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Handspring hits retail, unveils new modules

March 27, 2000
Web posted at: 4:42 p.m. EST (2142 GMT)

(CNN) -- Starting this week, Handspring is living up to a promise made back in September to take its Visor PDAs to retail outlets.

The relatively inexpensive Palm-compatible units will start appearing at Staples, CompUSA and Best Buy stores across the United States, according to the company. All three stores will carry the standard and deluxe versions of the Visor, though the Visor Solo -- without synchronization cradle -- will still only be sold by Handspring.

Handspring has had some much-publicized customer service problems, mostly due to backorders and long hold times. Although the public first got to see the expandable handheld at October's Internet World, it took many weeks for most customers to finally get their hands on their own Visor after ordering it by phone or online. If they had any problems with the unit, they were faced with a frustrating service experience.

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In addition to shifting a lot of that responsibility onto retailers, Handspring says they've shaped up, too.

"Things are going great," says Greg Woock, Handspring vice president of North American sales. "If you go to the site, where it used to say six weeks delivery time, we're delivering in a week or less. We scaled our operation to meet demand, which in the beginning of more than we anticipated. And on the phone, you get right through."

The units' suggested retail prices don't change: $179 for the standard version and $249 for the deluxe, which includes more memory and comes in several colors.

By handing the end-users over to established retail chains, Handspring will divert some of those problems and return to focusing on expanding the platform and working with third-party developers.

The Visor's technological highlight, its Springboard module slot, has been underused since its launch. Only three modules were available along with the unit -- a backup module, extra memory card and a Tiger Woods golf game -- but more are available now.

Handspring is marketing its own wireline modem module for $129. Available on the Handspring site, the 33.6 modem adds just a little bit of bulk to the Visor with a bubble on top for the phone plug. It's ideal for e-mail and faxes, but hard-core Web browsing on the black and white screen may be disappointing for most users. Text-heavy sites, however, work well.

The "coming soon" list of Springboard modules is still extensive. Innogear has several communications modules listed, including a one-way pager, and a SixPack modem. The SixPack includes a wireline modem, cellular capability, voice recorder, two alarms and extra memory. Innogear also plans to release an MP3 player, as does Rio player maker RioPort, a subsidiary of Diamond Multimedia.

Communications company Xircom has recently announced some new modules arriving in summer, including wired and wireless Ethernet, cellular modem and a Bluetooth module.

IDEO's Eyemodule digital camera will retail for $149, and comes in a very small package. A tested beta version was extremely unobtrusive, with only a small lens jutting out from the top of the Visor. As with all Springboard modules, the hardware module includes software drivers. Upon inserting the Eyemodule into the Visor, the PDA suddenly "knew" how to use the camera and started displaying immediately. Software included separately on a CD allows users to edit, print and e-mail images. While the images are fairly grainy -- 320x240 resolution at best -- it can take color images. Users can't preview in color, of course, but the surprisingly small saved files show up in color on a PC or in print. Users can even beam images between Visors.

Beyond saying that sales figures have "exceeded expectations," Handspring has declined to release any sales figures. But a representative does let slip one hint. Unlike the Palm upgrade track, which has taken users through several iterations of units, all more expensive than the last, Woock says he plans to still be using the same Visor two years from now.

The Visor uses the same operating system as the hugely popular Palm PDA, and has the benefit of being able to use the thousands of third-party software titles written for the Palm. Handspring was founded in 1998 by Jeff Hawkins and Donna Dubinsky, the original designers of the PalmPilot.



RELATED STORIES:
Should Palm and CE users switch to Visor?
September 14, 1999
Can Handspring handle success?
March 20, 2000
Snap photos with your Handspring
February 9, 2000
Xircom announces wireless networking for Handspring
January 6, 2000
PDAs for the holidays
December 20, 1999

RELATED SITES:
Handspring
Xircom
Innogear
IDEO

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