Handspring Visor Prism Handheld

Pros: color, some interesting Springboard modules finally available
Cons: very pixelated screen, bulky and heavy, limited accessories, memory expansion expensive

I have made no secret of the fact I have yet to find a color Palm I like. Although I have other issues with each of the available color Palms (Palm IIIc, Palm m505, Visor Prism, and Sony CLIE), one problem is constant among all of the color devices:...

Pros: Excellent color screen, Expandable
Cons: Still $200 more than monochrome screen

Lately, the store I deal with has been heavily promoting Visors in advance of the release of two new ones, both of which I’ve recently had the chance to spend some time with.

The first is the Visor Prism, the first color PDA by Handspring. It...

Pros: Color, rechargeable battery, fast, 8 MB
Cons: Bulky

The HandSpring Visor Prism is the most feature filled Palm OS device to date. As such you would expect it to gain my highest marks. However, I feel this device falls just short of the finish line and will need to ripen just a bit more before it lives...

Pros: Cheap way to get color, totally compatible with Palm OS
Cons: Big and HEAVY

We bought the factory refurbished Handspring Prism as an upgrade to my wife's Palm III (2MB) which she had outgrown. She insisted on color, even though color meant paying 2x the price on a similar powered black and white model. The Prism was a...

Pros: color screen, sensitive graffiti pad easier to write on, rechargeable
Cons: near impossible to read in sunlight, intermittent HotSync problems

This is one of the few high-tech gadgets I own that, after originally appealing to me as a fun toy, has proven to be indispensable and gets used every day. I really do not know how I ever got by without it!

Before my wonderful boyfriend...

Pros: rechargable battery, stylus, USB, color screen?
Cons: screen hard on the eyes, COST, SIZE, sunlight incompatible, no flash memory, cheap screen? and more

The Visor Prism is a stunning PDA with unmatched color. That said, it is by no means perfect. As an owner, I can say that the Prism has some great features but is not the dream machine I had hoped for. Initially I gave this PDA 4 stars......

Pros: 16-bit dazzling color, fast processor, springboard expansion module
Cons: expensive, boxy look & feel, large size

The very first time I took a peek at the Handspring Visor Prism, I was reminded of the scene from the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy steps out of her twister-tossed house and into the magical, colorized world of Oz. I was similarly awestruck as so many of the...

Pros: Color, runs PalmOS, familiar interface, Handspring's expansion cards
Cons: Heavier than other PDAs in its class, can't see screen outdoors, OS upgrades questionable

The Handspring Visor Prism was my second choice. The first choice was a Palm IIIc and, as usual, the local computer/office supply store didn't have any in stock (I'll save that for a rant in another location). Since instant gratification was the theme of...

Pros: Great as a Visor upgrade
Cons: Some apps don't work

There are some excellent reviews here. So as not to go over the same ground I will provide some additional points from the perspective of a Visor Deluxe user upgrading to the Prism.

I have a Visor Deluxe with the optional backup module using...

Pros: Great Color, All the Palm Virtues
Cons: Cost of the Springboard Modules

After being an advocate of Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) for many years now, it is so gratifying to see them emerge from techno-geek obscurity into the bright spotlight of mainstream popularity. Why? Because the concept of a fully capable computer...

Pros: Expandability, and brilliant color display as well as updated applications
Cons: Display not daylight friendly

A gem of an assistant
It took some time for me to jump on the PDA bandwagon. After all, I had a laptop pretty much constantly with me, what would I need a less capable “toy” for? My workplace issued Handspring Deluxe in an attempt to make...

Pros: Color screen, 8MB RAM, USB cradle, Springboard slot
Cons: Pricey, more bulky, screen can be hard to read outside

I'll start my review by saying that I received my Prism for free, so I can't really comment much on the $449 list price (although I do think that has to come down at least $50 for it to be truly competitive in the marketplace). Having said that, this is...

Pros: Fast processor, Vibrant colour TFT screen displaying over 65,000 colours
Cons: Costly, Paint known to occassionally peel off casing

Do the specs of the Prism justify a near 480 dollar price tag? Equipped with a TFT screen displaying over 65,000 colours and a 33 Mhz Motorola Dragonball VZ processor, the Prism is currently the most powerful Palm OS PDA on the market. Use the following...

Pros: Over 65,000 Colors, Expandability, Speed
Cons: Screen in Daylight, Weight

When it came time for me to replace my ever-aging PalmPilot of three years, I was bound and determined to go color. I was also determined to purchase a product, with some research of course, that was not within the Palm family. This was not because I'd...

Pros: Palm OS, bright color, great in all light except direct bright sunlight, expandable.
Cons: expensive, bulky compared to other PDA's.

The Visor Prism is my first PDA. I did a lot of research, and figured I would buy a Palm. But when I looked at the Palms, they did not seem anywhere near as good. I looked at the Palm 500 and 505. The 505 screen was hard to read and very poor color,...