Handspring unveils colour palm PCs

Handheld PC maker Handspring, which designs devices that look and work like Palm Pilots, has launched its first colour-enabled machine.

Handheld PC maker Handspring, which designs devices that look and work like Palm Pilots, has launched its first colour-enabled machine.

Also launched this week is an upgraded version of Handspring's monochrome handheld PC, which it claims is twice as fast as other Palm-based devices on the market.

Handspring's first colour-enabled device, the Visor Prism, displays 65,536 16bit colours and has 8Mb of Ram. Its rechargeable lithium ion battery provides nearly two weeks of normal use on a single charge, the firm claimed.

Joe Sipher, vicepresident of product marketing at Handspring, said the handheld PC could be used for applications such as digital photography and global positioning systems.

The monochrome Visor Platinum includes 8Mb of Ram and wireless infrared synchronisation and enhanced security. The device runs on two AAA batteries that provide four to six weeks of performance with standard use, said the company.

Both devices will be on sale in November, priced at £399 and £249, respectively.

Catherine Pennington, an analyst at IDC, said the product launches could herald a push into the business market by Handspring, which before now had most of its success in the consumer market.

"Previously, Handspring targeted the youth and consumer markets, and its devices looked a bit like iMacs, with different coloured casing. These new devices are far more serious looking and I think they look a bit like the [Compaq] iPaq," she said. "This may mean that they are trying to target the business market, as Palm predominantly does."