Customer Reviews

Handspring Visor Prism

5 star:		(73)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Since this is my 1st PalmOS PDA I don't have as much experience as some other reviewers. However I do know what I do & do Not like. My list of Pros & Cons for this fine PDA:

Pros specific to this device:
1. Ability to display 65,000 different colors.
2. You can create notes/ business cards w/ color.
3. You can read and work faster. One thing I've found that's quicker than reading, to ID something, is color. If I label an item in a To-Do list in red for instance, I know w/o reading that its a hot item to do ASAP. This helps one prioritize items. It just makes sense.
4. CPU speed. This units fast. Although the color display DOES make the unit slightly slower than a Visor Pro/Platinum.
5. Color games beat B/W games when in waiting rooms. ;-)
6. Display easier to read indoors than a Palm m505. (Isn't this where 90% of its use will occur anyway?)

Cons specific to this unit:
1. Battery life. Handspring advertises up to 2 wk. between charges. Yea right! Maybe if you only use it for <5 mins. a day. Who do you know that can do Graffiti that fast? I usually get 4-7 days between charges. Or about 5 continous hrs. Which is generally better than a PocketPC but worse than a Palm m505's reflective color display.
2. Bulk. In this respect: Don't expect a carry case made for a Visor to fit unless it says it'll hold a Prism. Unit itself is easier to hold than a PocketPC w/ color.
3. Although better than before, you still can't get color with every PalmOS app thats out there.
4. Display washes out in bright sunlight.

Overall I'd give this unit a 9. It's a great unit but...Slim it down and give it more ram and battery life and I'd give it a "10". - Rob B. 9/2001

The new Handspring Visor Prism is a cool product for the right user. That user needs to care very little about size, bulkiness and probably should be an avid game player.

Some major problems I have with it are:

1) It is thicker, bulkier and heavier than the regular Handsprings, and not even close to the sleekness of the Palm V Series. It won't really fit in your pocket and will weigh you down. So, if you care about size and portability don't buy this product. The product looks terrible in a case as well. It is just too thick.

On the plus side:

2) The colors and the screen are very nice. However, I would say that unless you are an avid game player or plan on loading up your Visor with a lot of pictures then you really won't be able to show off the potential of the display. I have also found that the screen looks great in dim/dark conditions. It could be used as a flashlight in the dark, it is so bright. However, in normal bright conditions such as your office, outdoors, or in airports, I prefer the Palm B&W displays. The colors screen just doesn't show that well under normal conditions. It is kind of like when color screens for PCs first came out - Passive Matrix.

3) The rechargeable batteries are definitely a plus.

Oh, and one more thing: you will need to find color applications that support the Prism. There are some good ones such as ZAP2000, Todo plus, and flipchart.

Overall, I would rate the product a 3.5 stars.

I wanted to contribute to the feedback of general PDA and Handspring fans as an actual Prism owner and everyday user and say, it's worth it!

I had an old Palm III (and before that a Palm Pilot Personal), and am a longtime fan of the simplicity-is-key brilliance of the Palm OS. When Handspring debuted with its expansion slot, I knew my next PDA would come from them. In 2000, they came out with the faster Platinum, and the color Prism, and I mulled over the two until my brain started smoking.

I sprang, ultimately, for the Prism, even though I thought the color would be just a gimmick at best. But now I'm convinced: it makes a world of difference. I could never go back to the green screen. Even out of the box it's a more pleasant user experience - easier on the eyes. And no time at all, I'd downloaded heaps of free apps that took advantage of the color (including some gorgeous games, photo album utilities and movie players).

I also got the eyemodule digital camera add-in (also available at Amazon - I had to put the expansion slot to use, after all), and it makes a great partner to the Prism.

The Prism's screen is not as brilliant as the Palm IIIc or other PocketPCs - but the greater color depth makes a world of difference compared to the former. It's hard to use outdoors in the sun, but if you're a cubicle inmate like me, it shouldn't be a problem.

Another distinguishing feature of the Prism is the rechargable battery. At first I thought I'd feel weird depending on the charging cradle, but it's second nature... and it absolutely beats wasting AAA batteries or fiddling with rechargable AAAs (I've a desk full of 'em!). With daily use, I've yet to see my battery meter drop below three-quarters full. The biggest downside is travel - make sure you have a travel charger cable (also available on Amazon).

