Customer Reviews

Handspring Visor Deluxe (Orange)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

What an amazing little piece of technology this Visor Deluxe is. Of course, it works the same way a Palm does, but Handspring gives you more stuff for the same money as a Palm IIIxe. Both machines have 8mb of memory (way too much if all you're using it for is a day planner; the 2mb version will be fine for non email users), and work exactly the same way. But the Visor has the expansion module, and while Palm makes do with a serial hotsync connection, Visor has a quicker USB port.

I also had occasion to try out Handspring's customer service the other day (apparently I loaded a bad app onto my Visor, which kept it from booting up), and I'm pleased to say it was fast, very courteous and effective.

The only thing I'd improve on is the thickness of the product, but then again, that's what makes room for the expansion module. And if you look at one of those ultra-thin Palm V's, you'll find they run off rechargable batteries...which means if you're taking it on a long trip, you'll have to bring the charger with you. With the Visor, the AAA batteries last about a month, and they're easy to pack along when you travel (if you think it'll go dead during the trip).

All in all, I'd heartily recommend the Visor to anyone who needs a little organization in his or her life. Now if only Handspring would make good on their promise to make more expansion-module apps...

I got my Visor Deluxe last month and I love it.
If you are considering buying a Visor Deluxe, I'm sure you are deciding between this Visor and PalmIIIxe, because they have similar feature, spec, and they both have the same price.

AT the same time I bought my Visor, my roommate bought a PalmIIIxe (and he also loves his Palm very much). So i'll give you the differences between these 2 PDAs, and let you decide which one you like better.

I'll start with How Visor is better.
-Visor has expansion module, which means alot, you can add many many feature afterward, you can make your Visor am MP3 player too! And you can also easily add more memory to your Visor, while for PalmIIIxe, you can only add 2MB flashcard.
-Visor is a bit lighter than PalmIIIxe (5.4oz Vs 6.0 Oz, not a lot of difference though)
-When you buy a leather case for your Visor, you dont have to stick a valcro to the back of your PDA like you have to for Palm. (Palm need a Valcro to hold it to the case, while for Visor, there's a plastic holder attach to the back of the leather case, so you can jsut put your Visor securely in there)
-Visor comes with a fast USB cradle while Palm comes with slow serial cradle, so if you buy palm and want a fast synconizing, you'll need to buy a USB cradle separatly for about thirty dollars.
-Visor comes with a good quiality stylus, it has solid feel of metal, and if you open it up, there's a little screw driver and a reset pin inside. Palm comes with a piece of plactic stylus, my roomate had to buy a new stylus for about fifteen dollars.
-And another important nice thing about Visor is, you have 4 cool colors to choose from (5 colors if you include boring graphite color) If you are getting Visor as a gift to a college students or someone young, they'll love the colors.

Ok, now to what's better about PalmIIIxe
-PalmOS on Palm is upgradable, while Visor user will stuck with PalmOS version 3.1 for the rest of the VIsor's life. However, this is not a problem as it may sounds. most version of PalmOS's are essentially the same thing.
-PalmIIIxe has better display than Visor. Palm has 4bits display, while Visor deluxe has only 2bits. This means that, for Palm, u'll be able to display 16 level of grey-scale, while for Visor, you can only display 4 levels of grey-scale.

So, that's about it for the little comparison chart I made. Other tings about these 2 PDAs are the same, they use same processor, and dimension is the same. (Visor is slightly thicker, and Palm is slightly wider)

As a recommendation if you r going to buy Visor Deluxe, get one of the cool color, don't get the graphite one, unless you are a businessman, and want a more sophiticate looking device. Otherwise, other 4 colors are way cooler, (mine's orange)

If you have more cash to burn, then I recommend you getting either PalmVx or Visor Platinum, they are a little bit more expensive. However, I've never used them so I will not write any comments about them.

P.S. DO NOT get a PDA with less then 8MB memory, must have AT LEAST 8MB

Handspring's Visor Deluxe is a superior device! It works excellently, and is totally reliable. Beyond that, Handspring-designed Springboard modules like their "back-up" module, the 8MB card, the digital camera module, and others, demonstrated to me the superior vision (no pun intended) of the Handspring company.

