The Visor Edge is Handspring's thinnest handheld to date, and the first one without a built-in Springboard slot which is bundled as a detachable module instead.
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There seems to be some sort of craze going on about handhelds, suggesting that thinner is better. Of course, overall size is an issue - but creating smaller devices often means sacrificing functionality, often in terms of display sizes. Handspring's Visor Edge still has a comfortable size on its monochrome display, but the company was forced to get rid of the built-in Springboard slot to make it as thin as it is. Now let's see if it was a sacrifice worth making.
The hardware
It seems to be a growing trend that new PDAs shouldn't come with a thousand items that have to be unwrapped, assembled, or simply thrown away because they're useless. That is also the case with the Visor Edge, which is only accompanied in its package by its very much improved USB cradle, an AC adapter, the bundled detachable Springboard slot, an installation CD and finally a quick reference guide and the one-page introduction leaflet.
The device itself is a beauty, which feels very robust considering how thin it is. Its size and metal casing are also part of its selling argument - it's elegant, light and slim, making it a perfect match for those who need to carry their PDA around with them in a shirt pocket all the time.
 | | The Edge has good hardware specifications and a brilliant cradle |
A solution that adds to the elegance but is a bit unusual is the fact that the very comfortable and weighted metal stylus is attached to the side of the Edge, instead of fitting in a silo which has been common earlier. It's a snug fit, but when shaking the Edge it rattles - a small annoyance which probably could have been avoided.
There's however one thing that's flawlessly improved compared with previous versions, and that's the synchronization cradle. It's much smaller than previous versions and has been weighted down, so that it stands firm on your desk just about no matter what you do. It's the best cradle I've ever seen, and if Handspring ever releases another device with a cradle of the older kind, I'll personally call them up and give them the worst time of their lives.
Hidden under the detachable metal flip-lid cover, you'll find a quite standard setup with the usual Palm OS shortcut keys; access to the Date Book, Address Book, To Do List and the Note Pad application is on the lower front of the device along with the up/down scroll buttons. The power on/off button is integrated with one of the really clever features of the Visor Edge, namely the silent alarm LED, and is placed in the lower right corner.
The Edge also has its share of connectivity options - in fact, there are three of them: The infrared port is located on the lower part of the Edge's left side, the USB/serial connector under the device and the brand new Edge connector on top of the device where the Springboard slot has been located on previous models. The Edge connector is an all-new port where you can either attach the detachable Springboard slot, or you can attach brand new modules directly to the connector (although none such devices exist yet).
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