PalmOne Tungsten E Handheld

As some of you might know, I always speak the truth, so here is my honest review of this Palm Tungsten E.

I purchased this item to replace my old Palm m515 (which had originally replaced my first palm, a Palm V). As you probably guessed, I have to have a small handheld. In my opinion, if it isn't small enough, you won't bring it with you and actually use the thing. I also have been a fond lover of this form factor (very thin and light with double-stylus holder, etc.

Well, they finally listened to us complaining of the previous left side "flap holder" and made the flap slide in from the bottom of the palm as apposed to the top. This was a large problem -I've had my old palms slide out on me at random by holding it from the flap.

The good: This palm has an astounding display! It literally feels as though you have a small computer in your hand as other reviewers have mentioned. Quality all the way here. Large enough to be easily readable, and a brightness level adjustment that gets quite bright! The buttons on the bottom "mostly" have a positive feedback. I'll discuss the bottom lack of a universal connector last. This palm accepts SD cards and has a headphone jack on the top. Processor is incredible compared to my old m515 and especially the V. Power button is recessed so you can't "accidentally" turn it on as easily as past models.

Honestly, I must mention that I've tried to purchase quite a few MP3 players out there and they have all had quirky problems. I didn't even expect to use the mp3 capabilities of this PDA but look at that -it works/sounds better than anything I've purchased for the same cost that was dedicated to MP3s!!! I am truly astounded by it.

The bad/interesting: As I mentioned above, the buttons mostly have tactile feedback, but that square ring of a button-pad in the center is a bit odd because pushing down requires quite a bit more force than up and does not result in a "click". Hrm...I guess it just sort of happened because of the small size of this unit (4.6 oz folks yes you heard me right!).

Finally, that bottom connector issue that has quite an argument brewing. This is the only Tungsten lacking a universal connector on the bottom which means you can't use all those old accessories which utilized that port. Lets look at some other aspects here....It uses a standard USB cable which means you're not restricted to palm to purchase additional hotsync cables. Also, it has a small power cord which plugs in the other port on the bottom. This I think is wonderful because I can actually take the power cable/charger and charge it on vacation or wherever I am. No longer do I have to lug around the cradle in my suitcase!

Finally, the iffy: This palm looks like metal but alas is made out of plastic. Rest assured it is extremely sturdy plastic -no creaking or anything Handspring-like and the plastic is actually the color you see -that silver color. So we shouldn't have to worry about any coating chipping off and revealing an ugly color underneath.

So far, I'm extremely pleased with this palm, and though it has these minute setbacks, I still think it is a wonderful unit especially for the price. I was able to keep my small form factor and get a wonderful display and an overall great feature set. Finally I must mention that this comes with a LOT of software. Documents to go Ver 6 which allows you to read/write word, excel and powerpoint docs, an mp3 player by realone, photo viewer, and the list goes on and on. Add that to their new personal manager programs like Contact and Calendar and you have a winning combination! If you're on the borderline between this and the new T3 well, I chose it because I'm not all that trusting of the slider mechanism. I like a palm that sits there with the least amount of moving parts/possible failure points. Hopefully this review helps out in your search for the perfect PDA.

T|E is an excellent device with minor problems. For the price its a bargain and will ensure Palm's market share stays high.

Pro's,

1. Its a Palm, with the latest version of Palm OS.

2. Looks good and feels solid in hand.

3. Superb screen and extremely clear.

4. mp3 playback is very good.

5. Uses standard mini USB jack, not propreitary Palm connector.

6. Fast performance. Don't compare raw MHz between PDA's, this one's faster than 400MHz PPC's.

7. About 28MB is available memory, which is a lot for a Palm.

8. Good software bundle and stable OS.

9. Speaker is suprisingly good at playing mp3's (64kpbs sounds great).

10. Flip lid and a screen protector are in the box. (I don't buy a PDA without flip)

11. Stylus is superb, thick/heavy/shinning metal.

Con's,

1. Down button is hard to press, ironically that's the most used button on T|E. The 5 way navigator is poorly designed and cheap plastic.

2. Size is bigger than some other handhelds like Clie SJ20.

3. Case is slippery and tough to keep clean.

4. Thread on included flip cover scratches T|E at the top easily.

5. Battery life is just like Pocket PC's, needs charging frequently.

6. Included charger is not a world charger and is bulky.

7. No bluetooth or Wifi but atleast it has SDIO slot (poor Clie fans have to put up with propreitary memory stink slot).

8. Weak alarm sounds (think this can be fixed?) and no vibrate only mode.

9. Packaging in plastic box is tough to open and not eco friendly.

10. Battery is not user replaceable. (dead Palm after 2 years?)

Most of the minor issues with T|E will go away if you spend double and get a T|T3. Overall this is a great Palm at affordable price. Thanks Palm!

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At last, Palm gets it right -A high quality, low price PDA with all the features you need, and none you don't. This is quite simply, a beautiful piece of engineering, and whether you are new to PDAs or upgrading, you will not be disappointed...

For a bargain price of 200 smackers, Palm provides the following key features:

1) A top-notch, large, hi-res screen (check it out in a store first). Many previous Palms have skimped on the screen -a big no-no in my book. I'd much rather have a slower processor than an unreadable (m505) or too-small screen (Zire, m100). Pointing and clicking on a Palm is hard enough without having a small, dark screen to boot.

2) Generous 32 MB Ram. Finally, Palm stops skimping on this important area! It's not enough to make you ditch your iPod, but you can play a few tunes, look at a few pictures, transfer some files. This is a big improvement from the bad-old 8 MB days, which is Okay for contacts but worthless for anything else.

3) Rechargeable lithium polymer. Top notch. No skimping, no muss, no fuss.

4) Great design. Clean, simple, portable, shirt-pocketable. No keyboard, but I've never been a thumbpad fan.

5) MS Office functions included -Word, Outlook, Powerpoint. Why you would use them, however, is a bit bizarre to me. Who wants to spend the time coding in a Powerpoint presentation with a stylus? Yet, if this is important to you, it's here. And having your email with you can be a plus...

As for what you won't get: There is no phone, no camera, no thumbpad, no Bluetooth, no WiFi. This is close to a pure PDA, though it can display pictures and double as a poor-man's MP3 player. That's what I was looking for.

Here's a basic product guide:

New Palm Zire -Bargain basement model with 7.2 MB of Ram, upgraded from hobbled 2 MB original model. About 100 smackers. Often offered free as bundle deals with new computers. Good starter model for the price. Includes rechargeable battery. Memory can not be upgraded. Horribly skimpy black-on-grey screen.

Tungsten T2, etc.: Deluxe models that feature, in some cases, larger screens/Bluetooth wireless connectivity/thumbpads with dropdown graffiti screens. All unnecessary features in my book, especially given their much higher prices.

