I don't know about you, but I'm starting to feel like a nerdy Batman lugging
around all of my digital gadgets. The wired age utility belt quickly fills
up with a PDA, cell phone, pager, and MP3 player. Unless you like looking
like a makeshift caped crusader, this is not a reasonable situation. There
have been attempts at solutions, like the e-Holster,
but then you end up looking like an FBI agent or Puff Daddy's security
guard. Surely there is a better way.
When the Handspring Visor
was first introduced, people were excited about the idea of a PDA that
ran the insanely popular Palm operating system, but didn't cost as much
as the Palm. Initially, users and pundits didn't seem as enthused about
the expandable slot on the Visor, called the Springboard Module, because
it was not compatible with other expandable technologies like SmartMedia
or CompactFlash. Now it's turning out that the Springboard may be the
most revolutionary aspect of the Visor. As more Springboard-based gear
is introduced, users are starting to see that having a platform on which
to dock and undock different modules (for phone, pager, music player,
GPS, etc.) is a step in the right direction.
Here are some of the more promising Springboard Modules currently available.
 VisorPhone
($299 plus monthly service fees)
Visor users have been waiting for this one's a module that turns your
PDA into a cell phone. Besides lightening your load a bit, the VisorPhone
makes use of your Palm OS address book and calendar for one-touch dialing
(and you only have to enter names and addresses in one device). With
third-party software, you can also turn the VisorPhone into a wireless
modem, so it's really two devices in one.
Removable Flash Module ($79)
Handspring's 8MB Removable Flash Module is basically a disk drive for
your Visor. Plug in the module and you can back up files to removable
flash media. With a floppy disk CompactFlash adapter, this device offers
a convenient way to move files between your PDA, laptop and desktop
computer without having to hotsync.
 Good
Technology SoundsGood Audio Player ($270)
One of the module types Visor users are most excited about is MP3 players.
The first of these devices is the SoundsGood Audio Player. This plug-in
player holds 64MB of tunes and has impressive sound quality. Two drawbacks
are that it's Windows-only and the memory cannot be upgraded.
Eyemodule Digital Camera ($149.95)
Plug-in digital cameras for PDAs may have limited appeal (due to low
image quality, file size and the awkwardness of snapping pics via a
palmtop), but for spontaneous situations or ones where high-res is not
a big issue, a modular camera may be worth having in your gear bag.
With 5MB of free memory on your Visor, you can hold more than 500 low-res
black and white images, 125 higher-res black and white images, or 25
color images.
OmniRemote ($59.95)
Gadget convergence doesn't just apply to communications devices. The
OmniRemote module is designed to handle "remote bloat" in your home.
This plug-in turns your Visor into a universal remote for controlling
your TV, stereo, satellite dish, pet robot?whatever electronic gizmos
you want to boss around. The best thing about the OmniRemote is that
you can customize up to fifteen screens worth of remote functions.
Gadget convergence is still in its infancy and there are some obvious inherent problems. It's nice to trim down the gadgets from stand-alones to plug-ins, but then how do you listen to MP3s and answer your phone at the same time? And where do you carry all of the modules? Are we going to go from gadget-laden belts to gadget-bulging pockets? What we're likely seeing now is just the first step towards a miniaturization and convergence process, which will ultimately lead to a single device that does it all?and all at once, just how we 21st century multitaskers like it.
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