And the speed is nothing to sneeze at. Both the Prism and Platinum boast a boost of 50 percent over previous models... and compared to my old Palm III? Thinking back to life then is like remembering my first 486 computer.

Other notes: The Prism is slightly thicker and heavier (with a power button on the right side), so custom cases you have for other Visors might not work (I use Handspring's own "sport case" with no problems). Also, it's contrast settings are sometimes off out of the factory, but an "easter egg fix" posted around the web can solve most "shimmer/flicker" problems.

Bottom line? The Prism is the first PDA to have it all. The simplicity and efficiency of the Palm OS. The speed of the latest chips. A built-in long-life rechargable battery. And a color screen. If you were debating between the latest offerings like I was, the extra dollars are definitely worth it.

Having owned several PDA's, I was a bit skeptical about the Visor, primarily due to the price. Was it worth the extra cash for the color? Answer is absolutely. First of all, don't even consider getting a non-Palm operating system. Windows CE is garbage, and their new OS has virtually no software. Palm OS has tons of free software, simple to download. The Visor is slim for a color screen, and holds a ton of info. with the 8mb. In addition, it is simple to sync with your computer, just press a button and it's done in about 20 seconds. Even a moron couldn't foul up this one. The Visor keeps me organized, has my entire Rolodex in it, etc. The one thing I would advise is to seriously consider getting a collapsable keyboard (Targus makes a nice one) which you can "dock" your Visor on and type away on a full-size keyboard. It's great for entering alot of info when you are away from a computer or your docking module. Anyhow, you can't go wrong with the Visor. Built by the folks who started the Palm company, this is a true improvement on Palm's products. And, with the ability to add products and attach more memory, this one is the best for future expansion. Who knows what the next product may be that Handspring decides to make available for the expansion port? The possibilities are endless. Buy it now, unless you can't afford it, then save up and buy it. Don't buy a cheap competitor--you'll regret it.

Ive had the Prism about 2 weeks now and I love it. I came from an old PIII (with an TRG 8mb upgrade)and the difference in speed is phenominal, not to mention 65K colors! I love being able to carry around photos of my son on it. Now why only 4 stars? Grafitti recognition is HORRIBLE! This seems to be a known problem and I am getting my unit replaced. Handspring customer service was really helpful and I had no problem with getting the RMA. Once I receive my new Prism, if all is well, I will have to come back and give it 5 stars!

I own both a Palm IIIc and an Compaq iPAQ 6500 series. I don't own one of the Prizms yet since I'm pretty happy with my Palm and iPAQ, but as I've had a lot of experience with color-based PDAs I thought I would make a few comments.

I went down and checked this out at the local CompUSA and put it thru it's paces and compared it closely to my IIIc, which I had with me.

One of the main things I noticed right away is that it is somewhat smaller in footprint than the IIIc. It is about 3/8 of an inch shorter than the Palm IIIc and about 1/4 inch less wide, so it's slightly smaller than the IIIc. It is thinner front to back at the bottom of the unit than the IIIc, but is slightly thicker at the top because of the Springboard module slot. Overall the impression is it is noticeably more compact and lighter than the IIIc.

I'd been told the screen is actually brighter than the IIIc, but I really couldn't see this. I had my IIIc when I was doing this comparison, and so I cranked up the brightness on both of them and looked at them side-by-side, and they looked the same to me. However, the screen is just as sharp, maybe a little sharper than the IIIc, but I wouldn't swear by it.

I called up a number of the apps to see how the screen looked. With 64K colors, the built-in apps really don't take full advantage of these, but there are many good examples of color-based productivity apps and games out there that will exploit the color capabilities more fully, such as To Do Plus, Listmaker, SuperNames, ActionNames, Memo Plus, Address Plus, CityTime, and so on.

I don't know if the built-in lithium-ion battery lasts longer than the IIIc. Palm says 8-20 hours of life on the IIIc but in my experience that is optimistic. I usually use mine set at about 3/4 full brightness and that gives me about 4-6 hours of use. Hopefully the Prizm has improved on this.

I think the main use for the 64K colors is for displaying photos. Even the Casio E115 only has 16K colors and the Compaq iPAQ has only 4K. So for people who want the most colors this is clearly the winner. However, the resolution of the screen still isn't as good as on the Pocket PCs, which are 240 x 320.