Clie models (SJ30, etc.) recently have owned the mid-range of the Palm product line, providing color screens, style and multimedia features for less than Palm. But no longer. The Clie models simply can not compete with this new Palm -they feel and look clunky in comparison and generally feature smaller, dimmer screens. And the upper-echelon Clie models get very expensive.

Sony models also have a reputation for less-stellar customer service. (I've had excellent service from Palm.)

The Treo models from Handspring/Palm should be considered if you are a thumbpad fan, or if you want your PDA to also be your phone. But let's face it, how many people can afford spending four hundred smackers on a PDA?

BTW, when comparing, I've found you can generally ignore the speed of the processor. For most Palm functions, the reaction time is near instantaneous, or at most a second or two lag.

As for PocketPCs, some of them are now very attractively priced and are worth checking out. I've yet to use one extensively, so I'll stick to what I know -Palms are simple, easy to use and almost guaranteed to improve your productivity. It's like having a backup for your brain. And who doesn't need that?

Enjoy!

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I applaud Palm's decision to give us a low cost way into the Tungsten family. It's missing the universal connector but all of the Tungsten power is there, along with a really nice display.

I would highly recommend getting an SD card to make full use of this device. In fact the MP3 player requires it. Spend the extra $70. You can fit a fair amount of music, a ton of ebooks, and a bunch of apps on a 256MB card.

If you are concerned with a lack of Bluetooth or WiFi, keep in mind that Bluetooth SD adapters are on the market and 802.11B cards are coming soon.

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(note: I've had mine for about a month now.)

Everyone is reading the below review (incl. my friends) and thinks this is in a plastic shellso they are not buying it because of that. However, it is actually thin, buffed steel (hence the amazingly durable plastic comment.) Look at the edges, where the speakers open up, and where it folds over. Even take a knife and cut into it!

What I like:

-Traveling (and charging) with the standard miniusb cable.

-Great as an mp3 player (use aeroplayer)

-I downloaded updated high-res, color versions of my old software and it's wonderfully easy on my eyes.

-The photo album is great, I put 500+ pictures on their to show off :)

-Came with tons of useful software

-Fold-over flap is elegant and protects it well (esp. since I keep it in my back pocket, sit on it evenwithout problems.) That's the main reason I bought this instead of the other choices actually :p

-Has enough memory that I stored ALL of my apps, dictionaries, and databases on the internal memory.. even avantgo (which I adore.)

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Zardro Nano UV Disinfection Scanner (AS SHOWN)

The Zadro is small and folds closed like a small flip cell phone. It can easily fit in a pocket or your purse.

The Zadro only has one button that you press and hold for about 10 seconds. The purple light will come on along with a Red LCD light to let you know that it's working.

All you need to do is simply hold the light over an object like a phone, toilet seat, keyboard, etc for 10 seconds and the unit is supposed to kill all of the germs.

Unfortuately, since I'm not a scientist, I really cannot tell if germs are being killed.

Unfortunately, the product worked intermittently for the first week or so then it stopped working altogether. I was pleased that it was powerful enough to do it's job in 10 seconds and had hoped to use this product for many years. Don't know if this was typical of this product or just with the one I received.

Al Krapf

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This is a great item to have now that the swine flu is so prevalent in NYC. I have not yet used it on the subway, but have used it on supermarket cart handle, computer keyboard, work telephone and my remote controls. It is very compact and looks just like a cell phone. I will be using it on the silverware next time I dine out.

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The large one was purchased initially to scan for dust mites, for our family's asthma/allergy sufferers. While I've used it to that end, I've not been consistent with it. Rather, it has been used primarily at home, on meat. Nearly 2 years living in the Third World and so far no stomach bugs. I recently purchased the smaller model for travel, due to its portability and inconspicuousness, to use on street vendor food and in hotels. So far, I am well-pleased.

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You can buy this product, it will kill bacteria, germs, and some things, but not all things. This product is limited to certain things.

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BoxWave Garmin Nuvi 755T ClearTouch Anti-Glare Screen Protector (Single Pack)

I bought this to use with my Garmin Nuvi 755T GPS. It fits perfectly and provides the screen protection that I wanted. FYI. I also own one of these that I use on my PDA. It has lasted about 2 years and only needs an occasional cleaning.

I thought I was purchasing a multiple pack of these screen protectors given the price $12.95. When I received it I reacted "you have got to be kidding!" One 4x3 sheet is all you get for $13 and you have to go through the hassle of periodically cleaning it and reapplying it to the screen which is an exercise in futility trying to eliminate air bubbles. The instructions state the bubbles will disappear as any trapped moisture dries. No such luck. I was very patient and eventually just gave up and threw it out. I have seen multiple packs(usually 5) of this type of product on the internet for under $3. I purchased a small spray bottle of Monster Flatscreen Cleaner which used with microfiber cloth(spray on the cloth then wipe the screen). Leaves no residue and does not damage the screen.

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Toshiba PA3197U-1BRL high capacity battery pack for e740, e755

I just received this battery from amazon (4/20/04) and discovered that it is part of a Toshiba recall because the battery does not stay connected and data can be lost. I called Toshiba and they are sending a free replacement. They advised me not to use the battery. So I paid over $100 for a battery that I cannot use! I bought this battery from Amazon rather than eBay because I didn't want to receive a battery that is under this recall. If you received this battery and the serial number does not end in "A", you can call Toshiba at 1-800-949-7993 to get the battery replaced. This recall was made 7/03, so Amazon really dropped the ball. I'm very disappointed. (...)

I love my e740, but I hated the battery.

I was learning how to adjust, shortening online time, keeping

the thing plugged in overnight, all the while hating it.

The unit is the first and best of its kind, with that one small

exception, length of battery. Finally, I took the plunge and

fixed my e740. With this battery, all the toys including wifi

last more than 6 hours before needing a recharge. If I

conserve, easily 12 hours of use before I have to plug in. This is

the missing element. Finally, my keyboard, my modem,

the wifi, my SD memory, all of those investments are worth

that much more. Don't hold out, get this accessory, it

truely makes the e740 that much more indispensable.

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I am a member of a serch and rescue team in Iceland and I often take my E-755 with me when I fly. The cold here saps battery power and the stock battery wasn't cutting it. I love the new expanded battery and it still fits in my Covertec case!.

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I fly all over the country and the standard battery wouldn't last the flight most of the time. This battery will last several days with the WiFi connected,and extensive software use. A must have item.

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PDair BX2 Black Leather Case for Acer Iconia Tab A500

Well I took the leap and purchased this cover at full price and am very pleasantly surprised with the fit and quality, though it took awhile to arrive. The fit is basically perfect with all the right "cutouts" for power, headphones, everything else including dock port (though I'm curious to see if it will still work with the dock while in the case I expect it will since the leather around the port is not overly padded). It does add a bit of heft and thickness to the overall footprint but gives the overall package a nice leatherbound book feel. The three kickstand positions are great, though I wish it had a fourth to allow it to lay a bit flatter. The quality of the materials seems high and durable and gives the tablet a more "executive" look. As much as I hate to say it (considering how budget minded I usually am), but this cover is worth the price if you have the extra bucks and I do not regret my purchase at all. Hope that helps someone make a more educated decision than the other speculators that have posted here.

