Handspring Visor Deluxe (Graphite)

To set up the Handspring Visor Deluxe, we followed the Getting Started instructions printed on the software CD-ROM case, inserting the batteries, calibrating the touch screen, entering the date and time, connecting the included USB cradle to our PC (an optional serial cradle is available), installing the desktop synchronization software, and synchronizing the Visor with our PC. The entire setup process was straightforward and intuitive, requiring only about five minutes.

Fans of Palm Computing's Palm III line of connected organizers will have no difficulty using the Visor, as it runs on a licensed version of the Palm OS. All the popular Palm personal information management (PIM) applications are included and work exactly the same way as they do on the Palm. The Visor also uses Palm's Graffiti handwriting recognition system for text entry, which takes only a few minutes to learn and a few hours of practice to master. Handspring has added to the Palm OS an advanced date book, calculator, world clock, and support for floating-point math.

The Visor Deluxe comes with 8 MB of RAM, providing plenty of room for thousands of addresses, to-do items, and memos; hundreds of e-mail messages; and several years of appointments. It also includes a USB synchronization cradle, two AAA batteries, a stick-on Graffiti "cheat sheet," a leather slip case, a stylus, a Handspring logo decal, a Quick Reference Guide, inserts describing accessories and cases, and a software CD-ROM. The CD-ROM includes Palm Desktop Software 3.01, a software link to Microsoft Outlook, and the full-length User's Guide. However, the Visor Deluxe does not come with an AC adapter.

Using the Visor was intuitive and fun, just like the Palm III series organizers that it's based on. However, unlike the Palm, the Visor has an easily accessible expansion port that supports Springboard modules. For our tests, we installed a modem module, an 8 MB memory module, the Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf game, and a Physician's Desk Reference module (note that you can install only one module at a time). Installing these modules is very easy, and they can greatly increase the functionality, power, and usefulness of the Visor. (For more information, see the descriptions of the individual Springboard modules.

Overall, we were very impressed with the Visor. It takes the best of the popular Palm platform, and adds memory and expandability--all at a great price. --Mike Brown

Pros:

• Easy to set up and use
• Runs the Palm OS and supports thousands of existing Palm applications
• Expandable with Springboard modules
• Good price

Cons:

• No AC adapter included

The Handspring Visor Deluxe offers a fast USB connection, making synchronizing your PC or Mac simple. Exchange of information between your handheld and PC occurs with the touch of a button. HotSync technology ensures all your data is backed up and enables significantly faster synchronization with USB support than the normal serial connection. (An optional serial cradle is available.)

The Handspring Visor Deluxe with its 8 MB RAM also stores 12,000 addresses, 10 years of appointments, 6,000 to-do items, 6,000 memos, and 400 e-mail messages, plus it has plenty of room for add-on applications. This model includes support for Lotus cc:Mail, Microsoft Outlook, and Qualcomm Eudora. Software to synchronize with AOL, Lotus Notes, Netscape Communicator, and POP3 mail is sold separately.

The Handspring Visor Deluxe is fully expandable with an external expansion slot that lets you add optional software and hardware modules (called Springboard modules) in a snap. Modules like an MP3 player, pager, modem, GPS receiver, or video game can be added to make a new device.

The Handspring Visor Deluxe comes with a HotSync cradle, stylus, snap cover, leather slip case, Palm Desktop software (Windows and Mac), software link to Microsoft Outlook (Windows only), two AAA batteries, and a one-year warranty.

What's in the box

• Visor Deluxe
• HotSync cradle
• Stylus
• Snap cover
• Leather slip case
• Palm Desktop software (Windows and Mac)
• Software link to Microsoft Outlook (Windows only)
• Two AAA batteries

The 8MB of RAM is a gracious plenty. I've loaded mine up pretty heavily, with several e-books, a few AvantGo channels, a class manager for all of my undergrad courses, lots of appointments and contacts, and of course some games! Still, I have over 5MB free!

The Palm OS is far superior to Windows CE, and the Handspring version (OS 3.1H) has been tweaked by the wizards at Handspring. The Visor is over 50% faster than the Palm III, and 20% faster than the quickest Palm, the Vx.

