Handspring Visor Deluxe

There's little doubt that Palm currently holds top place in the market for pocket organisers, but since it has allowed other makers to license its operating system, there should be plenty of alternatives hitting the market that share the same ease of use.

The first of these is the Visor from Handspring. The company was set up by the original creators of the Palm, which accounts for the tremendous interest initially surrounding the device's launch.

The Visor, which will be available in the UK shortly, comes in three versions: Visor Solo, with 2Mb of memory and no cradle; Visor, which has a cradle thrown in; and Visor Deluxe, which has 8Mb of memory and also includes the cradle.

Outwardly, the Visors all look pretty similar to 3Com's Palm III models, though the buttons feel more substantial, and the Deluxe model comes in a choice of translucent colours if you don't want plain old grey.

Turn the unit over, however, and you'll start to find a few differences. First, the connector on the base uses USB, rather than the serial port. This makes for faster hot-syncing and, of course, compatibility issues with software that uses the serial port.

Handspring has moved the infra-red port to the left side of the case, rather than leaving it at the top of the unit. This is because the top is now home to a plastic hatch about 1.5in long, that slides off to reveal the Springboard slot. It is this slot that's the key difference between the Visor and other organisers.

Springboard is touted as a completely plug-and-play expansion system. There are a few modules already available, including memory expansion and a golf game, with additions such as an MP3 player, GPS receiver, Bluetooth and modem planned for the future. Springboard modules don't require you to install any software yourself - the modules add whatever they need, and remove it cleanly when you unplug them. Some fit within the confines of the slot, while others, like InnoGear's forthcoming MP3 player, have a row of buttons that sits along the top of the Visor.

Being a new product, the range of modules is limited at the moment, but if the Springboard module format takes off, it'll make the Visor's potential enormous. One small box, dozens of functions, hot-pluggable and no software installation - it's a gadget lover's dream. But for now, you'll just have to wait to see which modules ship.

For most people, the real interest is in the Visor itself. It comes with a CD featuring software for both Windows and Mac, as long as you have USB (a serial cradle is optional, for around £15). It's largely the same as Palm's software, but modified to support USB synchronisation.

The software on the Visor itself is Palm OS 3.1H. That means it lacks some of the features found in 3Com's 3.3 or 3.5, like support for colour screens, but Handspring has added support for the euro, and the USB port, so for most purposes it'll be perfectly functional. Like some of the cheaper 3Com models, the Visor doesn't use Flash memory, so you can't upgrade the OS with anything more than patch files.

A few other changes under the hood give you a choice of two different date book programs - the standard one, or Datebook+ which has weekly and fortnightly views - and can show your To Do list on the current page as well. There's also a world clock, if you like that sort of thing. In fact, Palm users can download a similar date book from the internet, called Datebk3.

Generally, you won't experience any problems using the Visor with software written for the Palm models, though there are some slight incompatibilities. There's a list on the VisorCentral site, but many applications are being patched, so in the long term, it won't be too much of an issue.

We did find a few problems, however. TDK's GlobalPulse software modem, for example, can't be used with the Nokia 6150 phone because it comes with a serial lead, and the USB port on the Visor means it can't be connected.

Also, 3Com's Enhanced Infra-Red Update isn't compatible with the Visor. If you want to connect the Visor to a phone with infra-red, the phone will need a real modem built in, and you should download IrLink to get a reliable connection. Some programs that use the infra-red port for things like remote control have problems with the Visor too.

However, these are relatively minor problems, and not that surprising with a brand new product. For everyday use, the Visor works just as well as a Palm, and the updated Datebook makes it much more flexible. Add the fact that it's cheaper - though less so after Palm's recent price cuts - than a Palm III with the same 8Mb memory, has faster synchronisation thanks to USB, and virtually unlimited expansion thanks to Springboard, and the Handspring Visor Deluxe is both a great buy and an indispensable tool.

Contact Handspring 001 888 565 9393 www.handspring.com