I use my tablet computer for training purposes in a railway, a fairly harsh environment for any electronic device. When looking for a case, I decided that the extra expense of this case could be justified if the product could stand-up to the rigors of my workplace. This PDair case has more than met expectations. It is very well made with plenty of padding, meaning I can simply keep the device in my work bag. The case does not provide weather protection, but the impact protection the case provides is excellent.

The tablet is secured in place by a magnetic flap. All cameras, sensors and ports are accessible while the device is in the case.

The quality of this product exceeded expectations, especially considering modern standards of manufacturing.

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Purchased this direct. Even though it came from Hong Kong it arrived super quickly. It is pricey, but I would do it all over again.

I would imagine all of their covers are of the same high quality.

It fits my Iconia like a glove and all ports are accessible. I have to admit the Iconia was not my favorite looking tablet, it is now. Nice work, PDAir.

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OMG...A case that costs 25% of the device that it holds? It's one thing if the device costs $50 but a $450 device with a $118 case is absurd....For that much I would expect an completely armored case that protects against drops, kicks, water etc etc....

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Blue Rabbit Bunny Design Soft Silicone Skin Gel Cover Case with Fur Tail for Verizon AT&T Sprint Ap

This item was ordered for Easter. The bunny case is super cute. However did not receive microfiber pouch bag or screen protector. Contacted customer service. Just received a case for an apple iphone4 , which I just so happen to have, and it is much nicer than the pouch listed. Yet, still no screen protector. All -in-all the value I received is well worth more than the money I paid. I am happy with my purchase but if you are wanting the exact items advertised you too may be in for a surprise.

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Home Button Flex Cable Ribbon for iphone 3G

I damaged my home button cable while replacing a cracked screen. Since the phone was already open, the home button repair was a lot simpler than anticipated. The cable does not include the plastic button itself but has adhesive to attach to it. There is also a little adhesive to stick to the phone.

This repair was a lot simpler than the screen repair and a value compared to the $49 a local tech shop wanted to repair the home button.

I damaged the spring type contacts on my iPhones home button. Ordered this to replace it and it worked flawlessly. Please not that this is not the actual button but the ribbon cable with the contact for the button.

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Had my iPhone since 2010 and the Home button stopped responding, this was a cheaper way to replacing a buggy home button. worked right on installment.

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also arrived on time and was a great product.... the price is awesome too..... still in my phone to this day with no problems..the only thing i suggest is that the clips are delicate on the iphone.... and on the button make sure you turn off the phone completely before starting work on it.....thanks guys would recommend again...

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The part I received was in excellent condition, etc. However, to disassemble the iPhone to this level was too much for my skill level

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rooCASE Neoprene Netbook Sleeve Case Cover for Dell Inspiron DUO 10.1-Inch iD-4495FNT Laptop (Invis

Bought this to house my son's Dell tablet the extra pockets are great for holding charger and pointers. Well constructed, nicely padded, worth the money.

Great product! worth every penny. I would definately recommend this to everyone for any small laptop/net-book. I bought this case to protect my laptop in Afghanistan, it worked great.

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Acer Aspire V3-551-8469 15.6-Inch Laptop (Midnight Black)

"Long and dark, shiny and black ... open up your engines, let `em roar, tearin' up the highway like a big old dinosaur!" said Springsteen about Cadillac Ranch, and the same could be said of this four hundred dollar laptop from Acer. I got it as a desktop replacement to run Windows 8 as well as indie PC games, and I think it's going to work out fine.

It's a big, heavy, shiny black plastic thing, portable but not light. Hinges and latch move well. The screen is bright and sharp, with adequate but not great viewing angles. I wouldn't mind watching a movie on this screen, but it would be difficult to share it with someone else given these viewing angles. I suppose you could consider this a privacy feature. The chiclet style keyboard has full size keys with good tactile feedback and an intelligent layout. The full-size number keys are particularly welcome. I wish it were backlit but that's something for a higher-end machine. Functions such as media playback, volume control, and brightness control require two hands -one to press the function key on the left side, and another to press the desired action. Not optimal but fair enough considering the price.

There's a webcam with microphone and a "Dolby Home Theater" speaker grille up front, both of which work as expected. The large trackpad is off center with the screen but lines up nicely with the keyboard, and is responsive to touch. The trackpad buttons are easy to hit with your thumbs. Up front is an SD card slot, which SHOT THE COVER ACROSS THE ROOM when I tapped it to eject it. Be careful with your photos when loading them onto this machine!

Ports on the left side of the machine: Power (where it should be, near the recessed power button), gigabit ethernet, a large exhaust vent, a full size VGA port, HDMI out, USB 3.0, microphone, and headphone jacks. Ports on the right side: Kensington security slot (I wonder about its usefulness given the plasticy feel of the machine), a pop-out DVD tray, and two USB 2.0 slots, unfortunately right where a right-handed person would want to use a plug-in mouse.

Wifi-N is superfast, the 500GB hard drive speed is a bit pokey but acceptable, system boot speed is quick, and graphics performance is wonderful for the price. A8 Vision from AMD is considered the budget gamer card of choice, and it does not disappoint. I threw every 3D game from my Steam collection at it, and the only title that required me to turn down the graphical detail was Star Wars: The Old Republic, and then only down halfway while running at full resolution.

The system ships with Windows 8, which is a mixed bag -check the reviews elsewhere for that. It's as schizophrenic as they say, but it's probably going to get better with software updates. The Acer suite of pre-installed software is innocuous and easy to remove.

Verdict? If you want an inexpensive laptop that can play games and run Windows 8, this is certainly worth a look.

UPDATE: I've added some new hardware to this machine. It's no longer a four hundred dollar laptop, but know this: the machine can take 16GB of 1600MHz DDR3 RAM (despite the manufacturer saying it maxes out at 8GB), which bumps the Windows memory rating up to 7. Add a solid state hard drive and the storage i/o rating goes up to 8. Both upgrades, especially the SSD, really make this machine /sing/.

UPDATE #2: The Wifi driver is inexplicably set to power down by default, which explains the unreliability some people have reported. Solving this problem requires you to simply uncheck the box in the wireless network interface Properties pane.

I've spent a few days with this laptop and I absolutely love it. Though it has shortcomings, the outstanding price/performance far outweighs them. I could throw a slew of benchmarks at you that I've done on this laptop, however, that would do little to represent real world performance. I'll try and keep this as short as I can.

Right off the bat I should say that I upgraded to 8 GB of RAM. There are two RAM slots and you can throw up to two 8gb SODIMMs in this thing for a total of 16gb if you'd like. Although, I would recommend just 8gb. If you want to optimize your graphics performance (which uses the system RAM) spend a little extra and get memory clocked at 1600mhz. I always recommend G.Skill memory products and after installing 8gb of it into this laptop, (for gaming) I jumped an entire preset up in most games, sometimes two presets. I mention this right away because I want to make it clear that upgrading the RAM in this machine will make it shine.