Prior to purchasing my Handspring Visor Deluxe, I read & weighed the evaluations of all other Palm devices. For a month, I performed my own "hands-on" evaluations at computer & office stores, computer super-stores, and even my friend's Palm devices to compare operability. As a result of my evaluations, it because clear that Handspring's Visor Deluxe is superior its competition.

Now, after receiving my Orange Handspring Visor Deluxe and putting it "to work", I could not be happier. It operates flawlessly -- as advertised.

However, there are other considerations that I did not find online prior to my purchase. Some may be obvious, others may not. As a current user (and sufferer) of the HP320 CE Handheld/PC, I can tell you that there are several important advantages the Handspring Visor Deluxe has over Windows CE. The most important of which is "instant data retrieval/or input". How so, you ask? When you turn-on the Handspring Visor Deluxe, its programs are waiting for your use -- as in now. Not even remotely so with Handheld PCs. If you operate a CE (like my HP320 LX CE system) you know what I mean. It seems that CE manufacturers believed we needed to "enjoy" wait-times similar to that of a desktop spinning-up. But, if you're like me, you need data on-the-go, and the very last thing you need is to wait for a handheld system to "get ready to operate". Just imagine telling your boss or client, "uh...I should have that info (contact, whatever)...in a while...when my CE spins-up". Ridiculous.

Time is more than money.

On the other hand, Handspring Visor's operating system is ready immediately. No waiting. It's there. There is no wasted time. It is quite impressive. Incidentally, the Handspring Visor Deluxe also seemed quite a bit faster than its Palm competitors during my non-scientific in-store checks.

Another advantage of the Handspring system is its "Palm Desktop Software". I expected a good system, but this software is truely superb. I installed the CD program on my Windows 98 platform without a single glitch. The software displays the easy-to-read calendar, addresses, and other important features, in very logically designed software pages. The main page is my favorite, as it does everything I need. However, if that doesn't work for you, there are other calendar pages available, and you can still easily access your memos, things-to-do, contacts, and addresses. It looks good, it's easy to read, and works perfectly. What more could you ask, I ask?

Synchronizing Handspring Visor's data could not be easier. I purchased the Ice Serial Module to move data between my non-USB equipped PC and my Handspring, and it works great. However, prior to purchasing my Handspring, I did wonder how well this would work. Well, it works perfectly. Just open the Handspring HotSync program on your desktop, and press a single button on your Hansspring Cradle (serial or USB), and your data moves from PC-to-Handspring (or vica versa) in seconds. The desktop and Handspring display the transfer process and indicate completion. Incidentally, this process took only a few seconds even with my Serial Cradle. I would imagine the USB would move even faster, but, I'm quite happy with "a few seconds" for data transfer...to me, transferring data in a matter of seconds is less critical than continually waiting for data retrieval on a Windows CE unit, but that's my opinion. In any event, my data transfers have been perfect in my daily desktop-Handspring Visor "HotSyncs".

The Springboard Modules (and the concept) are the way to go. Again...a Handspring trademark. I purchased the "Springboard Backup Module" which backs-up ALL data on the Handspring Visor...quite amazing. This also works perfectly, and is handy when you're entering data when you want to make sure you don't lose information -- when you're away from your desktop. $40 bucks for this module? Are you kidding? Definitely worth it.

Ah yes, raw data entry. Some may choose to use Graffiti, or "soft" keyboard on the visor, when away from their desktop computer. My thoughts are that Graffiti may work fine for quick entries & numbers...and "short" bursts of input. However, I find myself away from my Sync-Desktop quite frequently, so I purchased the Targus folding keyboard for "remote operation". The Visor quickly snaps onto its contacts, and you're in business. I type quite fast, and I have not complaints with the Targus keeping up. It has excellent feel...actually "feels" like a Compaq laptop keyboard. So, this method of remote operations seems like the way to go for me...when you're on the go, and when you have sufficient time to enter information of any significant quantity (while away from your Sync-desktop). However, I found the competing "Go-Type" keyboard to be too small for my hands, and I wear a size 9.5 glove...so, I'm not sure how most people can stand it. I would recommend purchasing the $99 Targus "folding keyboard" instead. The Targus full-sized folding keyboard is very high quality unit, with tolarances for fit that seem more like a piece spacecraft equipment, rather than mere keyboard design. In short, this is a very impressive unit. Additionally, ALL integrated Handspring Visor Deluxe programs are accessable via the Targus' keys: Addresses, Memo, etc. Both the Visor and Targus will easily fit in your case, bag, or even loose pockets.

