Customer Reviews

OmniSky Minstrel S Wireless Modem Springboard Module for Handspring

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I bought a Handspring Visor Platinum along with this modem to allow me to access my email remotely around the city. My cell phone has NO coverage problems ANYWHERE in the area. The OmniSky service and this modem has coverage problems almost EVERYWHERE in the area. After reading many online reviews I swapped out the useless stub antenna on the modem with one that is longer, from my cell phone. This helped improve access dramatically. However, even being outdoors within 1000 feet of a cell tower (GTE is my OmniSky CDPD carrier) I had trouble. Literally, if I coughed (and my hand shook) I would lose the connection! I'm NOT kidding. When you are in a sweet spot, and it works, it works great. But the problem is that sweet spot usually entails me standing with my arm out-stretched holding my Visor up in the air like the Statue of Liberty! This is NOT a good thing. I think Omnisky (and Novatel) are on the right track, but this technology is still in its infancy. My advice, unless you need access on the road where you KNOW you will have good coverage, expect to "work" with this a bit. Technogeeks, apply, but do NOT buy this for your Mom! I must also mention, that OmniSky tech support is EXCELLENT! They answer the phone quickly and they actually know the software and hardware! I've always been happy with them, it's just the CDPD coverage that stinks. If I could rate them separately, the modem would get 4 stars and the coverage would get 1 star.

I just purchased this item and it arrived today (2/2/2004). I called in to activate, and according to the operator (omnisky no longer exists, it's now Earthlink which should have told me it wasn't worth the hassle to begin with) no one supports the omnisky wireless modem any longer. Just a warning to those who purchase this item... think you're getting a hot deal?? nah... just a useless paperweight worth 80 bucks...

To all looking at this pruduct. It is very good. I was concerned with the other reviews. Omnisky is a reseller of ATT Wireless. The people who were unhappy do not have the ATT network. They should have Verizon. I work in this industry nationwide and coverage in NYC and Illinois can be spotty. I have had no problems with this modem I am in South Florida, which is ATT. The support is great with both Omnisky and Handspring. The Visor Platinum is faster than my Palm V. The modem and Omnisky filtering allows a much faster connection. I use another CDPD modem for my laptop and the 19.2 speed is slow. This is from the photos and ads. There is good news on the horizon though ATT is launching 128k connection over the CDPD network. This should be by the end of the year. Bottom line is if you like "toys" you will love it. If you use it for work, you will not ever be without it. Also you will be the envy of all of those traveling business people toting around a 10lb laptop. One last thing Omnisky software. Put the CD in your comp. enter your chosen user name and activation code. click add for your multiple mail accounts. You are wireless in ten minutes. Very easy.

I have used the Omnisky Minstrel S Modem with my Visor Prism for about a month now, and, I must say I am pleasantly and surprisingly satisfied with it. After a shaky start (The setup did not go well and the Handspring customer service is abysmal; but the Omnisky reps I dealt with were knowledgable and very helpful), I was able to make it perform to my liking and needs. I have used it only in the Northeast from NYC northwest to NE Pennsylvania (mostly on a bus or train), and have found the coverage to be quite good with few service interruptions.

Pros: the new Blazer web browser allows you to surf the net in color, Omnisky supports all the Palm VII web clipping apps, the modem recharges easily, service in the Northeast (at least in my experience) is good.

Cons: The setup can be difficult and frustrating (I had to do a hard reset and reinstall the Omnisky data as well as all my own data a few times, the modem can cause fatal errors if not shut off completely before you remove it from the visor, the Omnisky apps themselves do not support color browsing unless you use the Blazer browser for which you must now pay extra.

On the whole, I recommend the modem especially for use with the Visor prism. As a former Palm VIIx user, I thought I would miss the convenience of just flipping up the antenna and being immediately connected, but browsing in color on the easy to read Visor Prism screen is a pure pleasure. The modem is very compact and is much smaller than the one for the Palm III or V. I have had no problems with it since the initial setup .

[Note: This review does not cover the question of whether or not one needs a wireless PDA.]

I owned a Palm VII for about 15 months before I decided to upgrade. Or rather, needed to upgrade...2MB and wireless connectivity don't exactly go well together. It was tough decision, but with all of the rebates, I thought I'd try a Visor (Platinum) with the Omnisky modem.

First thing I noticed, the VII has better penetration in buildings...at conferences and seminars, the VII worked great in just about every room I was in. The OmniSky seems to only work if I'm in a room near the outside part of the building, sitting as close as possible to the outside within the room. Second item of notice, the Omnisky software utilizes lots and lots of graphical icons and a very GUI-y email client. The VII was definitely more "content" oriented. I didn't scroll as much when reading email or news articles. And I don't know why, but articles do seem more concatenated with the Omnisky than they do with the VII. Fourth, the Palm network has better coverage than Omnisky's (see palm.net vs omnisky.com's coverage maps). Fifth, I miss just popping up the antenna and tapping to connect; it must take a good 5-10 seconds to connect with the Omnisky.

