. The device itself is great, but for what it costs it should work reliably, and when it doesn't, Handspring should be willing to replace it with a minimum of hassle. A Treo user should not have to go without for two weeks until their device comes back from the shop.
I'm buying a warranty with my used Visor that will ensure I maintain a working device for one year. By then, hopefully there will be an acceptable alternative to Handspring in an reasonable price range. Maybe it will even come from Palm.
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Why not just buy a Treo? I refuse to pay $500 for a smartphone with poor reliability from a company with demonstrably poor customer service. This assessment is borne out by my own experience over the past few years and the reviews I've read on customer-ratings sites. Nearly every one of these sites contains complaints from Treo users about these issues, and it's a deadly combination. The device itself is great, but for what it costs it should work reliably, and when it doesn't, Handspring should be willing to replace it with a minimum of hassle. A Treo user should not have to go without for two weeks until their device comes back from the shop.
I'm buying a warranty with my used Visor that will ensure I maintain a working device for one year. By then, hopefully there will be an acceptable alternative to Handspring in an reasonable price range. Maybe it will even come from Palm.
I'm sure many of us would be glad to donate a small amount to each student. Post the link!