The included HDD is 5400rpm. It's passable, but will slow down loading for larger programs where a lot of data is involved like Photoshop, video editing software, and games. I wouldn't necessarily recommend an upgrade to an SSD unless you want to put up the cash for a high capacity drive. I'd stay away from 7200 rpm HDDs unless you want to cut your battery by 20% or if battery capacity isn't important to you.

Speaking of battery life, It's alright. It's average for it's class, getting around 4 hours on a full charge more if you conserve with no audio, video, or heavy use. Less if you are doing any gaming while not plugged in. Keep screen brightness down for best results.

The keyboard is fine. It's comfortable to type on and the trackpad is well positioned and sized. My only gripe with input devices is the keyboard not being backlit. The numberpad is a nice touch also.

The screen, while average resolution, is pretty nice. Color reproduction isn't very good (for all you artists), however text is very readable and the display generally looks great in most lighting conditions. The viewing angles are just okay, but some may consider that a positive for privacy.

The speakers are above average for laptops in this class, however nothing amazing. The sound is clear and gets fairly loud. However, as is a problem with most laptops, bass is almost non-existent.

Enough ports to get the job done, and USB 3.0 is a nice touch, albeit a little anemic at a single port.

Windows 8 is okay. I'm sure that it will only get better with time, but I've encountered many bugs with the OS so far that have almost made me switch to 7. After getting them fixed though, I'm pleased with how the OS works. The learning curve can be steep if you're used to 7 and not prone to picking things up quickly. Microsoft took 8 out of the oven before it was done, but it's really close to being a great operating system.

A quick note on upgrading. Everything is easily accessible via a removable hatch under the unit towards the front. Good call, Acer.

The processor, while not as powerful per core as a lowly Sandy Bridge Core i3, is actually quite speedy with four cores and "turbo core". I've had no bottlenecks with everyday use and gaming. The only situation where the AMD silicon has let me down is multimedia editing. Photo and video editing is clearly this CPUs shortcoming. While not terrible, the i3 outclasses it by at least 10% under full load. The Intel architecture is simply better and more efficient. Don't let this hold you back from purchasing this if you're on the cusp however. I, myself, am a photographer and use have used this in the field on numerous occasions to great effect.

As I said right off the bat, the graphics performance can be greatly improved with an upgrade to the RAM, as the integrated solution uses the onboard RAM as VRAM. For you gamers on a budget, this is a great buy! But, you should manage your expectations. This is a laptop. The hardware is specifically designed to work with a 1366x786 res screen. If you plan on hooking this up to a 1080p display, remember you might need to back off on the post processing a bit. While I don't have specific benchmarks as I couldn't get my license of FRAPS to play nice with Windows 8, here are a few games and basic presets this machine is capable of with the specified RAM upgrade: Fallout 3 High (Barely Playable on Ultra) , SW:TOR Medium , Skyrim High , Borderlands 2 Medium , Saint Row/Third High , Portal 2 MAX.

I hope this review was helpful. I highly recommend this laptop for almost anyone. With or without a few hardware upgrades, it is worth every bit of the price tag and more.

Buy Acer Aspire V3-551-8469 15.6-Inch Laptop (Midnight Black) Now

I have an older Acer laptop, and it's served me well for about the past 5 years. My wife was finally up for having one of her own. We wanted state-of-the-art, but didn't have an exorbitant budget.

I was hesitant about Windows 8, but she loves it! We're learning through trial and error what programs work with Windows 8 (LibreOffice won't install, yet OpenOffice will).

Still, a real good laptop.

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I owned 2 Acer Aspires previously. The last one was fully loaded and more then I ever needed, picked it up for around $500. Well it officially was laid to rest last night but the hard drive was still good. I went to Compusa and found this Acer. Another great deal on a BEAST of a computer. I paid $450 ($50 mail in rebate) so $400 after rebate. I have been playing on it for a good 2 hours and love, love, love how fast this system is. I am a big movie downloader and with a 500gig HD this puppy takes whatever I throw at it with ease. Again I am a dedicated Acer customer, its my 3rd laptop in many years and again......great product! Good work Acer!!!

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I bought this because of the AMD a8 and the 7 series GPU and was for some light gaming and i must say this laptop didnt disappoint..its sturdy and the USB 3 was fast..Its really lighter than my other asus k53e core i7 2630qm,6gb,640...Acer rocks...I"ll say this was my best bang for my buck... I'm buying 2 others for my friends..5 stars

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Lexar Media 64MB Memory Stick (MS064260)

I was nervous buying this at almost half the price as the original sony memory stick, because I was putting it in my camera. With the camera if the memory stick has errors, well those pictures are all gone... and unlike losing some phone numbers from your PDA because of bad memory you can't recreate photos from your friends wedding because your memory stick went bad on you.

Well, the nervousness was unfounded! I've used this stick heavily since I bought it a few months ago, and has never failed me. It performs just as well as the smaller sony stick that came with the camera.

I'd also highly recommend the memory stick reader Lexar makes (you'll find it here on Amazon as well). I bought it after loosing the cable that connects my camera to my computer (the memory reader is *cheaper* than that single cable, if you can believe it!) and it's *better* because you don't waste batteries transferrring your pictures, and there's no cables to mess with when it's time to upload your pictures just pop the mem stick into the reader that's always hooked up...

End result Very happy with this memory stick and other Lexar products. They've worked flawless for me so far :)

How many pictures will it store? It is the most commonly asked question from digital camera enthusiast but usually the question that is the most difficult to get a straight answer about. Well, considering I worked in the memory industry for over 7 years I can help clarify this perplexing question and do so unbiased as I have since changed industries.

The Lexar Media 64MB Memory Stick, like most 64MB cards, will store on average 71 pictures when used with a 2 megapixel camera, 53 images when used with a 3 megapixel camera, 32 pictures when used with a 4 megapixel camera, 25 images when used with a 5 megapixel camera, and 20 pictures when used with a 6 megapixel camera. These numbers are based off the assumption that you are going to shoot your images at the highest quality JPEG setting available for the camera and understand that they are estimates and may be off by as much as 10 percent due to numerous factors including the complexity of the scene being shot and the compression algorithm used by your specific camera.

I truly hope this review was helpful to you in determining whether this card is the right capacity for your specific needs.

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Todo en orden! excatamente lo que estaba esperando ya que es una memoria practicamente descontinuada.

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Holds all my Medical data.

Dont buy it for keeping your music or pictures.

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I was very pleased with this memory stick. I upgraded from the standard 16 MB memory stick that came with my Sony camera and I had no problems whatsoever with the memory stick during the time I had my camera. I don't plan on buying a Sony camera again, but I would definitely buy another Lexar memory stick.

