Brochu Software
PO Box 458
Middleton, MA 01949

It is possible, in this week of virus hits to servers, that one of their servers, or one along their path, got hit by some nastiness.

Visor Prism vs. Palm m505
I'm not sure if it's appropriate to address you with a rather specific matter, as I'm sure you're busy, but I was wondering if you'd care to comment on a possible, even if theoretical "shoot-out" between the Visor Prism and the Palm m505. I looked at the Palm m505 yesterday and, like many, was unfortunately quite disappointed by the screen's performance compared to other Palm handhelds I've seen and used. I very much agree with your Palm m505 review's conclusion about having to make some trade-offs.

You can't get everything in life. However, I find it hard to compromise on such a pivotal issue like a screen's quality. And if there are other options available that improve on this issue, than one should consider them. Furthermore, my main requirement calls for backup capabilities, which I could also get from the Visor Prism's Springboard. Plus, I believe it's cheaper than the Palm m505.

I'd appreciate an answer, although I'd understand if you wouldn't be able to provide one that is possibly too specific.

Kind regards,
Guy K.
London, UK

Contributing Editor Chris Phillips responds
Thanks for the question, Guy. I can only answer according to the research I have done, as I have never owned or used a Visor Prism. I have seen them, and I agree they have one of the most stunning color screens available on the market. The only problem I have heard is that the screen washes out under sunlight and is virtually unusable outdoors. This is not a problem for most people, but it should be taken into consideration. The other thing is that the Visor Prism is significantly larger than the Palm m505. Having been a Palm Vx user for over a year, I am very attached to the slim design of both the Palm Vx and the Palm m505. The idea of going back to a unit that is twice as thick does not appeal to me.

Other than that, I hear the Visor Prism is a fine unit that would meet your needs quite nicely. Another unit that I hear people are quite happy with is the new Sony CLIE color model. From what you have said, it sounds like this would also meet all of your requirements, although it is not as inexpensive as the Visor Prism. I hope this information is somewhat helpful. Good luck on your quest. Please let me know what decision you ultimately make. Thanks.

Synchronization
The Palm's most serious deficiency is its inability to synchronize any software other than the few standard applications that come with it. Is there any software available that allows one to synchronize the other applications?

Bob Benjamin

Editor-in-Chief David Gewirtz responds
Bob, you'll probably be happy to know that you're mistaken. Go to http://search.palmpower.com and search for "conduit." From the very beginning, Palm designed an extensible HotSync architecture that does just that. You can also go to http://www.dataviz.com, http://www.chapura.com, and http://www.pumatech.com (look for Intellisync), and http://www.avantgo.com for just some of the many third-party conduits. Check out some of our conduit reviews: