Couldn't live without my "brain"...
Written: Sep 14 '02
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: color screen, sensitive graffiti pad easier to write on, rechargeable
Cons: near impossible to read in sunlight, intermittent HotSync problems
The Bottom Line: For a first PDA or as an upgrade from an older one, get it and you will fall in love.
|
|
|
| carly7479's Full Review: Handspring Visor Prism Handheld |
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 bought me my Visor Prism for Christmas (2001), I was using an older Palm PDA on loan from his place of work. The first things I noticed were 1) how much easier it is to see the backlit color screen, and 2) how much more sensitive the screen and graffiti pad are, requiring less pressure on the stylus. Another feature I'm fond of is the fact that the power button is on the right edge, whereas most PDAs have it on the left. No offense to the lefties of the world, but the world is predominantly right-handed, so this makes much more sense to me. And finally, the built-in rechargeable battery is a godsend - in the old Palm I alternated between two pairs of rechargeable AAA batteries, and it felt like I was always changing batteries!
The Prism comes preinstalled with the usual PalmOS applets, plus the improved Date Book +, which gives more options than the basic Date Book included on most PalmOS PDAs. In addition to the standard optional games included on the installation CD, there are a couple of games designed to show off the Prism's color capabilities.
I have had some difficulties with the process of PDA/PC synchronization. Occasionally, Windows (98) will misrecognize the Visor as a new "Unknown USB Device", causing the HotSync to fail. Sometimes a second press of the HotSync button works, and sometimes it takes removing the incorrect device from the device manager along with one or more reboots to get it to successfully synchronize. Even after a hard reset of the Visor AND a reformat of my hard drive, I have yet to determine whether the cause of this lies in the Visor itself, my computer, or possibly even the HotSync cradle. Still, as long as I am able to eventually get it to work, I see this as only a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things.
The only other fault I see in the Prism is that it is near impossible to read in sunlight. I tried once or twice to sit out on my patio and play some games while soaking up some rays... that didn't work. I use it keep track of mine and my boyfriend's checking accounts and like to enter transactions in the car on the way from place to place during the day, but this also proves very difficult to do.
The Prism has no internet connectivity out of the box, but there may be add-ons available for purchase. I'm really not sure since I've never had any interest in getting my PDA online. However, the included e-mail application and freely available offline browsers such as AvantGo, give it some offline internet capabilities which I find more than adequate.
As far as portability goes, yes, it is a little heavy. But truthfully I think it would be slipping out of my hands all the time if it were lighter. I have one of Handspring's custom leather cases, which was also given to me for Christmas, and carries it quite well. Since the case also has slots for ID and credit cards, I use it as my wallet and carry it with me everywhere I go.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): gift
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
carly7479
|
|
Member: Carly Matthews
Location: Warwick, RI, USA
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 2 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.