Handspring Visor Neo (Smoke)

• Affordable handheld with 8 MB RAM stores thousands of addresses, appointments, to-do items, and more
• Built-in address book, to-do list, memo pad, date book, advanced calculator, and world clock
• Use expansion slot to turn the Visor Neo into an MP3 player, modem, GPS receiver, and more with optional Springboard modules
• Runs Palm operating system works with thousands of Palm OS applications; compatible with Windows 98, Me, and 2000 and Mac System 8.5 or later
• What's in the box: Visor Neo, USB HotSync cradle, Stylus, 8 MB RAM, Two AAA batteries, Snap cover, Desktop synchronization software for Windows and Mac

The Visor NEO is practically identical to the Visor Deluxe, except it comes with a processor that is twice as fast. Because the Palm software is so efficient, that speed is rarely an issue, and you can save a bit by getting the cheaper Deluxe.

All Handspring models run variations of the Palm operating system, and have all of the PALM functions people have come to know and love -addresses, to-do lists, and access to downloadable features like Avantgo (a free service that allows you to download publications like the New York Times, CNN, Sports Illustrated onto your Palm).

I've even put a free map of my county on my PDA from Mapopolis.com (a must if you haven't tried it! Streets are searchable). Also, make sure you add Vindigo, a city guide that gives restaurant and movie reviews and showtimes.

The Handspring models have the best features for the money. They have a noticeably larger screen than the m105 (which I returned after a week), expandability (which I have yet to use, although I long for the GPS attachment from Magellan -maybe when it goes on clearance?)

These models only get four stars, however, because they do have two significant shortcomings.

One is bulk. The low-end Deluxe and Neo are significantly larger than the Palm V, which is significantly more expensive.

The PDA still fits in my chest pocket, though.

Also, unlike the Palm V, 500 and 505, the Deluxe and Neo require new batteries after about two weeks of relatively heavy usage. That can amount to $20 a year or so on batteries alone. The Palm V has a lithium rechargeable, and the new Palm 500 has an even better battery, but I can't justify paying that kind of money for what is still basically, at heart, an appointment calendar.

BTW, I am a newspaper reporter who previously had four Rolodexes on my desk. No longer. No longer do I misplace names, numbers, or dates. This thing has changed and organized my life in ways I didn't expect -just ask my wife.

It's basically an extension of your brain -now isn't that worth a couple hundred smackers?

Buy Handspring Visor Neo (Smoke) Now

The Visor NEO is practically identical to the Visor Deluxe, except it comes with a processor that is twice as fast. Because the Palm software is so efficient, that speed is rarely an issue, and you can save a bit by getting the cheaper Deluxe.

All Handspring models run variations of the Palm operating system, and have all of the PALM functions people have come to know and love -addresses, to-do lists, and access to downloadable features like Avantgo (a free service that allows you to download publications like the New York Times, CNN, Sports Illustrated onto your Palm).

I've even put a free map of my county on my PDA from Mapopolis.com (a must if you haven't tried it! Streets are searchable). Also, make sure you add Vindigo, a city guide that gives restaurant and movie reviews and showtimes.

The Handspring models have the best features for the money. They have a noticeably larger screen than the m105 (which I returned after a week), expandability (which I have yet to use, although I long for the GPS attachment from Magellan -maybe when it goes on clearance?)

These models only get four stars, however, because they do have two significant shortcomings.

One is bulk. The low-end Deluxe and Neo are significantly larger than the Palm V, which is significantly more expensive.

The PDA still fits in my chest pocket, though.

Also, unlike the Palm V, 500 and 505, the Deluxe and Neo require new batteries after about two weeks of relatively heavy usage. That can amount to $20 a year or so on batteries alone. The Palm V has a lithium rechargeable, and the new Palm 500 has an even better battery, but I can't justify paying that kind of money for what is still basically, at heart, an appointment calendar.

BTW, I am a newspaper reporter who previously had four Rolodexes on my desk. No longer. No longer do I misplace names, numbers, or dates. This thing has changed and organized my life in ways I didn't expect -just ask my wife.

It's basically an extension of your brain -now isn't that worth a couple hundred smackers?

Read Best Reviews of Handspring Visor Neo (Smoke) Here

Returned a visor deluxe within 30 days for the neo and paid a bit more but glad that i did. On some applications it's faster, the graphics look a little "crisper" and easier to read and new o/s has some small improvements. Downside is that the case is a "slicker" plastic that feels more slippery so i put dots of rubbery glue (goop or silicon sealant) on the back and sides and now prefer the way it feels and it's less likely to slide or fall from a smooth surface. Overall i like the visor, believe that it's a better value than the palm pilot and find the palm o/s and all available freeware and shareware very useful, full of excellent reference information, and very user friendly. i use mine a lot and understand why it's so popular. The neo has enough small improvements over the visor deluxe for about $30 more that i believe it would be worth it for the semi-power user, someone who will be loading many applications or someone to whom the slightly better screen resolution matters.

Want Handspring Visor Neo (Smoke) Discount?

I bought this PDA after researching similar models, namely the Palm m105 and the Sony CLIE. The display on the Visor Neo is bigger and sharper than the Palm's and it takes little effort to push the buttons. As far as expandibity goes, no handheld comes close to matching the myriad of different expansion modules available for the Visor. In addition to being hipper looking than other PDAs, it's very lightweight and fits easily in my jeans pocket.

