Handspring Visor Prism Handheld:

  Handspring's first foray into the realm of color palmtops, the Visor Prism may not deliver the crispness of displays on the latest Windows CE devices from Casio and Compaq, but it does improve on the Palm IIIc, its main competitor.

  While the Prism costs more than the Palm IIIc, its increased color depth and brightness (it delivers 16-bit color compared to the 8-bit color of the IIIc) really shines in gaming and graphical applications. Even the default world map that's used to set geographic location and time appeared more distinct and offered the illusion of 3-D.

  Like other Visors, the Prism contains a Springboard module slot, letting users upgrade its capabilities--such as adding an MP3 player, expanding memory, and eventually adding a cell phone (among many options). With the color screen of the Prism, modules such as the eyemodule digital camera really take on new life. With the Prism, the eyemodule takes color pictures, while previous versions of the Visor only allowed users to view them in grayscale.

  Further, unlike other Visors, the Visor Prism uses an internal lithium-ion rechargeable battery--a nice touch as the color display would have drained the standard two AAAs quickly. Handspring claims that a fully charged battery should last a week or two with normal use, but we found continuous use of the display, such as with game playing or extended note taking, wore the battery down much faster. However, every time the Prism syncs in the fast-transferring USB cradle, the battery gets charged--and it only takes a few minutes to top off the current level of juice.

  Although the color screen only extends the thickness of the Prism by a tenth of an inch compared to previous Visors, it's still twice as thick as the sleek Palm V line of devices. But it is smaller than CE devices such as Casio's EM-500 and the Compaq iPaq, and for its size category of palmtops, it delivers the best colors around. --J. Curtis

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  The Handspring Visor Prism is the first expandable full-color handheld computer. The 16-bit active-matrix LCD screen displays over 65,000 colors so everything is crisp, bright, and easy to read. With the Springboard expansion slot, you can snap a digital camera or global positioning system and instantly view full-color photos and maps. The Prism also features an internal rechargeable battery that is charged when the Prism is placed in the docking cradle.

  In addition to an address book, to-do list, and memo pad, the Prism Color Visor features an enhanced date book, advanced calculator, and world clock. The 8 MB memory stores approximately 12,000 addresses, 10 years of appointments, 6,000 to do items, 6,000 memos, and 400 e-mails. Since it uses Palm OS, you can beam information with other Palm users or download thousands of existing Palm- compatible applications, including those with color.

  The Prism's USB connection makes synchronizing with your desktop computer fast and easy. You can quickly back up, update, or exchange information between the Prism and your computer with the USB charging cradle and HotSync technology.

  The Prism comes with a protective leather case, an AC adapter for use with the charging cradle, Palm Desktop software for Windows and Mac. It is backed by one-year limited warranty.

  Important note to customers: USB connectivity is compatible with Windows 98/2000/Me and USB-enabled Macintoshes running OS 8.1 and later. If you use Windows 95, Windows NT, Mac OS 8.0 or lower, or your computer does not have a USB port, you will need to buy a separate serial cradle.

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