On HotSync speed, the Visor again beats the Palm. The USB cradle HotSyncs *very* quickly.

And, you can't beat the price! For $250, you get more RAM, faster processing, and quicker syncing than the Palm! Plus, you get the expandability of the Springboard slot. Although there aren't a lot of modules out right now, there are quite a few in development. (Personally, I only have the 8MB backup module, which is great -- I'm eagerly waiting for the InnoGear SixPak.)

My only complaint was that my Visor Deluxe came with a plastic stylus that was way too chintzy to use, and I purchased an upgraded metal stylus, which is great. Now, however, I hear that all Visors are shipping with metal styli. I guess sometimes the early birds don't always get the worms -- or the good styli.

I also recommend that all Visor owners use a screen protector -- WriteRights are available at CompUSA, or you can make your own out of clear laminate. The screens do scratch fairly easily, and the protectors are so cheap and easy to install, it's well worth it. Plus, I find the plastic laminate easier to write on than the bare Visor screen -- feels more like paper.

All in all, the Visors are wonderful -- buy one right now! You won't be sorry!


Visor Deluxe Vs PalmIIIxe   November 8, 2000
178 out of 181 found this review helpful

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, spac, 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 ($).

-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 ($)

-And another important nice thing about Visor is, you have 4 cool colors to choose from (5 colors if you include this 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 PDAss 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 this 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.

I hope this review I wrote id helpful

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


Should I buy a Palm Pilot or a Visor Deluxe?   August 11, 2000
Staff (Boston, MA)
111 out of 111 found this review helpful

Recently, I've been thinking about getting something to help me keep track of all the names, telephone numbers, email addresses of all of my personal and business contacts. I also needed something to help me keep track of important dates and events. (Basically, I needed something to organize my life.) When I took a quick look at the market, I realized that there are many many available choices. In fact, there were so many that I was initially confused by all the options.

I ended up asking my friends for advice and here's what they told me (not verbatim): Palm Pilots ROCK! Don't even think about buying one of those pocket PCs because they eat up batteries like crazy.

After that helpful discussion, I decided to get a Palm Vx. It looked pretty and had enough memory for anything I wanted to do. So, I drifted over to Amazon.com and started adding a Palm Vx to my shopping cart when I noticed that there was an alternative to Palm Pilots.

Handspring. They're made by the people who developed Palm Pilots and they're based on the Palm III series. The reason why I stopped myself from buying the Palm Vx and took the time to look at Handspring was because of the rave reviews they've been getting.

In short, the Handspring Visor Deluxe is faster and has the same amount of memory as a Palm Vx (8 MB). It is also about $150 cheaper. In comparison to a Palm V, the Handspring Visor Deluxe is faster and has 4 times more memory for the same price. Since the Visor uses a tweaked version of the Palm OS, it is still compatible with all those programs you want on a Palm Pilot. What really changed my mind and moved me to buy the Visor Deluxe instead of a Palm Vx was the expansion port for Springboard modules.

What's a Springboard module? Well, they're these cool gadgets that you plug into the back of your Visor (similar to putting a Gameboy cartridge into a Gameboy). They barely increase the dimensions of a Visor at all (unlike the add-ons for Palm Pilots). I ended up buying the eyemodule Springboard module with my Visor Deluxe. IT IS SOOOO COOL! I can take pictures with my Visor (which is great for candids).

Anyway, the bottom line is, unless you're dying for the sleek look of a Palm Vx, get a Handspring. The Visor Deluxe is faster and has better options for a similarly priced Palm Pilot.


Best Value in a PDA   July 26, 2000
magellan (Santa Clara, CA)
126 out of 127 found this review helpful

I have looked at every PDA on the market and the Handspring Visor Deluxe is the best value in a PDA out there. While you can get the regular Visor model with only 2 megs of RAM for about $170, the extra 6 megs is well worth the Visor Deluxe's higher purchase price of $250.