My other recommendation is to buy a high quality case for both units -- The leather Sundex (for $8.00) works great for the Visor, and it looks great. There is probably a great case for the Targus, but I haven't fount it yet. However, it is fully protected in its own metalic case.

Bottom line: Don't be in doubt of the Handspring Visor Deluxe system. It works great, and it seems that the possibilities are endless for reference software, organizing software, springboard modules (modems, multi-function modules including memory/modems/wireless modems/etc., and books-on-module), and the quality of this product is excellent. Definitely the best $250 bucks I've spent in many, many years. Go Vols! and buy ORANGE!

Let me put it this way: a lot of fellow students from medical students have invested in PalmVx devices for their daily needs. Most of them are used only as desk calendars. A few of us more computer-oriented types went for the Handspring Visor. It is just as good as the Palm products in terms of their organizing and filing uses, but considerably superior in its expansion capacities and general design, even though it uses the standard Palm OS. The Visor fairly begs to be played with, expanded, tweaked with, and pushed to its ultimate potential. It is extremely well-made, as are the Springboard modules that are now coming on the market. Combine a Visor with a Stowaway keyboard, and you will have almost no need for a laptop again. I have not been so impressed with a computer product in many years. I notice that PalmPilot fans tend to dis the Visor, presumably because change is threatening. Palms and Visors are both great machines. But if you really want to put a handheld to work as a computer, and have fun with it in the process, the Visor has the clear advantage. Plus, an insurmountable advantage is the Visor's variability in presentation: I'm talking about the colors, baby! I strongly suggest you get it as soon as you finish reading this...

I recently purchased a Handspring Visor Delux and I have been VERY happy with it. The Visor presents a compermise between several of the existing Palm products that is a very exelent product. The Visor has a slim build like most of the palm PDAs but not as small as the Palm V, dissapointingly. The memory and processor in the Visor is superrior to most of the palms including the Palm VII and the Palm III series. The visor has a few added bonuses asside from being priced much less than the Palm V with comperable features. It has out of the box Macintosh compatability with USB sync-ing (several times faster than the seriel sync-ing of palm devices). The visor also has increaced expandability via the Handspring port. The port allows for a great deal of excessories to be installed including 3rd party hardware such as a digital camera, mp3 player, dictionary, radio, extra memory or modems. The advantages of the Visor over the Palm V are simple and convincing enough for me to make the purchace of a Visor. The Visor is less expencive, more widly avalable, compatable with all PalmOS apps, plug and play with Macs and PCs, and expandable.

I recently bought a blue Visor Deluxe for my wife (she liked the color and was tired of waiting for the Palm Vx to come in stock). As a long time Palm III user, I too was swayed by the expansion port and the lower price and even thought about switching myself. Now that I've seen it though, I'm holding out for the Palm Vx. It works great and my wife loves it but I find a noticeable quality difference between the Palm and Handspring products. The Visor's case is a bit rickety, it's awkward to put in its cradle, and the writing surface feels scratchy and has a weird "give" that bugs me. If you've never used a Palm (like my wife) the Visor is a good bet for expansion and economic reasons. But for those used to the sleek Palm feel you may be disappointed.

