Visor Deluxe (Graphite)

I bought this to replace my old PDA of the same model. The old one still works OK but has suffered some external wear and tear during the last 12 years. It is old tech and I have to put in 2 new AAA's every 2 months but I like how it works and it carries my history (like when did I last get a tetanus shot?). It is quite useful and totally unhackable. I have an old, upgraded iMac of about the same vintage that I dock it with.

I ordered a Handspring to replace the Visor Prism I have. It got to me in good order, with all the things mentioned. I examed the items and all seemed in order, except I didn't see a receipt in the box. Since I had one online from Amazon I didn't worry too much about it.I wanted to transfer the information from one unit to the other. I have had my Visor for a while and know how to use it. When I tried to do the transfer it didn't work. Thinking I may have not done it correctly, I repeated the process four times, but the new unit said "Beaming not contacting".I have tried to contact the vendor through Amazon with no luck.I would like to return the Visor, but there was no return information included in the package that was sent.So, I have a PDA that won't work for me and the vendor has my forty dollars.A bit of advise, don't buy from tandtmcarthur. The only thing I saw in the box was the PDA, no receipt or return information. If there was a mistake with the packing I could understand. That could be explained in a reply to my message via Amazon. As yet that reply has not been forth coming.Oh Well, live and learn.S.

I got a handheld so that I could do one thing, to conveniently update all my address book and contact info from my work & home computers in one place. The Visor Deluxe performs that task marginally at best.The product's marketers and reviewers will tell of a "seamless interface" with the popular email program Outlook Express, compatibility with all versions of Windows, the convenience of the included USB cable and connecting cradle, and insistences from all sources of its "flexibility" with managing data.Like many people, my work computer is a laptop, networked on Windows NT. It has USB ports. Great, I thought, I can use my handheld's fast USB connector to zip data to and from my laptop. Not so. The USB connector does you no good in Windows NT. So I have to either buy a separate (and slow) serial connector or wait until my work upgrades everyone to Windows 2000. Some compatibility!But, I thought, at least my (W98) home computer's data can be accessed and updated easily. Wrong again. Various documents from Handspring as well as their web site refernce their compatibility with Outlook Express, but it is very well hidden that you can't use OE to update the Handspring's Address Book. There are separate "Mail" and "Address Book" applications, and only the "Mail" application supports OE. (So I can download messages but NOT email addresses?) It took both an email and long distance telephone call to Handspring to get that straightened out; the documentation on it is poor. Now I have to save my address book, import it to Microsoft Outlook, change Outlook to the default emailer, THEN interface with the Visor, then change the default back to Outlook Express. It would be more convenient to print out the address book now and then, and carry around a piece of paper.Feb. 15, 2002 update - new compatibility problems. My home machine is now Windows XP, and the USB cradle apparently is incompatible with the computer's USB controller. Oddly enough, my printer and digicam have no problems at all. Also, my work machine is Windows 2000, and it's mysteriously not synching with the handheld either. THE VISOR IS NOT A FLEXIBLE, VERSATILE PRODUCT as marketed.The Handspring folks will also insist that their products are customizable, "store anything your heart desires." Well, I would like to store multiple email addresses or phone numbers with some people in my address book. With the Handspring, you can only store one automatically. It's possible to create a new field manually and enter the second address manually, but that takes a lot of time, and is unsupported by common email programs. It would probably be easy to inadvertently delete new phone numbers when synching your PC and Visor. Again, paper and pencil's more convenient.The Visor Deluxe can do a good many things, I'm sure, but it ceratinly has been a disappointment to me. I advise reading all compatibility info carefully before buying one, because for many people the Visor won't work out of the box.

Moving to an area that doesn't have Palm VII coverage, I decided to buy a smaller & lighter unit that had more RAM and better battery life. Maybe it isn't fair to compare the Visor to a Palm that cost twice as much, but here are the issues that I've had with the Visor during the first month:1) Difficulty installing USB driver on Windows 2000 (blew up during install). Took some searching on message boards and Handspring's site to learn that I needed to download the latest version of the desktop (which includes the driver). It also contained the clue I needed in order to remove the partially installed driver so that it would reinstall.2) Overall cheap feeling, and little silver flecks are already falling off the logo.3) The stylus is uncomfortably scratchy. I usually use a Lamy or Rotring, but sometimes you just want to use the one that is included. The Visor stylus is awful--sets my teeth on edge. I swapped points with a Palm stylus, but this means that you are no longer carrying around a reset pin, which is a problem because...4) It locks up regularly, requiring resets at least once a week for me. Once I have had to do a hard reset and reinstall everything from scratch. The Palm needed resets sometimes too, but not this often. (Fortunately, my CyberTool includes a stainless steel pin, as does the Swiss Card and most Victorinox knives with cork screws--get one to go with your retrofitted Visor stylus.)5) Sometimes you have to do a reset in order to get USB synch to work--even when the Visor appears to be operating normally.6) All my friends with Palms are using Ir to synch with W2K, but this is problematic with the Visor. I did try Irlink, but still couldn't get it to work. Visor tech report responded VERY quickly, explaining that I should try the new desktop software from Palm, which does have an Ir option (although it does NOT support USB, so it would be either/or). I had actually tried this, because it was what the Palm owners are using, but I couldn't get it to work. I don't want to give up USB also.7) No little ribbon to help pull out the batteries. You have to dig around in there with a screwdriver or something--hard to get out with your thumb nail.8) The modules are kinda silly. A vibrator? Hubba! A set of Star Trek books? I've never been able to finish an e-book on one of these little screens. The idea of the backup module isn't so bad, and maybe I'll need another 8 Meg someday. I loved the wireless on my VII, but the idea of a modem doesn't appeal to me because I always have my laptop. I'd buy the GPS if it worked in Europe. But it doesn't right now. Maybe something cool will come out next year.So, the thing works OK, but if I had to do it again, I'd probably buy a Palm. There doesn't seem to be an advantage to the Visor if you don't play with the modules. Maybe I'd feel differently if I'd bought some color other than Graphite?