Initial IDM-1252 10.2" LCD Portable DVD Player with USB & Memory Card Reader

Initial IDM-1252 10.2

Initial IDM-1252 10.2" LCD Portable DVD Player with USB & Memory Card Reader
Manufacturer: Initial Technology
Product Type: CE

Editorial Review:
Product Description




Average customer rating: 4.0
  • 3 years with my Prisim
  • Brilliant value for PDAphone (Visor Prism+Phone)
  • I Miss my Visor Prism!!
  • Long-time Owner & User and Love It!!
  • don't count on it

Listmania:
  1. Essential Accessories for Handspring Visor Prism
  2. Handspring store
  3. Handspring Prism and Accessory Must-Haves
  4. prism and must haves
  5. The College Student's 20 Most Essential Things at Amazon.com
  6. Palm Handhelds
  7. Essential Visor accessories
  8. Prism Power-User Needs
  9. AWESOME PDAS AND GADGETS
  10. Handspring Visor Stuff
Handspring Visor Prism

Manufacturer: Handspring
Product Group: CE
Binding: Electronics
ASIN: B00004Y7TD

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Related | Palm OS | Handhelds & PDAs | Computers & Add-Ons | Categories | Electronics

Amazon.com Review

Handspring's first foray into the realm of color palmtops, the Visor Prism may not deliver the crispness of displays on the latest Windows CE devices from Casio and Compaq, but it does improve on the Palm IIIc, its main competitor.

While the Prism costs more than the Palm IIIc, its increased color depth and brightness (it delivers 16-bit color compared to the 8-bit color of the IIIc) really shines in gaming and graphical applications. Even the default world map that's used to set geographic location and time appeared more distinct and offered the illusion of 3-D.

Like other Visors, the Prism contains a Springboard module slot, letting users upgrade its capabilities--such as adding an MP3 player, expanding memory, and eventually adding a cell phone (among many options). With the color screen of the Prism, modules such as the eyemodule digital camera really take on new life. With the Prism, the eyemodule takes color pictures, while previous versions of the Visor only allowed users to view them in grayscale.

Further, unlike other Visors, the Visor Prism uses an internal lithium-ion rechargeable battery--a nice touch as the color display would have drained the standard two AAAs quickly. Handspring claims that a fully charged battery should last a week or two with normal use, but we found continuous use of the display, such as with game playing or extended note taking, wore the battery down much faster. However, every time the Prism syncs in the fast-transferring USB cradle, the battery gets charged--and it only takes a few minutes to top off the current level of juice.

Although the color screen only extends the thickness of the Prism by a tenth of an inch compared to previous Visors, it's still twice as thick as the sleek Palm V line of devices. But it is smaller than CE devices such as Casio's EM-500 and the Compaq iPaq, and for its size category of palmtops, it delivers the best colors around. --J. Curtis

<b>Pros:</b>
<ul>

  • 16-bit color (compared to the Palm IIIc's 8-bit color)
  • 8 MB memory
  • Expandable using Springboard modules </ul>

    <b>Cons:</b>
    <ul>

  • Color display not as bright or crisp as Pocket PCs </ul>

    Amazon.com Product Description

    The Handspring Visor Prism is the first expandable full-color handheld computer. The 16-bit active-matrix LCD screen displays over 65,000 colors so everything is crisp, bright, and easy to read. With the Springboard expansion slot, you can snap a digital camera or global positioning system and instantly view full-color photos and maps. The Prism also features an internal rechargeable battery that is charged when the Prism is placed in the docking cradle.

    In addition to an address book, to-do list, and memo pad, the Prism Color Visor features an enhanced date book, advanced calculator, and world clock. The 8 MB memory stores approximately 12,000 addresses, 10 years of appointments, 6,000 to do items, 6,000 memos, and 400 e-mails. Since it uses Palm OS, you can beam information with other Palm users or download thousands of existing Palm- compatible applications, including those with color.

    The Prism's USB connection makes synchronizing with your desktop computer fast and easy. You can quickly back up, update, or exchange information between the Prism and your computer with the USB charging cradle and HotSync technology.

    The Prism comes with a protective leather case, an AC adapter for use with the charging cradle, Palm Desktop software for Windows and Mac. It is backed by one-year limited warranty.