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Sony Xperia Ion Leather Case - Flip Top Type (Red) - LT28i - PDair

The case would've been awesome it fits perfectly and the color's pretty nice. The cover takes a little getting used to though, at first it was irritating, but it does give your screen added protection when you're not using it.

The item shipped from China, so the delivery itself took very long (which I understood). But my biggest problem was the fact that it was delivered to me waaay later than the original delivery date on the page. Based on the original delivery date when I ordered the item, I should've gotten this case around the same time I got my new phone, but I got this item more than one month after I got this phone. I had to purchase another case just to make sure my phone was protected.

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DAT3 V-15 AC-3 Pickering Type Replacement Stylus

Needle put out a tinny, hollow sound with flat bass

Failed completely within a week of use. Previous needle of same type lasted ten years.

I was able to help my dad find a part for his beloved older stereo system.

The part was exactly as described, arrived in a timely manner, and was very reasonably priced. It was the exact part he needed and was unable to find in any local retail outlet. We will certainly use Amazon to find any future items needed!

Thank You!

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Garmin iQue 3600 PDA/GPS Handheld System with Americas Detailed Street Mapping

I've had mine since middle of August. I'll starte with the issues. In that time I've experienced the glitches mentioned elsewhere, but not enough to give up on it. I had 2 hard resets with data loss (static electricity I now realize), many soft resets with no data loss (mostly when syncing), a few times the speaker noise problem (soft reset fixed), and short battery life when power isn't nearby. That's most of the bad, and most of this is fixed with v2 of the software now available on Garmins downloads site.

Since the sw upgrade to v2, no hard or soft resets, no lost communications on syncs anymore. I've loaded many new applets and none of them have given me any problems. Be SURE not to use any that aren't specific for OS5!

What's great?

the screen is better than anything i've seen, more bright, more resolution, and is worth the tradeoff in battery life

the speed, fast processor to speed autorouting makes it fast for everything else, too

the integration with contacts and calendar for waypoints is very useful, really leverages the PDA/GPS into much more than the sum of its parts, more than what other (separate) packages can

so far it's robust, i've dropped it and still works fine

maps are very good. i took it to europe for 3 weeks of driving, including in italy (even rome), and it was painless with this device. it has every road in the country, like where i live. the system in my brother's car that cost $2K has no roads off the freesay where i live useless. it is truly FREEING to drive along and see all the possible roads you can take around you, updating in real time, if you're like me and like to explore. truly great.

I could go on for a month, I love it that much. So I'll switch to how to overcome it's shortcomings:

get the car kit, period

get a 256 MB SD card, i paid under a hundred, with that, i can put most of california, for most of a US region or to have room for MP3's, get a 512 card.

if you're not using it, cradle it. if you're in the car, put it on the car kit cradle whether using GPS or not. with these habits, i never have problems with battery life. and it charges very quickly, too. the v2 sw puts the default brightness at 50%, which is enough 90% of the time. i use about 30% when inside, and it's still brighter than many other and completely usable. don't enable waas, no satallites anyway and 20 feet is close enough for me, and helps battery. turn off IR receiver. set auto off to 30sec. it's instant on anyway. with these changes, battery life isn't an issue for me.

i got the small sync cable with the travel kit, but the aftermarket sync cables will also charge from the USB so might be better, check it out, targus and belkin, among others.

get a protective case. i got one for a toshiba pocketpc that's leather with belt clip. fits perfectly, and now i don't worry about dropping it

the antenna works best when the FLAT top face is toward the sky, NOT when it's end is pointed at the sky. used this way, it locks under a minute even when moving for me, and never loses when moving after lock unless i'm in a sea of 3+ story buildings.

i got the external antenna, and now i can take it off the car plate to use it and it still keeps the satellites, this is a nice to have but is not very expensive

people have said the maps are worth $100. in reality the autorouting map sets are $300. i know, i bought it for Europe, but i DO NOT REGRET IT.

sometimes it fails to find things that are in the database, but this is rare. r2 sw may have helped but haven't tested yet. there are a few map bugaboos, like a small break in the road that i routes you around, but these are rare.

don't load any apps that don't say OS5 compatible

use screen protectors the ones for Sony Clie NX70's fit perfectly (don't get sony brand, too expensive)

upgrade the OS to v2 immediately

have patience if you've not used a PDA or Palm before, you will get through it. the downloadable PDF manual is very good. there are dedicated sites like palmgear with lots of useful info on getting along with your PDA, as well as software reviews and downloads.

they have posted track log and waypoint conduits now, as well a map loader update. Garmin is seriously supporting this device, don't give up on it.

Bottom line is Garmin has realized the market for these is bigger than the combined market for all of their other products. So I do believe they will support the product, and will come out with even better ones in the future. But bottom line is it works great for me, it was a bargain considering what it does, and I wouldn't wait for an upgrade and have to live without it. It's a great GPS, and with the v2 upgrade, a great PDA. it's definitely the most useful device in my life today, moreso than my computer. i'm the kind of person that never gets lost, but i never leave the house w/o my ique now. it's fun, it's useful, and it makes life easier.

I installed the software per the user's guide and used it on the first day I got it (12/23/03). My wife was driving and I was reading about it in the car. I had the GPS on and was amazed at how the map moved (Track up mode) as we moved. It was accurate re: driving speed, location, odometer, etc. Then I tried the Que Route mode and tried reaching a destination. The thing kept saying "Off Route, recalculating" over, and over, and over again. I was pissed! Then I read some reviews and learned that I had to go to the Garmin website () to download "release 2" and "release 2 patch 1." After following the detailed instructions and re-trying the Que route, the navigation was perfect. No problems whatsoever. The unit is occasionally inaccurate as to street addresses, and is better with known intersections (gets you there within 10 feet accuracy). Some street addresses were right on the money, but others were a few houses off. Overall, however, it's a tremendous tool and a very fun toy.

Definitely get the 256 MB expansion card at a minimum and you absolutely need the Auto-Nav travel kit.

Buy Garmin iQue 3600 PDA/GPS Handheld System with Americas Detailed Street Mapping Now

The new iQue 3600 from Garmin is truly amazing. For a very attractive price, you get a powerful Palm OS 5-based PDA that sports a screaming 200 MHz Motorola DragonBall MXL ARM 9 processor, 32MB of memory (some of which is reserved for system operations), and a nice 320x480 high-color screen, the highest resolution I've seen on a palmtop. The iQue 3600 weighs in at a little over 5 ounces with the built-in LiIon battery, and it's only slightly bigger than a Zire 71, and feels good in either hand.

So you can use it as a fast Palm PDA, but the true beauty of the iQue is its built-in GPS function. When you are out in the open -GPS won't work indoors or in a dense forest since the satellite signal can't get to you -the iQue picks up both GPS and WAAS signals (WAAS is a system that supplements GPS, the way I understand it) and, in less than a minute, tell you your early coordinates. Coupled with a mapping program (a very basic one is included), the iQue will tell you where on earth you are, accurate to about 10 feet! For a first-time GPS user like me, the result simply blows me away. Obviously if you don't travel a lot, or live in a big city like New York, GPS is of very little use. But for the road warrior as well as fancy gadget lover (I'm the latter), this is a must-have.

