Customer Reviews

Handspring Visor Platinum (Silver)

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

This model of Visor is more expensive than Visor Deluxe, so what's their difference?

I'll list the difference btw Deluxe and Platinum, and let you be the judge to which one to buy.
-First, Visor Platinum is the FASTEST PalmOS PDA with its 33mhz processor. Other PalmOS PDAs have either 16mhz or 20mhz. Visor deluxe has 16mhz. However, the speed of the PDA is a little overrated, since most Palm application do not require high speed processor anyway. but hey, the faster the better, right?
-Second, Visor Platinum has 4 bits display while Visor Deluxe has only 2 bits display. This means that, Platinum can display 16 levels of greyscale, while Deluxe can display only 4 level of greyscale.
-Third, Platinum has PalmOS version 3.5 while Deluxe has version 3.1. This is important because you can not upgrade PalmOS on Handspring's PDA (due to USB problem). So, this means you'll be stuck with which ever PalmOS that comes with your Visor forever. But this is not a big problem as it may sounds, b/c any PalmOS's are essentially the same thing.
-Lastly, Platinum has cool sophisicated silver color, while Deluxe has teenage iMAC style colors.

Another product I recommend if you are considering buying Visor Platinum is PalmIIIxe. PalmIIIxe also has 4 bits display like Platinum, and it also comes with PalmOS version 3.5. I'll make a list of difference btw Visor Platinum and PalmIIIxe for you. (Note that this list also include some of the differences btw Visor Deluxe and PalmIIIxe)
-PalmIIIxe is the same price as Visor Deluxe, which is about fifty bucks cheaper than Platinum
-PalmIIIxe comes with only 16mhz processor like Visor Deluxe
-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.
-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.
-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; buy a new stylus cost about fifteen dollars.

Are these difference worth the more money you pay for Platinum? Let yourself be the judge, see what you need.

I did a lot of shopping when looking for a PDA using the Palm OS. I compared the Palm Vx, VII, IIIc, IIIxe and the visor series.

First off, I don't have a need for lots of color, and if I did, I would definitely have bought the 65,000 color Visor Prism for the resolution and color depth. The Platinum is a little thicker than the Vx, and comparable in size to the III and VII series. The VII has one advantage, a built-in modem (necessary service sign-up although), and the IIIc has color, but moderate color at that. The IIIxe has built-in memory upgrade capacity, but so does every Visor (8mb modules available). The platinum visor has the fastest processor available in Palm OS devices (50% faster than current Palm models, as reported by Handspring), and also uses the most up-to-date Palm OS (version 3.5.2).

For the money ..., there no better deal out there. Unless you need color, this is the best Palm PDA available. Compatible with all Palm applications (those that run on the new OS, at least... I've found that some older app's won't run), and with the built-in Springboard module expansion slot, I'm sure that there's lots more to come from this company, co-founded by the creator of Palm. New innovation and next-generation thinking will put this company and its products ahead of the competition.

I was very surprised by some of the negative comments at cnet. I then realized that most of them had been written by people who didn't have Platinums, and for some reason, had some grudge against the Handspring. I think Mac haters have gone to the PDA world looking for more people to annoy. In any case, this is a great product and I've really enjoyed mine for the few days that I've had it. Downloading Avantgo and other apps was error-free--I'm not sure what happened to the other reviewer on this site. It is "painted plastic," but it's an awfully nice paint job, and the thing doesn't feel cheap at all. It's not as slick as the Palm V. However, it's human to get nostalgic about forward-thinking designs in our old, outdated technology. ;-)

I'm a bit put off by people on other sites (including the cnet review) claiming that this product is for "power users only." This seems awfully ignorant of the fact that these products are obsolete in two years or less. Have you whipped out your Newton lately? For fifty bucks more, you can get a 33-mhz processor that may keep you ahead of the obsolescence curve by a few months, and give you a lot of speed before then. Suck it up and get with the 21st century.

A note on the screen: it does give a bit, almost (!) like paper might if you were writing on a legal pad. It's not irritating to me at all, though I seem to notice it less than others in my office. Match it up with screen protectors and you have a very realistic writing experience.

Good luck and have fun--one last thing--Handspring has been great with shipping and support so far. I had mine (in MN) within 30 hours of ordering it. I expect Amazon can do the same (I have never had a bad experience with Amazon, period). I might add that Amazon has one heck of a good deal on Rhinoskin Ti Sliders--$50! I have never seen one less than $100, even on the Rhino site.

As an upgrade to the Visor Deluxe it is obviously the same thing but faster. Noticeably faster than any other Palm device out there, but not really amazing. You will probably only see a big difference in computationally-intensive applications, or those with large databases, like Kanji Hanabi. The speed is the best thing about this product.

