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Handspring Press Release Archive
Handspring Launches Award-Winning Expandable Handheld Computers In Spain
MADRID, Spain (April 24, 2001) - - Handspring International Sarl. today announced it will begin selling its popular line of Visor expandable handheld computers and Springboard expansion modules in Spain. Customers can now buy the colourful family of Visor handhelds in localised Spanish versions at manufacturer's suggested retail price of ESP 45.900 for Visor Deluxe, ESP 68.000 for Visor Platinum and ESP 111.000 for Visor Prism. Visors will be immediately available through computer and consumer electronics distributors Santa Barbara and UMD.
Handspring anticipates that its distribution and channel partners will begin carrying a variety of Springboard modules and accessories including the Backup Module, the 8MB Flash Memory Module, the Xircom 56k wireline modem and the Targus Stowaway Keyboard.
Roger Kermisch, vice president and general manager of Handspring Europe, said, "the booming adoption of mobile telephony in Spain is a good indicator that this market is a strong, virtually untapped, opportunity for handheld computing. We believe that by providing people with a product that combines robust expandability with the ease of use of the Palm OS Handspring will help drive the rapid adoption of handheld computers in Spain."
Products to be distributed include the Visor Deluxe (Graphite & Blue), Visor Prism and Visor Platinum. All three handhelds include 8MB of RAM, come with a leather carrying case and are compatible with software developed for the Palm OS. Visor Prism, Handspring's first colour-enabled product, boasts 16-bit colour and can display over 65,000 colours for viewing picture-quality graphics, as well as vivid games and maps. Visor Platinum is the fastest Palm OS handheld computer on the market today, at least 50% faster than Visor Deluxe and as much as twice as fast as many other Palm OS handheld computer on the market.
Visor Handheld Computer Features
- Springboard expansion slot
- Address Book, Date Book, To Do list, Memo Pad, expense tracking and email applications (email requires synchronization with a desktop computer)
- Advanced Date Book application
- Advanced scientific and business calculator
- World Clock
- Trim design (4.8" x 3.0" by 0.7")
- Light-weight (5.4 oz.)
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- Built-in USB support
- Native support for the Macintosh OS
- USB Synchronisation cradle
- Infrared transceiver
- Backlight
- Built-in microphone
- Compatibility with thousands of Palm OS applications
- Synchronises with Microsoft Outlook or Palm Desktop
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Universal Serial Bus Support
The Visor products are the first handheld computing products to directly support universal serial bus (USB) technology. Synchronisation via USB technology is faster and easier than synchronisation with a standard serial port. With the included USB cradle, Visor can synchronise with desktop computers running the Windows 98, Windows 2000 and Macintosh operating systems out of the box. For customers using desktop systems not equipped with USB ports, Handspring sells separately a low-cost synchronisation cradle that will connect directly with a serial port.
Enhanced Applications
Visor ships with the core Palm Computing OS platform applications for organising personal and business information: Address Book, Date Book, To Do List, Memo Pad and software for expense tracking and managing email. Visor also includes an Advanced Date Book application featuring expanded views of weekly, monthly and yearly schedules. The Advanced Date Book integrates the To Do application, so important To Do items appear in the calendar views. Advanced Date Book will automatically move any unchecked To Do items to the next day so they are not ignored or forgotten. Other Visor features include an advanced calculator with financial and scientific modes, a world clock and a built-in microphone for use with voice recording and communications modules expected later this year.
About Visor and the Springboard Expansion Platform
All Visor products utilize the Palm OS software. Built from the ground up for expansion, all Visor products feature the Springboard slot for plug-and-play integration with Springboard modules that are sold separately. With Springboard expansion modules - hardware components that slide easily in and out of the Springboard slot on the back of the Visor products - people can easily tailor their handhelds to suit their specific needs, with the flexibility to interchange modules as desired. All Visor products offer HotSync software for desktop synchronization and a conduit to Microsoft Outlook.
About Handspring
Handspring is a leading innovator in the handheld computing industry. The company develops, manufactures and markets a family of expandable handheld computers for a broad range of markets and customers. Founded in 1998, Handspring's flagship technology is the Springboard platform that provides a simple and easy method for hardware and software expansion. Today Handspring sells its Visor line of handhelds at Handspring.com and through select Internet and retail partners in the U.S., Asia Pacific, Canada, the Middle East and Europe, along with a line of Springboard expansion modules and accessories.
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including those relating to: the strength of the handheld computing market in Spain; and the degree to which distribution and channel partners will carry Springboard modules and accessories. Actual results may differ materially due to a number of factors including, among others: consumer demand for Handspring's new products; Handspring's and its distributors' ability to manage and expand reseller and distribution channels in Spain; the challenge of attracting and retaining Springboard developers given their need for a very large base of Visor users and the distribution channels to reach them; and the rapid pace of technological change and competitive developments in the handheld computer industry. The matters discussed in this press release also involve risks and uncertainties described in Handspring's most recent Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Handspring assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.
Handspring, the Handspring logo, Springboard and Visor are trademarks of Handspring, Inc. and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. All other brand and company names are trademarks of their respective owners.
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