The other factor affecting my decision to purchase the Visor Neo model was that it runs on AAA batteries. They don't tell you this when you buy your handheld, but most handhelds that use rechargable lithium ion batteries need to sent back to the manufacturer after about 2 years to have the battery replaced. This little service can cost $$$, almost what you'd paid for the PDA itself! I use Rayovac rechargable alkalines in my Visor Neo which I can reuse up to 50 times. It can easily go over a month without needing to replace the batteries. Even if you use regular disposable batteries, it's still cheaper in the long run.

Only downside I can think of is that the backlight isn't very useful unless you're working in total darkness and the OS isn't upgradable. Also, the screen can scratch easily so make sure you cover it with a thin piece of clear vinyl (available at fabric stores). Overall, this is a fabulous unit for the price and I'd recommend it anyone looking for a reasonably priced PDA.

I've had the original Visor for about 1.65 years (nice, black plastic that feels like that of a TV remote, 2MB of RAM, Palm OS 3.1, 4 shades of grayscale, 50% slower processor than the Neo) and the Visor Neo purple (I don't care if it says blue on the box, everytime I look at it, I see purple/indigo) for about 5 months now. I primarily made the upgrade to a Neo over the original mostly due to the extra RAM and faster processor. The new version of the OS and continuing Springboard compatibility were additional plusses. Finally, It was priced cheaper than what my Visor had cost, had free shipping, and came with a free promotional nylon carry-case (the one with the big zipper, 1 big pocket for your handheld, 2 mini-pockets for any Springboard modules, and a little room left over to squeeze something else, like a set of headphones).

Here's my detailed breakdown of the Neo:

Palm OS: If you've ever played around with a Palm OS before, then you gotta admire its simplicity. There's Very little micro managing, relatively low problems, and has thousands of applications available. This platform is also used by 75% 90% of the handheld community, so unless they're sticking with their cell phones, you'll be able to freely-exchange software, contact info, and variety of other things. Unless you're hardcore on viewing video, listening to mp3s, or other heavy multi-media tasks, PalmOS should suit you fine.

Exterior: has that "cheap, greasy plastic" feel in where fingerprints and body oils smudge very easily on it. Would-have been nice if there was an alternative to this, but I've gotten used to this. Having a snap cover as opposed to a flip cover means that you'll need 2 hands to open/close it, but I've gotten used to this too. They're 3 different colors, mine being opaque/translucent, lighter-colored ones being more transparent/translucent. If your cover is also clean, you'll be able to see your screen without removing the cover, which can be convenient due to what I've mentioned previously.

HotSync/Palm Desktop: Easy setup, easy to use. Backs up your handheld, lets you enter data onto PC and sync it over to your handheld, as well as new software. It'd be nice if it displayed important notices more clearly, such as same files being duplicated because of different information from HotSyncing. Currently, you need to go through the logs to pinpoint this. All in all very well done (with a backup module to provide fail-safe if something should go wrong)

Screen: Grayscale does look ugly next to a color screen and/or higher resolution screen, but you do get your "returns" with a less expensive and less power draining PDA. For me, it would've been nice to view pictures, maps, and games in color, but the grayscale gets the job done quite adequately. Pressure detection on the screen produced minimal concerns, as several times I would miss when I try to click on very small targets, although it may have been like that because I miscallibrated the detection accuracy.

Battery life: the 2 AAA alkalines last me about 2 weeks when I do an hour of gaming or other heavy use a day, while over 3.5 weeks with more mild usage of daily lookups and small notetaking. If this is a concern for you, nickel cadium batteries should save you money. Even though Handspring doesn't recommend this, it's moreso a battery guage monitoring issue than performance/damage-wise.

Reliability: As of with my Neo, I never had any fatal problems. Certain times I had to soft reset because of missing files for some applications caused errors that prompted me to do so, but I never had any information losses, freezes, or crashes. With my original Visor however, loading tons of games or something caused it to "downward spiral". This is where day-by-day, the performance and operation gets noticeably worse (like Win 98 from when you first use it fresh from a reformatted hard drive to4 years later when you need to reboot the damn thing 2-12x a day). Soft-resetting my old Visor temporarily solved this problem for a few days at a time, but ultimately a hard reset (purging all of your data) was required to, yet again, Temporarily remedy this problem. Tech support (NOT a toll-free number BTW) was kind enough to promptly send me a replacement (but first sending me an actual return box to put the defective handheld in. Procedures.... humph).

Springboard: Of the 2 Handspring handhelds I own, both aren't tremendously innovative compared to what the competition has to offer, but are nice values, so I'd generally recommend them to anybody. However, if you aren't going to bother dealing with them modules, I'd recommend you consider the Palm series or even a PocketPC, just to keep your options open. If you Are primarily interested in Visors for their Springboard modules, then poke around online and other places to find out more information, specifically, what modules you would use, availability, and prices. Thankfully, modules no longer cost "an arm and a leg" like they did years ago, but certain combinations of purchases can still deplete your wallet quickly. Many models of the latter 2 also have some sort of expandable data storage/backup and can even mimic the functionality that Springboard technology offers for Visors (e.g. certain Palms have wireless email/web capabilities and PocketPCs have a built in mp3 player). As for myself, I currently own 4 different kinds of modules: 8MB backup module (peace of mind for in case my PC AND my Visor BOTH fail), 16MB Hagiwara flash memory (expandable storage for databases, Ebooks, and games), a 2MB flash memory + "silent" vibrating alarm (for the limited amount of memory and also being cheap), and the SoundsGood mp3 player I managed to find on Amazon Marketplace (I plan on getting a REAL mp3 player soon, but this novelty item does come in handy for when I don't lug the player around).