Handspring Visor Prism

Handspring's Visor has quickly become one of the most popular PalmOS handhelds, but if you wanted colour, the only option was Palm's IIIc.

That's changed with the Visor Prism, which beats the IIIc by offering 16bit colour - that's 65,536 colours. Like the Visor Platinum, it also has a faster processor than other models. The Prism has a built-in rechargeable battery, so there's no need to carry spares with you - although you won't be able to use an existing Visor cradle, since the Prism is a little thicker.

The big question for many is whether or not to upgrade. The Prism's speed is great; browsing The Guardian offline using AvantGo was much quicker, with pages appearing almost as soon as they were selected. For some the extra speed alone will be reason enough to choose a Prism.

Colour, of course, is the big thing. The screen has the same resolution, but the colour does seem to make some text look more grainy than the black and white of before. Of course, being in colour, text is backlit all the time, which makes it more readable in most light conditions. And applications that support colour do look great, like AOL for Palm, the built-in applications, and Handspring's own PhotoAlbum, which really highlight the difference between 8bit and 16bit colour.

However, it's expensive. While add-ons like the Stowaway keyboard work fine, as do most Springboard modules, some don't. Eyemodule, for example, needs an upgrade, and the Executive case for the Visor Deluxe won't take the Prism.

Upgraders, then, will be well advised to check what else they need to change. But if you're buying new, and you want colour, this is an excellent - if pricey - piece of kit.

Contact
Handspring 020 7309 0134 www.handspring.com