Both the GPS and the bright, large color screen suck battery juice like a puppy in Houston, so battery is weak on the iQue, about the only gripe one would have about this wonderfully implemented product. With GPS on continuously and screen set to mid-level brightness and running a mapping program off the secure digital card, you'll run out in about an hour! That's not a typo or exaggeration. If you can do without sophisticated map software and turn off backlight, you can probably manage for about 3-4 hours. If you don't use GPS -but you got this really for the GPS, didn't you? -using the Palm part for an hour a day will last you about 3 days with backlight on. Which is not totally bad compared to Pocket PCs, hehehe...

In short, the iQue does exceptionally well what it was designed to do. Granted GPS as a whole can be improved, but Garmin has done an admirable job with a well designed, well made product and the price should tempt every GPS user out there.

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I don't know how I lived without this unit, well, after I figured it out anyway. I was amazed how the Ique 3600 worked in my car, boat and on my desk, it's even a Palm Pilot too. Now I plan my vacations, not by computer/web maps, but on my Ique 3600. OK, it did take me about 1 hour of fast reading to figure it out well enough to get me to work and back the same day. Now I can navigate at nite and in unfamiliar territory. When I go off-route on purpose or accidentally, it will w/i one block reroute me generally w/o sending me back to the old route and often picks a better route.

The manual is a little sketchy and vague, like no description of the location of the on/off button! But otherwise written so a computer geek would understand. I am still struggling with it.

Garmin has a help line and e-mail which helps too. For example I did not know how to keep my location on the screen without constantly dragging the map with the stylus. Now I just hit the black triangle (lower center) and the map now always shows my location in the center of the screen. Garmin has new software updates for the maps and the Ique system on their web site.

The voice command is the main selling point for me since my wife can't read maps too well, now I have another female voice in my car saying: "In .2 of a mile turn right." Shortly thereafter the female voice says: "In 200 feet turn right." At the same time at the top of the screen, it says: "Turn right on 5th Street." Wow, how do it know?

This device also gives you the time of arrival at your destination, altitude, and many other geeky items we need to know and wish we had know all these years. So far I am just practicing, but next week it's off to unfamiliar Seattle and a fun adventure with my new toy. Oh, it also is programed with restuarants, hotels, etc, not only their locations but their phone numbers as well! Get the extra memory chip, you'll need it and the auto navigator kit for your car/boat. I give it a 5+.

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The previous reviews cover most of the bases, but I had to chime in. I bought mine from Amazon and just finished a drive across the country with it. The unit is not perfect, but I just love the look-and-feel and the dashboard mount, and the GPS functions are hugely more useful than I ever imagined...even if I know where I'm going. We needed a couple of resets here and there, found a few instances of old or missing map data, found some undocumented clumsiness in the interface, had to buy an SD card to store the maps, mysteriously lost voice navigation for awhile, and a few other minor annoyances. But it is immediately apparent that GPS handheld computers are the future, and this product is a killer if Garmin keeps working on the software and maps. This is my first use of a GPS, and I have my own wish list:

Add a plug-in interface so third parties can integrate patches and useful info (e.g., restaurant ratings, road construction points, route descriptions) with the maps.

Find points of interest along my route, not just near my current location or destination.

Show distances to selected locations by the shortest route, not as the crow flies (very dangerous for estimating when you need to get gas).

I could go on. But for a first-generation product, the ique is awesome. Garmin is serious, and it will only get better from here, especially if they take the critical steps to create a competitive market for map patches and extensions. The maps are the weak link, since the US does not yet have the full infrastructure needed to maintain accurate maps in a timely fashion (e.g., as roads are built and businesses come and go).

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IRIS Pen Express Handheld Scanner

I've been using the IRISpen express for about 5 days now. I went into the purchase with my eyes open. I'd read the reviews on Amazon and knew that the opinions and experiences were polarized. However, with a major research project in the works I needed every bit of help I could get. So I decided to take the plunge and purchase the IRISpen from Compusa.

So far I am pleased, though the scanner is not without its deficiencies. It does a good job scanning in text, however there are limitations, but these can be worked around, and are understandable. Below are some of the problems as well as a few of the positive things I've found.

1. The scanner's OCR software cannot recognize writing that has been underlined by hand. This is understandable because, at least for me, these lines aren't straight and can intersect the letters, this will throw off the scanner. However, I haven't found this to be the biggest problem/

2. Despite the claims of the manufacturer the scanner does not always scan at 100% accuracy. Over all the accuracy is about 95% which is good enough for me, but not all letters come out.

3. Too much light can inhibit the scanning process. I learned this when sitting at Barnes and Nobles by a window. To much light dilutes the emissions of the scanner and the scanner does not have enough contrast, which is created by the green light emitted by the pen, to read and recognize the letter.

4. You need to be move your hand in a relatively straight line. When you look at the tip of the pen you see three lines, two at the ends and one in the middle. In order to effectively scan you need to line up the middle mark with the center of the line of text you want to scan. If you move in a line that is pretty straight the scanner will scan very well, however if you let your hand waver to much you will get gibberish. I see this as an understandable result, if your hand moves too much you'll get a line of letters that the OCR can't recognize.

5. It takes a little practice to get used to the scanning process.

6. If you are scanning from a photocopy and the copy isn't moderately clear then you won't get a good scan. Also understandable as I see it, the letters aren't complete and the OCR software isn't strong enough to recognize these letters.

7. Foreign letters. When the output language is set to English the scanner will not register letters with accents, such as `é'. This is one of the few bigger complaints that I have, but, it's not huge.

8. You can't scan too fast. If you move the scanner too fast then you won't read all the letters, you don't need to go slow but you also can't go too fast. This just takes a little practice.

9. The double click feature on the pen buttons is a little clumsy, but the buttons, are customizable to allow you to chose any keyboard command you want.

10. The scanner recognizes hyphenated words. If a word at the end of a line has a hyphen, and continues on the next line, the scanner recognizes that this is a partial word and combines it with the other part of the word on the next line.

11. My biggest complaint is that the pen software does not automatically load when you plug the scanner into your USB port. This is easily fixed with an icon on your desktop or toolbar but I've found it annoying.

12. The scanner must be used with the book or magazine on a hard surface. Otherwise the text will flex and corrupt your scan.

13. The size of the scanner sometimes means that you must hold your books at a 90 degree angle if you intend to scan to the end of a line.

14. Sometimes it does not scan well when going over a curve in a page. 85% of the time it works fine, but the other 15% you may get some corruption in your scan.

