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.

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 colours (16bit), has 8Mb Ram and its rechargeable lithium ion battery provides nearly two weeks of normal use on a single charge, the company claims.

Joe Sipher, vice president 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 also includes 8Mb of Ram along with 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 Handspring.

Both devices will be on sale in November priced at £399 and £249 respectively (including VAT).

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

"Previously Handspring has been targeting the youth and consumer market, and its devices looked a bit like iMacs, with different coloured casing. These new devices are far more serious looking and personally I think they look a bit like the [Compaq] iPaq," she said.

"This may mean they are trying to target the business market, like Palm predominantly does."