So why stick with the Omnisky? I prepaid for a year (rebates). So far, I can indeed do a little bit more, such as telnetting to machines and being able to browse sites without waiting for someone to write a web clipping app. Surprise, surprise, the darn thing works in Vancouver, BC, Canada and at Whistler (yes, the ski resort)! Absolutely zero Palm.net coverage in BC, Canada. This was very handy when I wanted to do some currency conversion.

Yes, my OmniSky did crash my Visor a number of times when I first got it. Then I read someone's review suggesting to close the modem apps before pulling out the module. My Visor hasn't crashed since (knock on wood ;) ).

If you think you'll only be using or needing this device in major cities, it's worth considering. If you drive around a bit or tend to find yourself outside major cities, consider a Palm VIIx. Keep in mind, the VIIx is more suited to folks who prefer their wireless PDA use to be more content-oriented.

Basically, I agree with what other people said. This is a very nice service, but there are several problems that I have noticed:

(1) The coverage is not very good. I can not get a signal in my house, but I am able to get it outside which only 2 meters away(I am able to get a very good signal almost anywhere on my cellular phone). It seems like the signal strength is too weak to penetrate the wall. The signal is good on the several freeways in San Jose though.

(2) Sometimes the speed is very slow and sometimes the connections just failed. But after couple minutes, it came back normal, a minus if you need things urgently.

(3) It causes my Prism to crash many times. Even the first time when I installed the Modem, it crashed and I lost all the data. I have gotten at around 5 - 8 crashes (needs hard start) in two days.

(4) The webs that you can visit (optimized for PDA) are still very limited.

Overall, this thing will be nice if the aformentioned problems get improved, at this stage, it is for those serious people who need the connection on the road and need it immediately.

First of all let me say that the Minstrel is great in that it allows you to cruise the web, get e-mail, etc. The problem I have with the modem is that it crashes your Handspring. Meaning if it can't connect sometimes it will crash and then it will reset your Palm OS except it doesn't fully reset and then starts flashing. When this happens you can't turn it off or even do a soft reset. The only thing you can do is hope you've backed it up and then do the soft reboot and when it asks you to erase all data...yep you guessed it you lose it all. Then you have to restore. So if you use the modem you better back it up daily. Another bad note about the modem, if you search certain web sites that aren't designed yet for the small interface you can sign in with your user id and password but you can't hit the enter key as it is not there. I've noticed this on several pages, brokerages and banks, credit card companies, etc. In time I assume the web pages will be updated. Such is the price you pay for new technology but I have to say I love using it with the American Airlines application which you can download of AA.com's site to check on your flight departures, etc. Overall it's as good as it gets in the wireless world I would have to say, just remember to BACKUP and BACKUP daily. By the way other than the size of the Handspring, I love it by itself, w/o the modem, it doesn't crash when you're not using the modem.

Where this module works, it is great....too cool. But I have been working with tech support at Omnisky for 3 weeks to try to get coverage in my two prime locations in north central Phoenix. I am sending it back. Omnisky tells me they are having lots of problems with the misntrel S. I even tried two of their modums to see if it was a defect. I love it so much where it does work that I may order another in a few months to see if coverage improves. Sigh. Supposedly the coverage at the two zip codes I am having problems with is excellent. Works better outdoors, but not at all inside or outside my home.

This is the best wireless modem available since it provides speeds that are more reliable than your standard 56K modem, and it has the most content out there. What this does is allow the user to basically search any website available. You can make travel arrangements and constantly read and reply to time sensitive e-mails. It offers all of the same qualities as the modem for the Palm Vx, but it is a little less bulky since it fits in the expansion slot for you Visor. With this great device I am able to get more work done while I am away from my computer, and it gives me the option to get things done without being confined to an office or home space.

This product is virtually worthless for the serious road warrior. The network is thin and doesn't even work in some major hub airports. Even if you find a city where the network is viable, you most certainly must stand in front of a window, or go outside to connect. I travel half of each week and quickly found that the purchase of this product, and worse, the pre-paid year of Omnisky service was a huge mistake. After a few months of use, the minstrel now sits unused in my closet. I still use my Visor as my primary PDA, but I recently purchased a discounted Palm VIIx, which I carry to get wireless email. One guy at Omnisky reminded me that the Omnisky network is faster than palm.net...I told him that anything that works (palm.net) is faster than something that doesn't. Save your money on this dog.