Overall I've found the IRISpen express to be a useful tool. I would recommend it, but I would also note that there are caveats to its effective use, it takes some practice to use. However, it does work well, and I expect it to be an invaluable tool for academic research. I recommend it.

The iris pen scanner says that it needs a USB port and CD drive. Unfortunately, they failed to mention that most USB drives do not have enough power to run the Iris pen's scanner. I tried 2 computers and called technical support 3 times. Each time it was the same story... not enough power. I told them that I had a brand new, expensive computer with only 2 other USB devices hooked up and he still said it wasn't enough. Anyway, I had to return mine and I would highly suggest looking for another product because the Iris Pen Scanner does not live up to its claims.

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I too read the reviews and took the risk; and I too, am sorry I did. My pen will be back on it's way tomorrow for a semi-refund. I was extremely disappointed with the IRIS Pen Express. Not only can you NOT scan text that is single spaced, but when you do, it suddenly creates a new language that resembles something like a child who just came up and started punching keys on the keyboard. You can use a piece of paper to cover the next line down, but I still got errors. Scanning is not new to me either, nor are electronics in general. I work with them for a living, so I am confident the error is on the half of IRIS Pen. I gave myself an easy two hours trying to train myself to holding it right, etc. No luck. Speaking of which, it's also hard to hold the pen at exactly the right angle... it won't work right if you don't. You also have to scan in a perfectly straight line almost; easier said than done, trust me. I was using the pen on a desk, on a flat surface... I even used their "test sheet" and couldn't get it to input the right words more than 50% of the time... it was just gibberish. It takes longer to correct the mistakes in the middle of a sentence than it does to type the whole thing out. The application does input data directly to Word as promised... but data doesn't mean "correct data"... it just sorta puts in whatever it thinks you scanned. I would guess my overall accuracy rate was not better than 40-50%.

This is actually my first real negative review. I took a risk, and I payed the price. I should have listened to the other reviews here. Hopefully I along with some of these other folks will spare you the trouble of this device. Don't waste your time or money. You can buy a larger scanner, and scan faster with OCR, or heck, even type, that use this device successfully. Hopefully they'll eventually produce a more accurate product.

Read Best Reviews of IRIS Pen Express Handheld Scanner Here

I received the IRIS Pen Express a day ago, installed the software and the pen and started using it right away. I am pleased with the pen scanner. It works as represented and is quite simple to use. I wanted the pen scanner for small scanning jobs out of books etc (I practice law and will use the product in legal research and writing projects). For larger jobs, I will continue use a flat-bed scanner.

The IRIS pen is fast and amazingly accurate right out of the box. I carefully considered competing pens and decided to go with IRIS--so I have no experience with QuickLink or other competitors.

I think the reviews which are very tough on the IRIS Pen are unwarranted. The IRIS Pen is a very good product. I'm rating this a 4 out of 5 stars but it may be a 4.5 (and nothing is a 5).

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First, upon installation you're warned that the product has not passed Windows Logo Review, so even though it says "Supports Windows XP" on the box, you're cautioned that the software may destabalize your system.

Second, unless the text you're scanning is triple-spaced, it's pretty much useless. It scans one line at a time, so after calibrating the proper line and fixing OCR errors, you may as well have typed it yourself.

Third, if you're buying one from CompUSA, DON'T. Three words: 15% restocking fee.

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Global Marketing Executive Leather Case Cover for Samsung Galaxy Note (RC-GALX10NOTE-EXE-BK)

I use my Note 10.1 with a rubber case and it fits snugly in this cover. I got it for looks, not functionality.

I looked around quite a bit and was very pleased when it arrived........ this is a first quality product !!!

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Nice quality but a little bulky. I would recommend this product. Also wish there were other class to choose from.

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This is a great case. It protects my tablet from water,dust and comes with a great support stand and has a great look, I love the zipper concept as well.

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Palm Z22 Travel Charger

I placed this order, it was shipped very quickly, it was the best price on the web, and when it arrived, what I ordered was what I got. Great Job

I used the travel charger on a trip to Holland and it enabled me to read some e-books during the trip

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It is a good product but overpriced. Most manufacturers today provide universal voltage (115-240 VAC) power adaptors for which you can buy an inexpensive adaptor to convert the american type prongs to the overseas one. Palm, instead, provides the adaptor for 115 VAC only for the Z22 model. In that way, they force you to buy the one they make for international travel.

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Have not tried yet but they look functional and arrived in great time

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Handspring Visor Platinum (Silver)

This model of Visor is more expensive than Visor Deluxe, so what's their difference?

I'll list the difference btw Deluxe and Platinum, and let you be the judge to which one to buy.

-First, Visor Platinum is the FASTEST PalmOS PDA with its 33mhz processor. Other PalmOS PDAs have either 16mhz or 20mhz. Visor deluxe has 16mhz. However, the speed of the PDA is a little overrated, since most Palm application do not require high speed processor anyway. but hey, the faster the better, right?

-Second, Visor Platinum has 4 bits display while Visor Deluxe has only 2 bits display. This means that, Platinum can display 16 levels of greyscale, while Deluxe can display only 4 level of greyscale.

-Third, Platinum has PalmOS version 3.5 while Deluxe has version 3.1. This is important because you can not upgrade PalmOS on Handspring's PDA (due to USB problem). So, this means you'll be stuck with which ever PalmOS that comes with your Visor forever. But this is not a big problem as it may sounds, b/c any PalmOS's are essentially the same thing.

-Lastly, Platinum has cool sophisicated silver color, while Deluxe has teenage iMAC style colors.

Another product I recommend if you are considering buying Visor Platinum is PalmIIIxe. PalmIIIxe also has 4 bits display like Platinum, and it also comes with PalmOS version 3.5. I'll make a list of difference btw Visor Platinum and PalmIIIxe for you. (Note that this list also include some of the differences btw Visor Deluxe and PalmIIIxe)

-PalmIIIxe is the same price as Visor Deluxe, which is about fifty bucks cheaper than Platinum

-PalmIIIxe comes with only 16mhz processor like Visor Deluxe

-Visor has expansion module, which means alot, you can add many many feature afterward, you can make your Visor am MP3 player too! And you can also easily add more memory to your Visor, while for PalmIIIxe, you can only add 2MB flashcard.

-When you buy a leather case for your Visor, you dont have to stick a valcro to the back of your PDA like you have to for Palm. (Palm need a Valcro to hold it to the case, while for Visor, there's a plastic holder attach to the back of the leather case, so you can jsut put your Visor securely in there)

-Visor comes with a fast USB cradle while Palm comes with slow serial cradle, so if you buy palm and want a fast synconizing, you'll need to buy a USB cradle separatly.

-Visor comes with a good quiality stylus, it has solid feel of metal, and if you open it up, there's a little screw driver and a reset pin inside. Palm comes with a piece of plactic stylus; buy a new stylus cost about fifteen dollars.

Are these difference worth the more money you pay for Platinum? Let yourself be the judge, see what you need.

