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visorcentral >> frequently asked questions >> What is the Handspring Visor?

What is the Handspring Visor?

The Visors are a series of PDAs (personal digital assistants), otherwise known as handheld computers, which run on the very popular Palm Operating System (Palm OS).

More Information

General
The Visors are a series of PDAs (personal digital assistants), otherwise known as handheld computers, which run on the very popular Palm Operating System (Palm OS). PDAs take over many of the functions of larger computers such as laptop or desktop computers, but in a machine which fits into the palm of your hand. The Palm OS was popularized by the Palm PDAs, which currently hold the majority of PDA market share, and all use a touch screen interface with handwriting recognition built-in.

Models

There are currently five flavors of the Visor:

Feature	Visor	Visor Deluxe	Visor Platinum	Visor Prism	Visor Edge
Operating System	Palm OS® 3.1H	Palm OS® 3.1H	Palm OS® 3.5.2H	Palm OS® 3.5.2H	Palm OS® 3.5.2H
Processor	16 MHz Motorola DragonBall EZ	16 MHz Motorola DragonBall EZ	DragonBall VZ 33 MHz	DragonBall VZ 33 MHz	DragonBall VZ 33 MHz
Product Color	Graphite	Ice, Green, Orange, Blue and Graphite	Silver	Cobalt Blue	Metallic Silver Metallic Blue Metallic Red
Display	-High-Res B&W -Backlit -160x160 pixels	-High-Res B&W -Backlit -160x160 pixels	- High-Res B&W - 4-bit grayscale - Backlit - 160x160 pixels	-16-bit (65,536 colors) -Active matrix -Backlit -160 x 160 pixels	- High-Res B&W - 4-bit grayscale - Backlit - 160x160 pixels
Battery type	2 AAA	2 AAA	2 AAA	Rechargeable Lithium Ion (internal)	Rechargeable Lithium Ion (internal)
Battery life	Approx. 2 months	Approx. 2 months	Approx. 2 months	2 weeks on one charge, 6 hours continuous use	4 weeks on one charge
Weight	5.4 oz	5.4 oz	5.4 oz	6.9 oz	4.9 oz
Size	4.8" x 3.0" x 0.7"	4.8" x 3.0" x 0.7"	4.8" x 3.0" x 0.7"	4.8" x 3.0" x 0.8"	4.7" x 3.1" x 0.44"
Memory	2 MB	8 MB	8 MB	8 MB	8 MB
Price	$149	$249	$299	$449	$399.00

Desktop Software
The Visors come with Palm Desktop 3.0 and Pocket Mirror 2.0, and (as part of the Palm Desktop software) software which allows the user to synchronize (HotSync) files between the PDA and the desktop. Supported programs include Palm Desktop, Outlook Express, Outlook (97, 98, 2000), among others.

Handheld Software
Visor and Visor Deluxe have in ROM Handspring's Version of Palm OS 3.1, called OS 3.1H. Visor Platinum and Visor Prism runs Palm OS 3.5.2H.

Also in ROM is the built-in software, which includes an address book, two versions of the same date book, a task reminder utility, a multifunction calculator, a world clock, and a memo pad. In addition, some extra programs and games are included on the install disk for the Palm Desktop software.

Article ID: #1000

Last Reviewed:
Friday May 4, 2001

Errors or Updates?