The Handspring Visor Deluxe is by far one of the best deals in the PDAworld right now. It only cost $249, as compared to Palm's IIIxe. However, the Visor Deluxe does NOT have FlashROM to upgrade the OS. To counteract this deficiency, the Deluxe does come in various iMac inspired color casings. Also, the Springboard expansion slot is very promising, as developers continue to announce (and sometimes release) modules every few months. The improved synchronization between the computer via the fast USB architecture and calculator and dateboook applications are a plus! Everything is great about the Deluxe. The only drawbacks is that the backlight screen is a bit darker than Palm's IIIxe, and the lack of FlashROM hinders future OS expansion (unless the OS can be patched via the Springboard.) Overall, the Handspring Visor Deluxe...is a steal! If you're a fan of the Palm OS, buy it now!

I've had this Visor Deluxe for a year--it was my first. After years of being skeptical of PDAs, I began to see how useful one might be as more and more of my friends had them and seemed to like them. I was just curious enough to get one and this was a great choice.

First, I chose a Visor over the other types because the price was right and the look was a little hipper. I have the Orange one, but in general the design is edgier than the standard black, curved ones I'd seen all nestled in their leatherette cases. Also, as I was not sure whether I'd be able to adjust to a digital method of organizing, I got a Visor because even if I ended up not being able to do the digital calendar and address book thing, I could at least turn it into a digital camera or a gps navigator--check out the springboard modules. They sold me on the Visor because of the infinite possibilities.

Though the Visor Deluxe is a lower-end model, I can still recommend it highly. If it's your first one, it's a great first one. It's sturdy and stable. I never "lost everything" which happened to my friends with other devices. Additionally, I pushed it to the limit. I've recently replaced it for the Pro with twice as much memory and some speed--but this was a ready-to-move-up replacement and not a "shoulda gotten a nicer one first" replacement.

It runs a good while on batteries, and once you teach yourself to sock away a pair or two of spares, there's very little worry. You can change batteries without losing everything, even if you're not near your computer. Everything you put on the visor ends up on your PC when you sync it--read: if you wake up and the cat knocked your visor into the toilet, the data is all there on your PC and you can zap it into your replacement device.

In addition to springboard modules, there is software aplenty for the downloading: games, expense trackers, clocks, reference materials. And then there are the pda related content services where you can get a city guide. I had a city guide, a dictionary, a game or two, some special timers, my checkbook and daily-refreshing periodicals, a recipe database, lists, my calendar and my contacts ALL on this one little thing. You gotta try it!

The reason I rate the Deluxe five stars is that within it's class, who could ask for anything more? It's priced on the lower end, but it can run with the big boys.

since this is the first time for me to own a pda, i was quite excited to open it up and try it out. here are my observations:

color: there are many colors to choose from, orange, blue, green, ice and graphite. I would stick to graphite as the rest make the pda look like its made of soft plastic and be confused with being a toy like a game boy.

feel: I was expecting the visor to be a lot bigger and was quite surprised that it fit in the palm of my hand. it seems to be a little heavy to put in your shirt pocket but it fits perfectly in the front pants pocket.

durability: the visor does not have the sturdiness look of a mobile phone or an electronic organizer(especially if you were to get one of the colored ones) i got to test its breakage accidentally as i got out of the car, the visor fell from my pocket and hit the pavement. the cover separated from the pda. when i looked it over, there where no obvious damages. pretty sturdy, it seems.

features:

stylus: my friend who owns a palm pilot tried it out and he says the stylus has a better feel on the screen.

cradle: unfortunately, my pc does not have a usb slot to be able to use the cradle. It indicated in the manual that if i required a serial cradle, it didn't come with it and i could just purchase it at handspring.com . i would have expected at least a choice on which to buy especially since the manufacturers assume your pc comes with a usb slot. i thus now have no way of testing the cradle and loading other programs. this seems to be the downside of the cradle connection and leaves me with 2 choices. either buy another cradle or bring my pc and have a usb slot attached.

features: it has a lot more programs than an organizer. what impressed me was the memo pad as i have a tendency to take down notes and ideas when i am reading but i misplace my notes frequently. the visor gives you three choices on how to write. the first is the grafitti which took me a while to master. the letters and the numbers were explained how to do but the other characters such as punctuation were not. the 2nd was the punching in of characters using an onboard screen keyboard. the last was a separate keyboard. i also like the address book feature where you can segregate contacts according to personal, business, etc. theres a to do list, calculator, datebook(two of them, wonder why) expense list, etc. all in all a complete package. my only complaint seem to be the registration of my time zone. the only asian countries on the list are japan and hongkong which i find kind of silly since they should have at least either put all the countries or put in a function that allows you to type in your home base. my friend had a palm pilot IIIe(the colored one) and we were zapping each other using the infrared functionality. i was amazed that i am able to send info also to a mobile phone and vice versa. oh, one important piece of information. make sure you get the handspring backup module. i downloaded a game for the visor and it crashed.

all in all, it is a must have gadget.

