[Agent69]

I am looking into purchasing a Palm IIIc. While color is nice, the main reason I am considering the IIIc is because it is an active matrix LCD screen.

I have owned items with passive/dual-scan LCD screens in the past and I disliked them because of Ghosting.

So my questions are:

1. Has there been any problems with dead pixels on the IIIc?
2. Is the display backlit?
3. How long does a charge last with a color screen?

Thanks,

Agent69

[Adam Silver]

1. I haven't heard of any problems.
2. Yes.
3. About ten hours. That's about two weeks of normal use.

[ginoledesma]

The Handspring Visor Prism has a much nicer color-screen - 16-bit color.



[This message has been edited by ginoledesma (edited 12-02-2000).]

[Agent69]

The Handspring screen sure is nice! I will check it out, though, as I have heard that some Handsprings can't be flashed.

Agent69

[Scott_H]

I'm not sure if the new ones have flash ram to update the OS but you can get updates that patches it in place. So it's not that big of a deal. Besides Palm OS updates seem to be mainly for new hardware.

[ginoledesma]

Originally posted by Agent69:
The Handspring screen sure is nice! I will check it out, though, as I have heard that some Handsprings can't be flashed.

The Handspring Visors do not have Flash ROM. You cannot update the OS through flashing but you can do so by using Springboard modules.

Here's a snippet from Handspring's FAQs:

Q. What about a Flash OS?
A. The Handspring Visor supports upgrades to the operating system (OS) via Springboard modules and software patches. We do not use "flash" memory to store the OS for several reasons:[*]1) we are fully upradeable via Springboard modules and software patches,[*]2) the vast majority of users will never need to completely rewrite the entire OS in memory,[*]3) "flash" memory is more costly and complex than "read-only memory" (ROM). We continually evaluate the best technologies for our products and will include those that provide clear benefits to our customers. To see the current differences in the built-in Visor OS and the Palm OS release, see our OS comparison chart below.

[This message has been edited by ginoledesma (edited 12-03-2000).]

Springboards and patches are not a suitable replacement for flash ROM. Patches can only be used for small maintenance releases, not major OS upgrades. Springboards are expensive and use up your expansion slot, so I doubt they will ever be used for OS upgrades at all.

I know from experience - my Palm IIIe has no flash memory, and being stuck at OS 3.1.1 is disappointing and prevents me from using software like Aileron and some other Internet programs. I personally am unlikely to buy a Visor solely because of the lack of flash ROM. (Unfortunately, I also dislike buying from Palm because of their poor customer support and unreliable hardware.)

[ginoledesma]

I agree with that. Handpsring also has yet to make clear in their FAQs about how they will go about supporting major OS upgrades. The idea of plugging in a springboard OS upgrade module will not be ideal since other people may want to use other devices while using the newer OS.

[The Scalz]

Considering the problems people have been having recently updating to Palm OS 3.5, I don't know that I agree with the benefits of the Flash ROM.

------------------
Richard Scalzo
Graphic Designer & Art Director
Mac user for 15 years

[THX1138]

The Prism beats the IIIc in screen quality and amount of colors shown, but the IIIc is 120 dollars cheaper: $449US to $329US, but the IIIc needs a USB adapter if you want to use it on a new Mac, so that will set you back $40 dollars, so the Prism is only $80 dollars cheaper.

I however would prefer the Prism, from it's built in USB, to the SpringBoard, to the nicer display, but I got my IIIc for free so I'm not complaining.

-THX

[edited to fix a dumb math error! ]

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Just because Windows users vastly outnumber Mac users, numbers alone do not denote a higher form of life. Cøckroaches outnumber humans many times over, and no one says a cøckroach is better than a human.

[This message has been edited by THX1138 (edited 01-07-2001).]