User
Opinions: VisorPhone
| jonecool | VisorPhone ROCKS! | 
| I have used the VisorPhone for the past two months. I did intitially have problems with Audio quality from the Mic, but this turned out to be a defect in the VisorPrism that I had. Handspring replaced it within a few days and the VisorPhone works beautifully!
I've used it while travelling in the Boston area, Anaheim-CA, Huntsville-AL and a few other spots. The coverage has been good-Excellent. Not to mention the ability to browse the web(PalmScape), check e-mail(MultiMailPro 3.1) and use PQA's (Palm Internet Connect Kit).
It's a perfect solution for the techie and easy enough to be used by other professionals. If you need the "all-in-one" device that's portable, this is it.
Other items to consider adding is the emergency charger/car charger from here http://members.aol.com/gmayhak/tcl/e-charge.htm
Have fund and enjoy the VisorPhone! I know I am, no way I'd go back to another "plain" cellphone after using the VisorPhone. |
| Anonymous | The Visorphone simply is awesome. |
| The Visorphone is simply an awesome product. There isn't anything out there like it, be it in the palm or pocketpc handheld platform. The Visorphone makes my Visor Prism all the portable computer I ever need when I'm on the road. What I had difficulty with initially was the customer service of Pacific Bell. After about an hour of being given the run around on the phone (because nobody on their end heard about the Visorphone) they finally found someone who was knowlegeable about it. Within a minute after my account was activated I was dialing MSN and browsing the web.
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| Rod Montrose | GREAT! I finally have one device to carry around |
| The VisorPhone is terrific! I have been waiting years to get a single device I could carry for my mobile office needs. I have had a RIM (if they would put a cell phone in it that would be next to the top), various Nextel, Sprint, AT&T and other phones (I'm in the wireless business) and I usually ended up carrying my PDA/Laptop with a cable to my phone. Not any more! The integration with the Palm OS is outstanding, which you would expect. If you highlight a phone number and press the phone button, the number is automatically on the phone to dial. The phone software handles 10 digit area codes (it will insert you area code if you have a 7 digit number). The phone application has the bells and whistles and does almost anything you need.
In fairness I have to admit my Visor initially didn't work (it kept causing a Fault on the Prism and locking up the device) but I called the VisorPhone support people and they immediately FEDEXed me a new phone that worked out of the box. Also their support people knew the product and were very knowledgeable wireless.
The only negative is the VisorPhone is GSM, which does its data connection by dialing into a ISP. It can take 30 seconds or more for a connection, and the connection is 9.6K. I miss Nextel's packet system which is always on and gets up to 14.4K. But I have tested my different wireless products on it and they all worked fine. You can leave your modem at home (providing you travel in areas with GSM coverage - which might be a big IF for some people).
I would suggest you get the leather case. It reduces the geek factor and protects the device pretty good.
Finally, you have to get used to fingerprints on your Visor screen since you will often press digits on the screen (or take the time to use your stylus). That may be the worst part of the whole thing (I wonder when they will have voice recognition on it?) |
| bezzeb | Used it for a month now and am happy. |
| All in all the benifits vastly outweigh the cons for me. My biggest gripes are:
A: The included headset is garbage, and is un-usable. Compared to my old nokia headset, it sucks. No button for call pickup/drop, and the sound quality is embarassing.
B: They need a software update BADLY. I have a prism, and happen to like COLORS. Also the software can list each call in nauseating detail, but it will not ADD UP the total call times to give you an indication of how much your total usage has been. BIG FLAW GUYS!!!
Despite that though, you should see the looks I get walking through the airport! I am the uber-geek and everyone is jealous! I can't count how many people have stopped me to ask about the visor-phones abilities.
Hey Hand-Spring, can I collect comissions on the sales I make for you?? (grin) |
| Sam | Great Product |
| I think the future is upon us in data/phone technology. I agree with (almost) everyone here in saying this is a great product. However, I do have a question... what if someone is trying to get ahold of you on your VisorPhone, and you are playing Golf, or tracking yourself with GPS when they call? How do they get through? I think the unit should still ring/vibrate when removed from the Visor...giving you just enough time to remove one module and install the phone to answer it. Just my 2 cents worth!!! |
| fabola | Good first stab at phone/PDA integration |
| My VisorPhone works OK, though its generally not quite as good as my Nokia phone.