I was very surprised by some of the negative comments at cnet. I then realized that most of them had been written by people who didn't have Platinums, and for some reason, had some grudge against the Handspring. I think Mac haters have gone to the PDA world looking for more people to annoy. In any case, this is a great product and I've really enjoyed mine for the few days that I've had it. Downloading Avantgo and other apps was error-free--I'm not sure what happened to the other reviewer on this site. It is "painted plastic," but it's an awfully nice paint job, and the thing doesn't feel cheap at all. It's not as slick as the Palm V. However, it's human to get nostalgic about forward-thinking designs in our old, outdated technology. ;-)

I'm a bit put off by people on other sites (including the cnet review) claiming that this product is for "power users only." This seems awfully ignorant of the fact that these products are obsolete in two years or less. Have you whipped out your Newton lately? For fifty bucks more, you can get a 33-mhz processor that may keep you ahead of the obsolescence curve by a few months, and give you a lot of speed before then. Suck it up and get with the 21st century.

A note on the screen: it does give a bit, almost (!) like paper might if you were writing on a legal pad. It's not irritating to me at all, though I seem to notice it less than others in my office. Match it up with screen protectors and you have a very realistic writing experience.

Good luck and have fun--one last thing--Handspring has been great with shipping and support so far. I had mine (in MN) within 30 hours of ordering it. I expect Amazon can do the same (I have never had a bad experience with Amazon, period). I might add that Amazon has one heck of a good deal on Rhinoskin Ti Sliders--$50! I have never seen one less than $100, even on the Rhino site.

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As an upgrade to the Visor Deluxe it is obviously the same thing but faster. Noticeably faster than any other Palm device out there, but not really amazing. You will probably only see a big difference in computationally-intensive applications, or those with large databases, like Kanji Hanabi. The speed is the best thing about this product.

The worst thing about this product is the platinum case. Instead of the translucent plastic of the Deluxe model it is a painted gray plastic, and when that paint wears off (and it will) this thing is going to look like a cheap toy that's ready for the trash. The battery compartment cover doesn't fit properly it rattles. I expect more in a... device.

The clip-on cover is still a problem. Whereas the Palm III series cover flips back on a hinge, leaving a hand free for the stylus, the Handspring cover comes off. You can turn the unit over and clip it on the back, or put it down somewhere, but you have to do something with it before you can write. A clumsy design.

The big thing with Visor is of course Springboard modules. I can forgive the cover for the ability to plug in GPS, Modem, MP3, software, extra memory or even a digital camera or a phone. Palm has nothing to rival this, and now a year after launch some really useful Springboards are appearing, although some are ridiculously priced -... for a 64M MP3 module!

Apart from that... the device is very light (I was surprised to open the shipping container and find it inside, it felt far too light to contain a Visor) and includes batteries, cradle, software CD, brief guide and a few product pamphlets. The feel of the screen is not as smooth or pleasant as that of my Palm IIIe but I expect it will get better with use.

The included software installed and performed a hotsync on my Windows 2000 USB/Office 2000 system without a single problem. USB hotsync is FAST.

Unfortunately Handspring politely declined to help when I asked if I could get a set of translucent plastic for my Platinum. It would be best to see one of these before buying, or be prepared to return it if unhappy. It REALLY feels cheap and nasty.

This will be an excellent travelling email/authoring package with the Targus folding keyboard, RhinoSkin Ti slider case and CardAccess Thinmodem unless I decide Ihate this plastic so much that I return it for a Visor Deluxe instead.

Read Best Reviews of Handspring Visor Platinum (Silver) Here

I spent a fairly long time considering various handhelds available, and those that would be out in the future (including some that were based on Linux, very tempting for me). I decided, however, to go for a Handspring Visor Platinum, since it ran Palm stuff and would be able to draw on a rich history of PalmOS software. That, and the better display and CPU speed over Visor and Visor Deluxe.

After actually buying this little gadget, I must say I'm very pleased overall. The speed is excellent, the display is crisp, the Palm applications work great. The HotSync is very slick and works most of the time, although some nasty bugs cropped up when I tried to upload one app, forcing me to reboot if I wanted to sync again. One major downside is they force a USB cradle on you. While USB is fairly common and the added speed is nice, I would've liked the option -I don't have USB set up on my Linux box, so I have to buy the serial cradle to use it without Windows. I don't like spending [$] for something that could easily have been a simple option.

The only major problem is the screen. The display itself is nice. The screen material, though, is problematic. It's prone to scratches. I've had mine four days, and already have scratches in my handwriting area. They're faint, but they're there. My recommendation: buy screen protectors for this baby, you'll definitely need them.

Pros: Great CPU, crisp display, tons of Palm apps available, handspring modules make for nice expandability options, lots of cool games available (grin).

Cons: Serial cradle is a (fairly expensive) separate purchase if you want support on pre-98 versions of Windows, or BeOS or Linux. Screen is easily scratched even from daily use with the included stylus, which means you have to buy often-expensive screen protectors.

Overall: A great handheld if you don't mind a USB cradle forced on you and if you don't mind dropping [$] for screen protection.

Want Handspring Visor Platinum (Silver) Discount?

Pros: Runs PalmOS, more flexible than PalmPilots. Cons: All PDAs, not just Visors, are still expensive. Backlight feature does not light the icons below the screen.

Have you ever had a Game Boy from Nintendo? Well, I would be surprised if someone told me that the creators of Handspring Visor did not get the idea for Visor from Game Boy.

Like a game cartridge, Springboard Module gives the flexibility to add functionality that is (not available in the PDA itself but) built into the module. Theoretically, Visor is infinitely expandable (Handspring's claim), albeit Visor can handle one module at a time. If only these modules were affordable. Since Visors (regular (2 MB), deluxe (8 MB), platinum (8 MB), prism (8 MB)) run on the same OS that PalmPilots run, not only can Visors do everything their PalmPilot counterparts can, they can also do a lot more (via Springboard Modules) that PalmPilots just can't.

Visors started out cheaper than PalmPilots (Palm has been lowering PalmPilots' prices since the introduction of Visors by HandSpring), but are a little bulkier than PalmPilots. No, don't get me wrong, Visors are still sexy and colorful.

I bought a Visor Deluxe from HandSpring six months ago. After exhanging it for two more defective units, I had to finally return it. A few months ago I got another Visor Deluxe--this time from Amazon.com. No problems so far, everything is working like magic. I now have a Visor Platinum and have experienced no problems--I am still using the same software that installed when I had my Visor Deluxe.

The other day I had to use my Visor Platinum at night--in the dark--and I was able to use the backlight. Though I was able to see the screen clearly, the backlight doesn't show where the 'home', 'menu', 'calculator' and 'find' icons are. We still have to guess the area below the screen for these icons. I hope Handspring does something about this.

If you are in the US (especially in CA), you can get them at Amazon.com...

If you are thinking about to buy a PalmPilot, do not buy it until you've tried out a Visorr.

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