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| November 12 - November 19 |
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 by Alessandro CancianWhat is a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) good for? It may sound strange, but many have asked me that question when seeing me with my Palm handheld. I always loved my diary, full of sheets of paper and post-it notes with appointments and a myriad of other things. But the first time I tested what was then the Palm Pilot I understood that my diary alone would no longer be enough. Some years have passed since then, and although I keep using my diary I miss no occasion to also coordinate my life through my PDA. The market of hand-held PDAs is still young, and occasionally unable to fully satisfy all needs but at the same time it has incredible potential. In recent times, in witness of future prospects, the number of PDA manufacturers has increased at an amazing pace, but the biggest surprise among many noble names is HandSpring. The company, founded in 1998 by the same people who created the Palm Computing platform, now offer 4 different PDA models: the Visor Solo (basic), DeLuxe, Platinum (that Handspring claims to be 50 percent faster) and Prism (capable of displaying 65,000 colours). The Visor is powered by the Palm operating system which Handspring has licensed from Palm Computing, but the Visor resembles Palm handheld PDAs in substance as well as shape. The Deluxe version I tested is in fact very similar to a Palm III, both in size and in its global appearance, although it is slightly heavier. Equipped with a snap-off plastic cover not very practical in case one wants to use the PDA frequently the Visor is able to use the myriad programs already available for the Palm platform. The Deluxe version comes with 8Mb of RAM, which Handspring says can hold 12,000 addresses, 10 years of appointments, 6,000 to-do items, and 6,000 memos, surely more than really needed, but if you need something more you can always expand the storage capacity with an 8MB Flash Module for an additional fee. But if differences between Handspring and its competitors are so minimal, where are the surprises? The good news comes from the back, and it is called "SpringBoards." Springboards are proprietary design expansion slots that fit on the top back of the device and they can transform your Visor into a Digital Camera, an MP3 player, a GPS system, and more. No software installation is required before you use the different modules, thanks to the fact that the software needed is contained within the modules themselves and automatically loaded upon insertion in the PDA. The number of Springboards currently available is not huge yet, but HandSpring already offer modem module for Internet connection or for sending faxes; wireless module; GPS, MP3 player, Backup module; Flash; games such as Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf module, which slides in like a Game Boy cartridge, and something more. The surprises are not over since soon a phone module, transforming your Visor into a perfect cell phone, with SMS messaging and tele-conference capability, will be available. The HandSpring PDA is compatible with Mac and PC and the computer connection is possible through a USB port. Unfortunately, however, despite downloading the latest version of the desktop software, I had to restart the computer several times, probably because of some incompatibility with its OS. The infrared connection worked perfectly even with my Palm V, the screen response was more than good, while battery life was in line with my expectations; pity that batteries are not rechargeable. The Visor Deluxe is available in five different colours (ice, graphite, blue, orange, and green) so you can match your eyes& or your mood& and it costs $249 (US). Visors HandSpring are more than a valuable alternative to the Palm leader, and the Springboards are real winners, so for the price of a PDA you can get much more For further information please visit: www.handspring.com |
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