Here are my pros and cons for VisorPhone (vs. Nokia cell phone):
Pros:
- only have to carry 1 device instead of 2 - super!
- can dial any of my contacts directly from address book (though I mostly stick to my speed-dials so far)
- larger display lets me see more speed-dial buttons
- SMS feature shows potential on this platform
Cons:
- form factor is clumsy (Visor is about 1" too wide for comfortable single-handed operation)
- I sometimes hit speed-dial buttons accidentally (need fast way to quickly lock/unlock dialing without password - simply done with *-select on Nokia)
- backlit screen is not as bright as on cell phones
- doesn't fit in my carphone cradle for handsfree calls
- there is no automatic indication that I have messages waiting in my voice-mail
- no mute button (as noted above)
- current SMS interface is quite weak (as noted above)
So I think the Visorphone is not yet a competitive product against Nokia, but I've got to hand it to Handspring for getting this first product to match basic functionality of low-end cell phones. I'm sure future versions will implement some of our obvious requests. |
| susanrm | Nice sound, good usability |
| I find the Visorphone pretty easy to use. The one thing I miss is being able to dial by feel. There are certain features in the software that it would be nice to have and should be relatively easy to add, like total minutes and a speed dial that returns to the same list when finished with a call. I also had a problem with a corrupt SMS data file, which caused a similar soft reset problem to one reported by another reader; once I did a hard reset and reinstalled everything, the problem went away. The call quality is good, though, and it's nice having everything in one package. It's also nice having a larger screen, and since I'm carrying a Visor with me anyway, the size factor doesn't bother me.
I'm also awaiting better cases! |
| jkew | Will wait for the $99 unit w/o contract | 
| Is Handspring trying to recoup the visorphone development cost from the first 100 units sold? $500 for a unit w/o contract? R U experienced? |
| ergosmrt | works in Canada too ! |
| It makes my Platinum even better ! As expected a first generation module will have it's limitations; I had to exchange my first visorphone due to; no ringer functions and no headset functions.
My experience with Customer Service was great, even though they still don't believe that it could work in Canada (because they have not partnered with the Canadian service provider, FIDO.
As the first in Winnipeg, everyone wants to know what, how, etc. sound quality could improve - ? service provider ? |
| Anonymous | I was dissapointed overall |
| I received my Visorphone two days ago. Today, I returned it and cancelled the service.
To be fair, it wasn't all Handspring's fault...I found that the VoiceStream GSM coverage wasn't good
at my house or at my office, which wasn't a good sign. But I found the voice quality of the Visorphone,
both sending and receiving, to be less than stellar, which I couldn't accept in a $300 phone. I also
found that trying to use the Visor as a phone was not as simple or comfortable as using a real phone.
And for some reason, my Visorphone would be completely off, but it would switch on my Visor. I discovered this
after the very first night, when I took my Visorphone out of the case and saw that on the screen was something
to the effect of "Your phone is off. Do you want to turn it on?" I answered no, and shut off the Visor. Ten seconds
later it beeped, turned on again, and asked the same thing. This happened repeatedly, so I finally had to take the Visorphone
out of the module...which by the way, always seemed to cause a soft-reset. So anyway, for me, the Visorphone was a big bust. |
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Product
Details
Name: VisorPhone
Company: Handspring
Size: 2.4" x 2" x 0.6"
Weight: 2.9 oz.
Memory: 96 K on Visor when inserted
Hard Cover Compatible: No
SAR:
0.48 W/kg (head), 0.22 W/kg (body)
Price:
$299.00 (w/ service contract), $499.00 (w/ no contract)
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Update: Auction Update / VisorAdventure 2
Thu Oct 11 - 12:05 AM EST
InnoGear PowerCradle (updated)
Tue Oct 9 - 10:51 PM EST
iambic Office suite
Thu Oct 4 - 1:12 AM EST
Prism dropped to $299
Tue Oct 2 - 6:19 PM EST
New Portable Keyboard
Tue Oct 2 - 4:46 PM EST
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