The worst thing about this product is the platinum case. Instead of the translucent plastic of the Deluxe model it is a painted gray plastic, and when that paint wears off (and it will) this thing is going to look like a cheap toy that's ready for the trash. The battery compartment cover doesn't fit properly - it rattles. I expect more in a... device.

The clip-on cover is still a problem. Whereas the Palm III series cover flips back on a hinge, leaving a hand free for the stylus, the Handspring cover comes off. You can turn the unit over and clip it on the back, or put it down somewhere, but you have to do something with it before you can write. A clumsy design.

The big thing with Visor is of course Springboard modules. I can forgive the cover for the ability to plug in GPS, Modem, MP3, software, extra memory or even a digital camera or a phone. Palm has nothing to rival this, and now a year after launch some really useful Springboards are appearing, although some are ridiculously priced -... for a 64M MP3 module!

Apart from that... the device is very light (I was surprised to open the shipping container and find it inside, it felt far too light to contain a Visor) and includes batteries, cradle, software CD, brief guide and a few product pamphlets. The feel of the screen is not as smooth or pleasant as that of my Palm IIIe but I expect it will get better with use.

The included software installed and performed a hotsync on my Windows 2000 USB/Office 2000 system without a single problem. USB hotsync is FAST.

Unfortunately Handspring politely declined to help when I asked if I could get a set of translucent plastic for my Platinum. It would be best to see one of these before buying, or be prepared to return it if unhappy. It REALLY feels cheap and nasty.

This will be an excellent travelling email/authoring package with the Targus folding keyboard, RhinoSkin Ti slider case and CardAccess Thinmodem - unless I decide Ihate this plastic so much that I return it for a Visor Deluxe instead.

I spent a fairly long time considering various handhelds available, and those that would be out in the future (including some that were based on Linux, very tempting for me). I decided, however, to go for a Handspring Visor Platinum, since it ran Palm stuff and would be able to draw on a rich history of PalmOS software. That, and the better display and CPU speed over Visor and Visor Deluxe.

After actually buying this little gadget, I must say I'm very pleased overall. The speed is excellent, the display is crisp, the Palm applications work great. The HotSync is very slick and works most of the time, although some nasty bugs cropped up when I tried to upload one app, forcing me to reboot if I wanted to sync again. One major downside is they force a USB cradle on you. While USB is fairly common and the added speed is nice, I would've liked the option -- I don't have USB set up on my Linux box, so I have to buy the serial cradle to use it without Windows. I don't like spending [$] for something that could easily have been a simple option.

The only major problem is the screen. The display itself is nice. The screen material, though, is problematic. It's prone to scratches. I've had mine four days, and already have scratches in my handwriting area. They're faint, but they're there. My recommendation: buy screen protectors for this baby, you'll definitely need them.

Pros: Great CPU, crisp display, tons of Palm apps available, handspring modules make for nice expandability options, lots of cool games available (grin).

Cons: Serial cradle is a (fairly expensive) separate purchase if you want support on pre-98 versions of Windows, or BeOS or Linux. Screen is easily scratched even from daily use with the included stylus, which means you have to buy often-expensive screen protectors.

Overall: A great handheld if you don't mind a USB cradle forced on you and if you don't mind dropping [$] for screen protection.

Pros: Runs PalmOS, more flexible than PalmPilots. Cons: All PDAs, not just Visors, are still expensive. Backlight feature does not light the icons below the screen.

Have you ever had a Game Boy from Nintendo? Well, I would be surprised if someone told me that the creators of Handspring Visor did not get the idea for Visor from Game Boy.

Like a game cartridge, Springboard Module gives the flexibility to add functionality that is (not available in the PDA itself but) built into the module. Theoretically, Visor is infinitely expandable (Handspring's claim), albeit Visor can handle one module at a time. If only these modules were affordable. Since Visors (regular (2 MB), deluxe (8 MB), platinum (8 MB), prism (8 MB)) run on the same OS that PalmPilots run, not only can Visors do everything their PalmPilot counterparts can, they can also do a lot more (via Springboard Modules) that PalmPilots just can't.

Visors started out cheaper than PalmPilots (Palm has been lowering PalmPilots' prices since the introduction of Visors by HandSpring), but are a little bulkier than PalmPilots. No, don't get me wrong, Visors are still sexy and colorful.

I bought a Visor Deluxe from HandSpring six months ago. After exhanging it for two more defective units, I had to finally return it. A few months ago I got another Visor Deluxe--this time from Amazon.com. No problems so far, everything is working like magic. I now have a Visor Platinum and have experienced no problems--I am still using the same software that installed when I had my Visor Deluxe.