So reach down deep, scrape up the extra green stuff, and go for the big VD! (Visor Deluxe). You'll be glad you did. I can fit 100 different utilities and programs into that 8 megs of RAM and still have 1.2 megs of space left for data and other stuff. This is a lot of extra real estate and you'll appreciate having it down the road.

The other great thing about the Handsprings vis-a-vis the Palms is the Springboard slot. You might not need it now, but the capability to add another 8 megs of RAM is nice.

But the coolest thing for me is the 8-meg backup module. This device is non-volatile and can be used to backup your data to the module, almost like a hard disk. That way if you have to do a hard reset sometime, you can get all your programs and data back. (There is a gotcha here--just make sure you remember to copy over the module's backup program to the module itself.)

The module comes with software that allows you to manage all your files and programs. You can copy one file or everything at a time. Great for on the road or wherever.

A couple of reviewers here have commented that the Visors are 30% to 50% faster based on their benchmarking programs compared to the Palms. I haven't tried running these benchmarks myself, but I would say just looking at the screen refresh rate on a Palm Vx compared to the Visor Deluxe, you can see it is at least 25% faster.

Another thing about the screen, although it isn't a big difference, the Visor screens look a little brighter to me than the Palms. Considering that you're looking at blackish-green font characters on a pea-soup colored, greyish-green background on these little devices, every little bit of extra visibility helps.

I also like the parallel lines on the side of the case, which make it harder for the unit to slip out of your hand, compared to the Palms.

The Visor's ability to hot-sync via USB interface makes this process significantly faster than on the Palm devices. Another plus.

My only reservation about the Visors compared to the Palms is that the Palm OS resides in flash ROM, which means you can update it yourself. The Visor's is in ordinary ROM, so you are stuck with the current version. The Palms are shipping with Palm OS 3.5, the Visors with 3.1. Although OS 3.5 represents an advance over 3.1, this shouldn't be a big deal, as the older OS has a reputation for being more stable.

Whatever Visor model you decide to buy, you'll be happy you did. These PDA's actually make it fun to get organized. Try one and you'll see how good it feels knowing everything is in one place where you can find it, instead of in three different notebook-style organizers and 40 Sticky Notes on the walls of your office.

Also, the ability to search all the internal databases is a very powerful feature. How many times with your regular organizer (or worse, on notes scattered around your office) have you tried to find a particular memo or note but couldn't find it? The search feature eliminates this problem. And there are even more powerful search utilities than the native app that you can add on that will do more, such as accepting wild cards. The value of this feature relative to the normal binder/organizer cannot be overestimated.


A solid decision (graphite is probably the way to go)   May 27, 2000
John A. Radi (Washington, DC United States)
216 out of 230 found this review helpful

I was one of the initial customers of the Handspring Visor and I have NEVER regretted my decision. Since that time I have managed to sway almost all new PDA purchases towards Handspring (they owe me big time!).

I think that alone says something about this product.

A few of my thoughts from owning this device: 1. If you're a WinCE user, you'll be AMAZED w/ how much faster the palm OS is. I actually use it MUCH more often than I did my WinCE device.

2. It comes w/ software to sync w/ a desktop program (also included) called Palm Desktop. There are "conduits" that will help you sync w/ Outlook and many other PIMs - Lotus Notes, not included.

3. You might want to consider purchasing Intellisync - but first buy the device and see if you'll need it. Just keep that filed in the back of your mind that this $70 software might also be necessary. However, this is NOT a mark against Handspring - because if you find you need it - you would've needed it for any other PDA device - Palm or WinCE.

4. If you're buying it for the modules - take a look at what's available right now. There's LOTS in development, but I'm still waiting for something useful. I am happy just knowing that I won't outgrow this device anytime soon. Friends who bought the Palm V are already in trouble because that 2MB of ram ran out.

5. If you're new to Palm - the memory goes a LONG way. 2MB can actually be plenty - you just have to manage it more. I have the 8MB version and I'm just over 2MB - that's w/ a few ebooks, tons of www.avantgo.com web pages, tons of contacts, and even MORE shareware loaded up. I keep just dumping stuff on it to see if I like it, then I'm too lazy to delete it. That's what happens when you have too much memory.END