The key feature of the Visor Platinum is its faster processor, a 33MHz Motorola Dragonball VZ; the fastest Palm handhelds top out at 20MHz. Handspring claims the Visor Platinum is 50 percent faster than a Visor Deluxe handheld. On our tests using Quartus's Benchmark 2.0, the Visor Platinum ran 41 percent faster than a Visor Deluxe and 82 percent faster than a Palm Vx.
Its backlit, 160-by-160 screen displays up to 16 shades of gray (4-bit grey scale). The quality is on par with other grey-scale PDAs based on the Palm OS, but for viewing images you'll really want a colour display such as the Handspring Prism or a Pocket PC.
In addition to the latest version of the Palm OS (3.5.2H), the Visor Platinum includes all of the standard Palm applications as well as Date Book+ (which includes floating appointments, integrated to-dos, and a journal), scientific and business calculators, and a world clock for frequent fliers. The Platinum also supports infrared data synchronisation -- a feature of Palm OS 3.5 and later. The device includes 8MB memory, which Handspring claims is sufficient for 12,000 addresses; 10 years of appointments; 6,000 to do items; 6,000 memos; and 400 email messages.
The Visor Platinum doesn't really break any new ground for handhelds. But if you've got your heart -- or budget -- set on a Visor, and you want the ultimate in power, storage, and expandability, the Visor Platinum is the way to go.
Handspring Visor Platinum
Company:Handspring Australia
Ph:02 9425 8073
Price: AU$699
Rating
8%
1%
