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Handspring, Inc. AI simulator
(@Handspring, Inc._simulator)
Hub AI
Handspring, Inc. AI simulator
(@Handspring, Inc._simulator)
Handspring, Inc.
Handspring, Inc., was an American electronics company founded in 1998 by the founders of Palm, Inc., after they became dissatisfied with the company's direction under the new owner 3Com. The company developed Palm OS–based Visor- and Treo-branded personal digital assistants. In 2003, the company merged with Palm, Inc.'s hardware division.
The company was founded in June 1998 by Jeff Hawkins, Donna Dubinsky, and Ed Colligan, the original inventors of the PalmPilot and founders of Palm, Inc., after they became unhappy with the direction of the company after its acquisition by 3Com. Their Visor line of PDAs synced by USB, which was significantly faster than Palm's RS232 serial sync. The Springboard expansion slot provided GPS navigation, cameras, music players, cell phone service, and most of the functions of a "smart phone".
In June 2000, during the dot-com bubble, the company became a public company via an initial public offering. The company's shares, which were listed on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol HAND, rose 35% on the first day of trading.
In 2003, the company merged with Palm, Inc.'s hardware division.
Handspring first introduced the Visor Solo, which was black and contained 2 MB of onboard memory. The Visor Deluxe had the option of translucent colored models, and had 8 MB of onboard memory. The Visor and Visor Deluxe used Palm OS 3.1H running on a Freescale DragonBall processor, a modified version of the OS from Palm that included an enhanced datebook, a city time graphical world clock, and an advanced calculator. Unlike the Palm Pilot, the Visor's IrDA port was placed on the side of the device to make room for the Springboard Expansion Slot. The Visor and Visor Deluxe weight is 5.4 oz. Their dimensions are 4.8 in × 3.0 in × 0.7 in. The display is 2.25 inches square with diagonal span of 3.0 inches.
When Handspring released the Visor Prism, it was flashlight-bright and the first Palm OS handheld to have a 16-bit color display (65,536 colors); the contemporary model (IIIc) produced by Palm only had an 8-bit color display (256 colors). Like Palm's IIIc, Prism's color screen turned nearly pitch black in sunlight. Prism's cobalt-blue-only case (and cradle, which required an attached AC charger, as USB cables could not supply sufficient power at the time) was a departure for a PDA line known for a broad array of colored cases. Prism's power came from a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, rather than two AAA batteries like previous Visors. However, despite the shoehorn-like contoured back to support the rechargeable battery, it did have the Visor Springboard slot; the infrared port was again on the side. The Prism featured Palm OS 3.5.2H3, and weighed 6.9 oz. The dimensions were 4.8 in × 3.0 in × 0.8 in with the display measuring the same as other Visors (2.25 inches square with diagonal span of 3.0 inches). The highest OS upgrade is OS 3.5.3.
The Visor Platinum was similar to the Visor Deluxe. Apart from shell color, the exterior of the devices were indistinguishable. The Visor Platinum was available only in a silver (platinum) or black colored shell, as opposed to the Visor Deluxe's many color choices. The Platinum included a 33-MHz Motorola DragonBall VZ processor while the Deluxe only supported a 16 or 20-MHz chip. More, the Visor Deluxe used OS 3.1H while the Visor Platinum used OS 3.5.2H. At the time of the release of the Platinum, it sported the fastest processor for a Palm OS device. Like all Visors, the Platinum contained a microphone, intended to be used for Springboard slot-based cell phones.
Released in March 2001, the slim Visor Edge featured an MC68VZ328 DragonBall CPU clocked at 33 MHz. The 160×160-pixel, 4-bit grayscale (16 shades of gray) display was standard for most Palm PDAs. However, at the time it was the thinnest and lightest Visor, sizing in at 4.7 in × 3.1 in × 0.44 in and weighing 4.8 ounces with the display measuring the same 2.25 inches square with diagonal span of 3.0 inches as other Visors. It was packed with 8 MB RAM and Handspring's latest version of the Palm OS, version 3.5.2H. Available in three colors, Metallic Blue, Metallic Silver, and Metallic Red, it was also eye catching. The built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery generally lasted two to four weeks on a charge. However, due to its size, the standard Springboard slot was accessed through a slide-on sleeve rather than a built-in slot. Nevertheless, this still allowed the Visor Edge to access the Springboard Modules available.