The other day I had to use my Visor Platinum at night--in the dark--and I was able to use the backlight. Though I was able to see the screen clearly, the backlight doesn't show where the 'home', 'menu', 'calculator' and 'find' icons are. We still have to guess the area below the screen for these icons. I hope Handspring does something about this.

If you are in the US (especially in CA), you can get them at Amazon.com...

If you are thinking about to buy a PalmPilot, do not buy it until you've tried out a Visorr.

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This is a sharp looking PDA. Looks-wise it blows the doors off the Palm IIIex that I use. It doesn't have the flip lid that I love on my palm, but it is a jewel and perfect for a woman with a purse. The case is reasly sharp looking and very classy. It is thicker than the Palm, which is a valid trade-off given the expansion slots--I see myself buying one or two of these in the future.

You may want to get the flip open leather case which makes it about perfect. Included with the Platinum, is a slide in leather case, which was OK, but I thought it was a slow process to pull the Platinum out to use. The flip open case is fast and more proffessional looking.

I found the Platinum to be noticably faster than my Palm. Admittedly my Palm seemed to have slow down with some of the software I added to it, but my overall impression is that the Platinum is faster than my Palm ever was.

The software included on the Handspring is better than what you find on the Palm. If I could, I would delete some of the software built into my Palm 3xe--but it's built into the firmware--you can't get rid of it. For example: the calculator. On the Platinum, the calculator software is pretty good--It is the same software I loaded on my Palm to replace the calculator built in. The difference is I had to load mine into memory, and had to keep the other calculator because it was built into the firmware--a waste of space. That really bugged me.

The only down side on the Handspring Platinum, is the extra cost of a serial connection. The USB port is faster, but unless you have a computer that has one of these ports, you may find it difficult or impoosible to back it up.

It seems clear to be that unless the folks at Palm get moving, Handspring will leave them in the dust. Handspring's products are better designed, more flexible and about 2 years ahead of the current Palm products.

If you buy a Platinum you won't regret it. Be sure to get a serial cable if your desktop PC does not have a USB port.

Conrad Senior

This is the first PDA for myself. I don't see much speed difference between the platinum and deluxe. But with the upgraded OS. . .I will be purchasing an IR printer and a stowaway keyboard for school.

The case is a nice silver. The platinum does not look like a toy like the deluxe series. Also the platinum comes with a nice weighted stylus that has a reset pin on the head and a small phillip screwdriver on the end.

With regards to modules. . .the only module I am interested in is the 6-pack by innogear. All software modules are overpriced. Buy the software version instead of the module and save yourself some money. Also many of the modules that "transform" your handspring into a phone. . .mp3 player. . .etc. . .is a good idea if it weren't for the high price for a mediocre product. Do yourself a favor and buy yourself a phone (which is cheaper with a plan AND the new nokia phones are just way cool) or an MD player.

In all. . .this is a great PDA. . .easy to use. . .yada yada. . .(palms and visors do the same thing. . .nothing much has changed)but don't get hyped up about the modules. . .they generally are not worth the money.

I bought this handheld, after owning a Palm Vx, and it is the best thing ever, especcially compared to a Palm Vx. It is fast, nice clear, crisp LCD incredible memory, cool looking (with the silver paint...oooo, lala) and keeps me incredibly oraganized. The expansion slot is great too. A few things i would recommmend when buying this PDA though. 1. Get these things that go over the LCD screen. It not only protects the screen from scratches or whatever, but it really does improve the handwriting recognition. I guess the screen in thinker than other PDA's, making it harder for the styli to write on the screen, or something. 2. Get a USB connection if possible. I have seen them both hotsynched at the same time, and the USB is atleast 50% faster. But the serial isn't slow my any means, if your comp. only has serial.

And last but not least, get this PDA over anything else. It is worth every penny, and much much more.

I used to have a Palm V, which I absolutely loved. I did everything I needed it to do and was small and sleek to boot. After I clumsily broke it, however, I needed to buy a new PDA. The Palm V had been discontinued, and I thought that the Vx was ridiculously expensive, so I bought the Visor Platinum.

VERDICT: It is considerably larger and clunkier-looking than the beautiful Palm V, but its faster speed and USB connection are great! On top of the neat new (to me, anyway) applications like the world clock and enhanced datebook, I added AvantGo and Vindigo (NY, SF and LA). The Platinum's memory isn't even close to being full. I'm hoping that the nice platinum finish won't wear off over time, but that remains to be seen.

The things about the Platinum that I don't like are its thickness, its lack of a rechargable battery like the Palm V has, and its clunky snap cover. For a PDA this size, they should have had the swivel cover like some Palm devices have.

Overall I'm very happy with my purchase... it does its job very well and is a hell of a lot cheaper than the Palm Vx.