Visor Edge Discontinued by Handspring

Posted By: Ed Thursday, July 11, 2002 10:10:12 AM

The Visor Edge appears to have been discontinued by Handspring. The company now lists it as "No Longer Available" on its company webstore.

The Edge, which debuted in March of last year, was Handspring's first attempt at making a slim handheld. However, it was never as successful as Handspring hoped it would be.

Handspring has been reducing the number of Visor models it sells in favor of the Treo line. For example, the Visor Prism was recently discontinued. However, it is slightly surprising that the Edge was discontinued because Jeff Hawkins, one of Handspring's founders, said in January that the Edge was one of the products the company was committed to.

History
It seems clear that the timing for the Edge was off. It had a monochrome screen but was released at about the same time Palm and Sony announced color models that sold for close to the same price.

The Edge could use Springboards but only with an attachment that greatly increased the size of the handheld. This solution was met with much criticism.

Handspring tried to boost sales of the Edge by steadily reducing its price. After intitially going on sale for $400, by February of this year it was selling for $200.

It used a 33Mhz Motorola VZ and had 8MB of memory. It had a monochrome LCD with 4-bit grayscale (16 shades of gray). The Edge used a rechargeable lithium ion battery.

Thanks to Omnitron78 for the tip. -Ed

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So long...

huggy @ 7/11/2002 10:46:19 AM #
So long for the edge... and the never seen color edge, which i doubt could anytime see the light...

BUT, i think of the edge as a very good handheld. Its display was great, though b/w, and was much nicer then the palm V/m5XX form factor...

-------------- huggy ---------------

First pun!

I.M. Anonymous @ 7/11/2002 10:56:16 AM #
Well if it wasn't apparent before, it certainly is obvious now...Handspring has clearly lost its Edge.
RE: First pun!
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/11/2002 3:39:23 PM #
Get a life!
RE: First pun!
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/11/2002 5:47:19 PM #
Aw, he's just mad because he didn't think of it first!
RE: First pun!
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/11/2002 6:12:34 PM #
I know I am!
RE: First pun!
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/11/2002 10:52:32 PM #
Old pun. Someone had posted it as one of the earliest comments on a review of the Edge.

Edge is dead? Your kidding!?! [sarcasm]

Foo Fighter @ 7/11/2002 11:09:48 AM #
Should this be a surprise to anyone? The Edge was a complete and total FLOP! It was dead from the moment it left the warehouse.

Let this stand as further proof that grayscale is dead. Long may it rot. Maybe now this will put an end to old hardliners who keep preaching "We don't need color".

GO BACK TO THE OLD FOLKS HOME! :-)

RE: Edge is dead? Your kidding!?! [sarcasm]
Bmann @ 7/11/2002 11:20:35 AM #
Not only is B/W dead, but 160x160 is dead for anyone that has a Sony, and if you have the NR series, you can't go back to the small square screen.

320x480 rules

RE: Edge is dead? Your kidding!?! [sarcasm]
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/11/2002 11:39:27 AM #
>old hardliners who keep preaching "We don't need >color".

No. No. No. It's never been a matter of "we". What some individuals are saying is "_I_ don't need color". You're not in a position to dictate whether they do or not, but I think it's obvious that if color screen units continue to fall in price, more and more b/w owners will switch when they buy their next pda.

RE: Edge is dead? Your kidding!?! [sarcasm]
Ronin @ 7/11/2002 11:40:40 AM #
Didn't take long for this thread to degenerate into 'my Palm device is better than your Palm device' did it.

Can we please find a way to lift the level of discussion on these home page article threads. Before all of this ridiculous divisiveness erupted, the discourse around here was a pretty damn informative and intelligent exchange of ideas and opinions.

Anyway, I am sorry to see the Edge go, it was an elegant design hampered by bad timing and the size of Springboard expansion. It seems to me that if HandSpring could find away to fit a color screen and a SD/MMC expansion slot in the same design and size device and released it today, they would have a far more impressive device than the Treo 90.

In the Spirit of Umoja,
Ronin

RE: Edge is dead? Your kidding!?! [sarcasm]
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/11/2002 11:45:33 AM #
> GO BACK TO THE OLD FOLKS HOME!

and this thread is a clear explanation why kids should be in school through the whole summer.

RE: Edge is dead? Your kidding!?! [sarcasm]
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/11/2002 12:37:15 PM #
> GO BACK TO THE OLD FOLKS HOME!

Eh! What did you say sonny boy? I lost my grayscale hearing aid.

RE: Edge is dead? Your kidding!?! [sarcasm]
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/11/2002 1:43:38 PM #
lol
RE: Edge is dead? Your kidding!?! [sarcasm]
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/11/2002 2:11:55 PM #
>> No. No. No. It's never been a matter of "we". What some individuals are saying is "_I_ don't need color". You're not in a position to dictate whether they do or not, but I think it's obvious that if color screen units continue to fall in price, more and more b/w owners will switch when they buy their next pda.