Handspring, Inc.
Handspring, Inc., was an American electronics company founded in 1998 by the founders of Palm, Inc., after they became dissatisfied with the company's direction under the new owner 3Com. The company developed Palm OS–based Visor- and Treo-branded personal digital assistants. In 2003, the company merged with Palm, Inc.'s hardware division.
The company was founded in June 1998 by Jeff Hawkins, Donna Dubinsky, and Ed Colligan, the original inventors of the PalmPilot and founders of Palm, Inc., after they became unhappy with the direction of the company after its acquisition by 3Com. Their Visor line of PDAs synced by USB, which was significantly faster than Palm's RS232 serial sync. The Springboard expansion slot provided GPS navigation, cameras, music players, cell phone service, and most of the functions of a "smart phone".
In June 2000, during the dot-com bubble, the company became a public company via an initial public offering. The company's shares, which were listed on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol HAND, rose 35% on the first day of trading.
In 2003, the company merged with Palm, Inc.'s hardware division.
Handspring first introduced the Visor Solo, which was black and contained 2 MB of onboard memory. The Visor Deluxe had the option of translucent colored models, and had 8 MB of onboard memory. The Visor and Visor Deluxe used Palm OS 3.1H running on a Freescale DragonBall processor, a modified version of the OS from Palm that included an enhanced datebook, a city time graphical world clock, and an advanced calculator. Unlike the Palm Pilot, the Visor's IrDA port was placed on the side of the device to make room for the Springboard Expansion Slot. The Visor and Visor Deluxe weight is 5.4 oz. Their dimensions are 4.8 in × 3.0 in × 0.7 in. The display is 2.25 inches square with diagonal span of 3.0 inches.
When Handspring released the Visor Prism, it was flashlight-bright and the first Palm OS handheld to have a 16-bit color display (65,536 colors); the contemporary model (IIIc) produced by Palm only had an 8-bit color display (256 colors). Like Palm's IIIc, Prism's color screen turned nearly pitch black in sunlight. Prism's cobalt-blue-only case (and cradle, which required an attached AC charger, as USB cables could not supply sufficient power at the time) was a departure for a PDA line known for a broad array of colored cases. Prism's power came from a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, rather than two AAA batteries like previous Visors. However, despite the shoehorn-like contoured back to support the rechargeable battery, it did have the Visor Springboard slot; the infrared port was again on the side. The Prism featured Palm OS 3.5.2H3, and weighed 6.9 oz. The dimensions were 4.8 in × 3.0 in × 0.8 in with the display measuring the same as other Visors (2.25 inches square with diagonal span of 3.0 inches). The highest OS upgrade is OS 3.5.3.
The Visor Platinum was similar to the Visor Deluxe. Apart from shell color, the exterior of the devices were indistinguishable. The Visor Platinum was available only in a silver (platinum) or black colored shell, as opposed to the Visor Deluxe's many color choices. The Platinum included a 33-MHz Motorola DragonBall VZ processor while the Deluxe only supported a 16 or 20-MHz chip. More, the Visor Deluxe used OS 3.1H while the Visor Platinum used OS 3.5.2H. At the time of the release of the Platinum, it sported the fastest processor for a Palm OS device. Like all Visors, the Platinum contained a microphone, intended to be used for Springboard slot-based cell phones.
Released in March 2001, the slim Visor Edge featured an MC68VZ328 DragonBall CPU clocked at 33 MHz. The 160×160-pixel, 4-bit grayscale (16 shades of gray) display was standard for most Palm PDAs. However, at the time it was the thinnest and lightest Visor, sizing in at 4.7 in × 3.1 in × 0.44 in and weighing 4.8 ounces with the display measuring the same 2.25 inches square with diagonal span of 3.0 inches as other Visors. It was packed with 8 MB RAM and Handspring's latest version of the Palm OS, version 3.5.2H. Available in three colors, Metallic Blue, Metallic Silver, and Metallic Red, it was also eye catching. The built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery generally lasted two to four weeks on a charge. However, due to its size, the standard Springboard slot was accessed through a slide-on sleeve rather than a built-in slot. Nevertheless, this still allowed the Visor Edge to access the Springboard Modules available.