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Cost and Feature Comparison
All expandability debates aside, the real issue currently is
the cost differece. The m505 runs at a retail price of $449.00,
while the Handspring Visor Prism runs at $399.
In a features and specifications only comparison, not actually
having tested the m505, the two handhelds seem to have similar features,
however the Handspring Visor Prism seems to have a greater variety
of expansion products then the Palm m505.
| |
Handspring Visor Prism |
Palm m505 |
| Palm OS Software |
3.5.2H |
4.0 |
| Access internet, e-mail, web clipping, browsing |
Yes |
Yes |
| Sync to Desktop e-mail |
Yes |
Yes |
| Expansion Card Slot |
Yes |
Yes |
| Universal Connector with USB and Serial Support |
Yes |
Yes |
| Weight |
6.9oz |
4.9oz |
| Infrared |
Yes |
Yes |
| Built-In Microphone |
Yes |
No |
| Exclusive Palm Applications: Note Pad, Alarm Clock |
No, but other applications like Date Book+, Advanced
Calculator, World Clock |
Yes |
| PC Synchronization |
Yes |
Yes |
| AOL for Palm OS |
No, but downloadable free |
Yes |
| AvantGo Web Channel |
No, but can be downloaded free |
Yes |
| MGI PhotoSuite Mobile Edition |
No, but can download a demo free |
Yes |
| Storage Capacity |
8MB |
8MB |
| Storage Expansion to |
16MB |
64MB |
| Upgradeable flash ROM |
Yes |
Yes |
| Colors |
65,536 |
65,536 |
| Backlit |
Yes |
Yes |
| Rechargeable Battery |
Yes |
Yes |
| Display type |
Active Matrix, Backlit |
Reflective, Front Lit LCD |
| Price |
$399 |
$449 |
As you can see from the comparison table, the biggest differences
are display, weight, and the Palm OS version. The Display on the Visor
Prism utilizes an Active Matrix backlit, which offers better quality
then the reflective front-lit display offered by the Palm.
Testing
For testing of the Visor Prism I simply explored its applications
and tried each one out. When I first received the Handspring it
seemed to not be as receptive when using the stylus to select applications
or using the graffiti. However, I checked on the Handspring site
and found an update for the Visor Prism, which corrected this problem.
Handspring did not do much OS customization. The only real thing
I could find in appearance was the different battery gauge, besides
that, the look was pretty much that of the standard Palm OS. Handspring,
however, did add a few applications: Enhanced Date Book, Advanced
Calculator, and World Clock.
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