I could not have said it better myself. ___I___ am very happy with my current HE330. When prices slip some more, perhaps early next year, I'll look at a color unit from whatever manufacturer has a model ___I___ like, not everyone else.

RE: Edge is dead? Your kidding!?! [sarcasm]
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/12/2002 12:17:23 AM #
>> "It seems to me that if HandSpring could find away to fit a color screen and a SD/MMC expansion slot in the same design and size device and released it today, they would have a far more impressive device than the Treo 90." <<

Five monkeys working in a garage with spare parts from various Palm Vs could put together a far more impressive device than the Treo 90. It's a piece of sh**. Handspring is dead soon.

RE: Edge is dead? Your kidding!?! [sarcasm]
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/12/2002 5:56:16 PM #
Well the boy wonders seem to be having a field day!

Look, the reality is that color is not necessary for 99% of the stuff I use my Palm for. Long battery life is vital.

Edge was the best handheld!

I.M. Anonymous @ 7/11/2002 2:19:08 PM #
The Edge was the best handheld for what it did. I love my Edge more than any PDA I have owned. Slim, light, great screen, great backlight and stylish. I never bought Springboards so I never missed it. We knew that it was way overpriced when it came out. I got mine just 6 months ago when it was on sale. The color screen will one day be that's all is offered when prices come down for all of us. It has been proven in the past and it will repeat for handhelds. My next PDA will be color for sure and battery life on palm based devices are way advanced then the pocketpc models. I have seen the Sony models and others, and they are still to big or heavy. Some early Sonys still had a bad color screen. We are better now adays, but think how it will be 6 or 12 months from now with OS5 devices. They will need to excel the configurations of these models. Sony has been the only one that has tried stretching OS4 to its fullest. I hope others follow.

Good bye Edge it was fun while it lasted. I'll keep mine until there's something out there that matches it with color and weight and more features.

RE: Edge was the best handheld!
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/11/2002 3:44:07 PM #
Why can't all of the posts on this website be as intelligent as this one? Its nice to see that a few people can rise above the "every pda but mine is bad" mentality that is so prevalent on this website.


RE: Edge was the best handheld!
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/11/2002 3:52:49 PM #
Edge is HS answer for thin and stylish, with a license to rip off.

but it turns out customer isn't that stupid. Were the Edge come out with SD slot, and priced at $299 in the beginning, they might sells like hot cake. But instead they rather sells it at $499 and wait until the technology is as stale as yesterday donuts and wonders why even at $250 nobody is buying.

well DOH.....

RE: Edge was the best handheld!
BUDD @ 7/11/2002 8:15:25 PM #
Technology as stale as....Whaaat? Silly. NASA went with slightly less than cutting edge technology throughout the Apollo Space program (remember all thos trips to the moon with only one problem that had nothing to do with computers). They did it ON purpose because tested and reliable was more important for those that rely on computers--of any kind--for mission-critical things. And every where I have been (I'm something of an Edge collector at this point)that sold Edges are sold-out. So they were selling and well at the reduced prices.

RE: Edge was the best handheld!
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/12/2002 12:20:12 AM #
Well, "BUDD,"

Just because a store is "sold out" of the Edge DOES NOT mean that it sold well. If it's a large retailer like CompUSA, they can ship leftovers to the warehouse, from where they will then be auctioned off to a discounter, probably on the internet.

Face it, "BUDD," the Edge was a loser. You're perfectly entitled to like it, and I hope you're able to accumulate a hundred of these things. But IN THE MARKET, it simply couldn't cut it.

RE: Edge was the best handheld!
BUDD @ 7/16/2002 9:08:54 PM #
Hey "anonymus": who gives a RATS BUTT about "the fricken market." You betray yourself and the rest of the "I need to be cool and in sync with the market croud." Glad I'm not like you. At all. The market telling me what a good device is makes me laugh so hard my side hurts. No, really. Again I remind you I was using these things when they were not cool. You remember--back when you were telling your friends about your new Windows 3.11 laptop and ewing and awing them with that sort of stuff. What I really care about is the Classic Palm mantra of "keep it simple and keep it reliable." The Edge is ALL that. Makes no difference that you wait for the next latest model that plays your MP3 "wake me up before you go go" tune. The Edge is solid and reliable. It is perhaps the last model that works well and has a metal casing to boot. Now repent or be lost to the whims of the market (not the spirit of the original PalmPilot). ;)

Dave

I.M. Anonymous @ 7/11/2002 2:37:40 PM #
I enjoyed owning my Edge silver till some pda shop guy said it looked like it was made out of a tuna can!
RE: Dave
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/11/2002 7:20:11 PM #
Too bad you didn't have some other reason to buy it other than to impress the PDA shop guy.
Fishy
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/12/2002 8:46:28 PM #
Yeah, I always said the thing looked like an ugly, boxy, cheap, metallic *sardine* can.

Are tuna cans rectangular where you live?

