When Chris Baker found out that Handspring was going to have a booth and show the Visor at Fall Internet World 99 he registered for the Expo. Little did he know that he would end up leaving with one in hand...

Chris, describe the events leading up to your winning a Visor Deluxe...

"At the show, Handspring was giving away a graphite Visor Deluxe roughly once every half hour. All you had to do to enter the drawing was to fill out their survey and watch the presentation. I saw the last 10 minutes of one demo that was given by Jeff Hawkins himself, and one whole demo that was presented by one of the paid presenters. At the end of the full demo, Jeff Hawkins appeared with the Visor Deluxe and pulled my name out of the box of completed surveys."

Wow, so Jeff Hawkins drew your name. What was your reaction?

"After he called my name, it took a few seconds to sink in. My thoughts were something like ’Oh, Chris Baker won…Oh S$%*! That’s me!’ I totally did not expect to win. Once I told them I was the person they picked, Jeff handed me the Visor Deluxe, I shook his hand, thanked him and went to the partners area to look at the Springboards and accessories."

Did you get any offers to buy or ever think about selling it?

"Funny you should ask that question. Just before Jeff Hawkins picked my name he was holding a mock auction for the Visor Deluxe I won. Someone actually bid $450! It was a pretty funny sight watching him do his best auctioneer impersonation. I had gone to IW with a co-worker and we joked after leaving the Expo to sell the Visor under the giant Handspring banner across the street from the Javits Center like the guys that sell you a “video camera” on Canal Street by the Holland Tunnel. Selling the device really never crossed my mind as a real option."

Since leaving Internet World with your Visor have you had any contact with Handspring?

"The only contact I have had with Handspring since winning at the Expo was to call the 888 # to inquire about ordering another USB cradle for the office and the 5-pack of replacement styli."