    Important note to customers: USB connectivity is compatible with Windows 98/2000/Me and USB-enabled Macintoshes running OS 8.1 and later. If you use Windows 95, Windows NT, Mac OS 8.0 or lower, or your computer does not have a USB port, you will need to buy a separate serial cradle.

    <b>What's in the box</b>
    <ul>

  • Visor Prism
  • Cobalt Blue HotSync cradle
  • 8 MB RAM
  • Internal rechargeable lithium ion battery
  • USB HotSync charging cradle
  • Leather slipcase </ul>

    Product Description

    Now you can add color to your life... and your organizer - with Visor Prism, the first infinitely expandable full-color handheld computer. It displays over 65,000 vibrant colors so everything is crisper, brighter and easier to read. And, with the Springboard expansion slot, you can snap in a digital camera or a global positioning system and instantly view full-color pictures, maps and more.The Visor Prism's active-matrix backlit display really brightens your day?and your night. Now you can view picture-quality graphics like photos, videos, games, and maps. And everything is incredibly easy to read, too. Some things just look better in color. With the Visor Prism, you can snap in a Springboard module and take advantage of the Springboard platform's incredible color potential. The Visor Prism's internal lithium ion battery recharges in minutes - and it does it while resting in its cradle. And, with normal use, the battery lasts nearly two weeks on a single charge. The Visor Prism not only has great colors on the inside, it also comes in a cool cobalt blue color on the outside.

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars 3 years with my Prisim.......2004-08-30

    I have had my Prisim for 3 years now, The hard shell cover has allowed me to carry, (and sit on )it for all of the 3 years. The 8 meg is plenty for normal use.
    It is in use every day, and backedup/charged just as frequently.
    I know there are more advanced units out there, with more features and such, but I dred the day I will need to find a replacement that can measure up to this one when it is gone.
    I never leave home without it for sure!

    5 out of 5 stars Brilliant value for PDAphone (Visor Prism+Phone).......2004-05-21

    I've been using Visor Prism + Phone for about 2 months now, I bought it from a local store which suprisingly still had some stocks and guaranteed the item for 1 year.
    Overall, I found it very very useful. I'm not a heavy PDA user, so mainly I use it to read e-books, see photos, games. Visor's 8 Megs is more than enough.
    More about the phone, I can't tell how much I admire the modularity of Springboard. Handspring engineer have done great job. The phone and sms function work perfect, compared to the more pricey Tungsten W.
    It's better than Treo 270 I assume, on color display (Treo has 4096 while Prism has 65K) and of course using Visor I don't have to worry about flip hinge crack that often happen to Treo user.
    Some drawbacks that I found is that battery drained quickly, I also notice that there are some dead pixels in the unit I bought, and last but not least it's quite heavy to carry.
    Based on the above, I still think that this product is a great collectible item,worth the price, and everywhere you carry it people were just curious to know. It's a bit rare that to some it's more intriguing than even the popular O2 XDA. Well done Handspring!

    5 out of 5 stars I Miss my Visor Prism!!.......2004-01-10

    I replaced my Prism with a Palm M515 and I miss my Visor!! If I knew then how difficult it would be to replace I would have purchased several more, kept a nice inventory and and made a profit on the rest. Handspring made a VERY nice color PDA.....I hope PalmOne stays with it...

    4 out of 5 stars Long-time Owner & User and Love It!!.......2003-12-22

    I have had my Prism for years now and absolutely love it. Loved it so much that when my wife was ready for a PDA, she got one too. We have Targus keyboards, the Magellan GPS, modems, Eyemodule camera, tons of memory and applications and now we can get apps and accessories for next to nothing!! She dropped hers the other day, broke the chassis, and will probably buy another--cheaper than repairing!! I was in a hurry in the car connecting the GPS, smashed the Springboard pins and will probably buy another as well!! Sorry for those with bad experiences, but we've had great service with ours. Obviously, a new power-user would want something more up-to-date, but for a student or someone like me who has had their Prism for a while, it still proves to be a great value!!

    1 out of 5 stars don't count on it.......2003-10-08

    I have now been through two of these, I might be silly but I expect to get more than a year and a half out of my investment. Customer service stinks and is a rip off. Both Prisims are garbage for numerous reasons, not batteries, they were changed. If you want something that will last awhile don't get it. And I don't have any other software on there except Datebook.

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