Overall, however, this looks to be a great new offering in the PDA lineup. I'm not quite ready to trade in my Palm IIIc but if I didn't have one I certainly go for the Handspring Prizm if I wanted a color unit in the Palm category.

I just finally recived this beautiful unit and the first thing I was amazed at was the color it poured out. Loading the Handspring PhotoAlbum, I saw the true clarity of the colors. After using a PalmVx and a Cassiopeia E-115, which also has 65,000 colors, I am set on this one. I am going to be selling my E-115 & my Palm Vx to fully replace this one. The only drawback that I find over the Palm Vx is the size. NOTHING, can beat the slim size of the Palm V's. If only Palm puts out a Palm V in 16-bit color!

I waited a long time to purchase a visor, even though I knew I preferred it over the Palm, because I was waiting for color. Boy, was it worth waiting for! I use my visor constantly--for typing minutes in meetings, for gaming when I'm bored, as a clock and a datebook. It's an incredible machine that really is making my life easier, and, as a Macintosh devotee, is the only machine that worked with my Mac right out of the box. The color display is quite nice and causes much less eye strain for me, plus you can show off color pictures which really makes it a nice replacement for my wallet. All in all, I love it and you will too.

Pros: Great color,easy sync, advanced calculator for converting length, weight or temperatures, plenty of memory

Cons: Poor in sunlight, occasional "reset" crashes, no earphone for future use as an mp3 I used to have a Visor Deluxe and I loved that too- until I lost it in an airport! Believe me- people aren't that eager to return such a great tool (toy!). Since I just "had" to replace it, I decided to get a color Prism instead. Since I carry it in my purse in the case it came with, the size is just fine. Instead of using graphics input, I bought a software program called Silkyboard, which gives me a keyboard that doesn't cover the screen. Then I just type everything in quickly.

The colors are great, and I've even got a photo album on it with pictures of the family. Everyone's amazed when they see this (free) program from Handspring. I've also downloaded some great free programs, because I believe that if you don't use the Visor (or even a Palm) to its maximum potential, you're really missing out! There are plenty of free color games that make this a fun toy as well, and it comes in handy while waiting on line for the Dr. or the train!

Best of all, instead of all the little scraps of paper I used to carry around, I've learned to use the memo functions, the address book and the calendar. There are so many things you can do with a visor once you get the right programs. I keep track of my Quicken account on it and then transfer it through a hot-sync. right onto my PC, I've got a great Birthday reminder list, another program that keeps all the other "lists" that float around in my head, another program that keeps track of my regular shopping list plus plenty of other specific shopping lists - like "what books do I want to buy?" , "what do I need at the Hardware store?" "What things do I want to buy on my next visiting trip?", etc. That's only the beginning- There's so much more potential in this little gadget. I love it and would recommend it to everyone!

The Bottom Line The built in's are very useful, and the availability of other free programs,+ others you can buy, make this an almost limitless machine! I'd be LOST without it!

.

If I had to buy a new PDA today, I'd probably go with this one. I love the color, but wish it was just a little sharper.

The text is easy to ready, but the pixels are distracting. You should not even notice the pixels.

That being said, I love PDA's. And Handspring is the new leader. There products are years ahead of the Palm PDA's. The Palm's are smaller and easier to slide into a front pocket in a pair of jeans, but I find the display more difficult to set properly.

After play with my buddy's Prism for 10 minutes I was hooked. If I didn't already have a Palm, this is what I'd have.

The Palm applications software is not as good--particularly the calculator. Handspring puts a better calculator in.

I think this would be a nice unit to have with the camera. You would have a rechargable display-something the digital camera's don't have (of course it will run your batteries down pretty quick too). So I think it offers the most flexibility in a PDA you can find.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a higher resolution display. Handspring-give me photo realism!

Check out the Handspring Web site for more info on the option cards that are available or coming up. GPS interface, Camera, extra memory for MPEG palying, multifunction cards, modems, network interface cards--tons of cool stuff.

A handy booklet is included with this PDA that lists all these items that can go in the expansion slots, and pushes some of the software. If you are looking for software try tucows for lots of freeware and shareware.

Conrad B. Senior