(I have a visor deluxe graphite, but I will post it up under all visors, because the comments apply to all of them unless otherwise noted)

I finally decided to get a handheld, so after dropping a few hints, I got a Visor Deluxe for my 15th birthday (OK, OK, I totally walked my dad through the purchase process, but who cares?)

9 days (and based on battery use, over 2 months of normal use) later, here is my review. The Visor is pretty small, I don't know what people saying it was bulky were talking about. It is really easy to use, it took no getting used to, except for the graphiti. That's still a little wierd. It has a backlit screen, but I never figured out how to turn it on, my friend did. You hold down the power button. Hotsyncing couldn't be easier, you press the hotsync button on the cradle or on the visor's screen and it goes. The 2 MB visor will probably be good enough for you if you only download Freeware Apps and use it as an organizer, but if you are like me, you will need the 8MB of the deluxe, platinum, prism and edge. The screen is very clear of most things (digital photo albums can look pretty bad, but I think it is the App and not the Visor) It has been very reliable so far, I have installed nearly every App I could find, and no freezes, even soft ones. The stylus has a built in screwdriver and reset tool.

The downside- The OS is not upgradible, maybe someone will make a springboard module someday, but I doubt it, and it will cost alot and not allow you to use the springboard for anything else, killing it's main selling point over the Palm. And also, I am careful with it so I have put no scratches on it, but I let some people borrow it, and I am seeing some. I am mad now (no, that does not read mad cow, mad now) Screen covers cost about $2, but they take all the un out of even owning one. they are that terrible. If worst comes to worst, you can replace the screen down the road for $50. even if you have to replace it once a year (which you shouldn't, but just for the sake of argument) it is worth it. A screen cover ruins everything. Being the careful user you will be, you shouldn't scratch it too badly too quickly.

Comparing to a Palm- this is Much better than a Palm. My friend has a Palm. I hate it. OK, I don't hate it, but it is a mere shadow of mine. the screen quality of the Visor is much better for moving things such as games, and the buttons on the visor are 10 times easier to push, the difference between winning and losing in many cases. The Springboard port is the final factor that puts the Visor way ahead of the Palm. You can get modems, cameras, more space, GPS, cell phones, voice recording, Games, Mp3 players (tisk tisk, stealing music, eh? Kids these days!) You name it, they got it. (look under springboard modules here at Amazon for things I missed) But one thing that annoys me about the Visor and not about the Palm is the infrared port. The visors is in an Akward location, and the Palm's is not (see pictures) And the Visor does not have an upgradible OS, but that doesn't matter too much, so far they have been little more than a minor update. All in all, definitly buy the Visor.

Choosing the right Visor- REGULAR- This has OS 3.1 and 2MB of ram. this is enough only for people who plan to use it for it's designed purpose. If it's not enough, you can upgrade later via Springboard cards. 4 shades of grey DELUXE-Cool colors (which I opted against to avoid too much attention), 3.1, and 8MB of Ram. 4 shades of grey too. PLATINUM-Faster processor, but it's not necessary. However, if you can cough up the cash, it is worth it, because it displays 16 shades of grey and OS 3.5. EDGE-Just like the Platinum, only much thinner. However, putting on a springboard card makes it about as thick as the regular ones. PRISM-Just like the Platinum, only it is in color. Definitly worth it if you got the cash.

PS-to avoid scratches, DON'T LET PEOPLE BORROW IT!!!!!!! I can't stress that enough. People are stupid. Kids these days!