This was sunk from the beginning.

RE: Dave
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/13/2002 7:52:50 AM #
One cruel word has long lasting effects!

Just like those adults who suffered name calling at school are still haunted.

RE: Dave
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/13/2002 4:31:09 PM #
It's sad that one person's opinion could affect you so badly.

Personally, I think the Edge has the best design of any PDA I've ever seen. It just has a few fatal flaws: no UC, no SD slot, and no colour screen. But aside from that, it's beautiful.

RE: Dave
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/14/2002 5:06:16 PM #
That flip-over tin can design shouts "Hey Everyone! Look at me and my PDA! Now I never miss an episode of Star Trek! Look out ladies - I've set my phazers on STUN!!"
RE: Dave
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/16/2002 3:17:49 PM #
Spent a good amount of time playing with a buddies' Treo 90 this past weekend, and used it side by side with my m505 and his old Prism. I have to admit, I think Handspring could have staved off disaster a bit longer had they released two "refreshed" models.

First, an Edge II with 16 megs of ram and an SD slot. Color would be fabulous, of course, but let's not forget that this is Handspring. OS 4 would be, due to SD, necessary and appreciated all around.

Then follow that up with a Prism II/Prism Neo and also have 16 megs of ram, but up the battery life as much as possible. OS 4 would again be nice, but not a necessity. Keep the springboard slot as a last gasp for diehards.

Finally, introduce the Treo 90 as the "other" color unit, not as the ONLY one. It is in no way a replacement for the Prism with its big, bright, beautiful screen. I've heard more people b***h and moan about the Treo 90's screen in the few weeks it's been out than I ever heard anyone moan in almost 2 years' time about the brick-size formfactor of the Prism.

Oh well, too late to change any of this...

Its never quite good enough

atrizzah @ 7/11/2002 3:38:44 PM #
It was kinda funny seeing people bitch that the Edge wasn't good enough because it wasn't color, but now all people do is bitch about the color on the color models not being good enough. People have to realize that there are tradeoffs that developers must make because of technological and cost limitations. It will be a long time before you can get color on your PDA that looks as good as your HDTV.

Peace Out
Alan
RE: Its never quite good enough
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/11/2002 3:49:54 PM #
AMEN!!!!!!!!!!
RE: Its never quite good enough
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/11/2002 10:52:40 PM #
> It will be a long time before you can get color on your
> PDA that looks as good as your HDTV.

Well, at least another couple years till we get some high quality OLED screens. Till then, greyscale will suit me just fine.

Keeping my EDGE...for a long time

BUDD @ 7/11/2002 8:03:24 PM #
I have used many handhelds since the early 1990's. Played with many others. The EDGE is THE classic handheld. After I missed my chance at getting a Palm Pilot Pro, I wasn't going to do it again when I saw the writing on the wall a few months ago re:the EDGE. I use my pda as a mission-critical tool (casemanager with wayyy too much to do). After my HE330 developed cracks all over it and my buddy went through 3 in a few months, I realized that had never put-up with that kind of garbage in the past. My Avigo didn't do that! I realized tried and true was the best bet and went with a metal PDA--the EDGE. I have never been sorry. Bought 3 and now am glad because while everyone is gripping over the bugs and flukes of the new devices my unit will actually work and do what you think it will do when you 'hit the buttons' and 'tap the icons.' Old farts to the nursing home...kahark kahark keheehee! Pleeezze. Us old hazbeens (aka 'real geeks' that used these things when it wasn't trendy or cool to)will miss the Edge.

RE: Keeping my EDGE...for a long time
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/12/2002 8:52:19 PM #
Classic? No, the classic for this range was the Palm Vx, which came out years before this ugly, useless model. That's why it was sunk... Two years after the Vx came out Handsrping finally had a device that was almost as good. Talk about a waste of time.

Good value now

I.M. Anonymous @ 7/14/2002 5:28:17 AM #
It's on Compusa's website for $120, which is very cheap for a nice, thin handheld. If it had OS 4 I might have bought one...
RE: Good value now
BUDD @ 7/16/2002 9:02:19 PM #
Talk about lack of grey matter. What are you DOING? What let me paraphrase = my handheld is better than yours/Nannynannybooboo.

Get real. I use the Edge to do hot and heavy mission-critical case management. It works and well. Useless. You may perhaps use your Vx to play games I suppose. And get the history right. The Edge came out before the Vx and about 6 months after the V. All that matters, "anonymos", is that the unit does what you need it to do (what Palms started out doing and why they are better than Microsoft units) and the Edge does everything very well.

Don't bitch, take advantage of this!

I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 3:11:42 AM #
Everything visor edge related is on clearance nationwide. Picked up the visor edge itself, the slim leather case, the aluminum case, and an extra pen all for exactly $127.83

BW or color, who cares! I'm a newbie pda user anyway. I can't complain for getting all this close to $100. The new color pdas out there are so expensive/bulky anyway... might as well spend for an actual laptop.

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