Handspring Visor Prism

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(10/16/00)
We're not in Kansas anymore. When you turn on the new Visor Prism, with its vibrant, 16-bit color screen, it's a bit like watching Dorothy take her first step into Oz. Along with its vivid color, the Prism lands with an updated OS and a faster processor than that of previous Palm OS devices. But we couldn't help but feeling that this handheld should deliver more than just some pretty colors.

Look-Alike
If not for its snazzy, cobalt-blue color, it would be hard to tell the difference between the Prism and previous Visor models when the display is off. A careful comparison reveals that the Prism is a tad heavier and bulkier than the Visor Deluxe, primarily because of the built-in, rechargeable, lithium-ion battery. You'll find 8MB of RAM inside both the Visor Deluxe and the Prism, but the latter is powered by a 33-MHz Motorola Dragonball VZ processor and has Palm OS 3.5.2. The new processor scored exceptionally well on the Quartus Benchmark test and makes games such as Dreadling run much more smoothly. However, the fast processor doesn't make much difference with most applications.

The backlit, color LCD screen is sharp and bright. It displays many more colors than the Palm IIIc, which makes it better suited for viewing color images. But the LCD's 160-by-160-pixel resolution just can't compare with the screens on Pocket PC devices such as Compaq's iPaq H3650. We also noticed horizontal bands on our review unit, which reminded us of a computer monitor with an out-of-sync refresh rate.

Color Software
The Prism comes with the same software bundle and same USB HotSync cradle as other Visor models. But remember to leave some extra space in your travel bag because you're going to need that cradle to recharge the battery. Handspring provided us with some fun, color games, and it promised that new software will allow you to view shots taken with the EyeModule digital camera in full color on the Prism's screen. Other third-party applications we loaded onto the Prism, such as BugMe, ran perfectly and complemented the Prism's new color capabilities.

For folks who enjoy playing games or viewing pictures on their handheld, we recommend the Visor Prism over the Palm IIIc. However, the Prism's $449 price makes it nearly as costly as Compaq's iPaq H3650 Pocket PC, our current favorite color handheld. Aside from serious gamers, most Palm users won't find the color screen impressive enough to warrant this price. But even if games are your top priority, we suggest you get the much cheaper Nintendo Game Boy Color instead.