Handspring Visor Prism Handheld User Guide

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About This Guide
Welcome to the Visor™ handheld computer. This guide is designed to 
help you get up and running quickly on your handheld. It describes 
all you need to know about how to use your Visor handheld and the 
applications that come with it. 
It walks you through:
nLocating all the parts of your handheld
nViewing and entering data
nUsing your handheld with your computer
nPersonalizing your handheld with your own preference settings
After you become familiar with the basic functionality of your Visor 
handheld, you can use the rest of this guide as a reference for less 
common tasks, for maintaining your Visor handheld, and also as a 
source of information if you have problems operating it. 
						

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Chapter 1
Introduction to Your 
Visor Handheld
This chapter explains the physical buttons and controls on your Visor 
handheld computer, how to use your Visor handheld for the first time, 
and how to use HotSync
® technology to synchronize your Visor 
handheld and Palm™ Desktop software.
Getting to know your Visor handheld
What is a Visor handheld?
With your Visor handheld, you will no longer have trouble getting to 
meetings and appointments on time, remembering people’s names 
and personal details, or keeping track of all the items on your to do list. 
The Visor handheld can help you improve your track record in all 
these areas, both at work and at home. 
You can enter all your schedule details in Date Book Plus so you can 
view them by the day, week, month, year, or in list format; you can 
even set an alarm to remind you of important meetings. Keep all your 
contact names, addresses, phone numbers, and other details in 
Address, so you can find them as soon as you need them. Add your 
tasks to To Do list, prioritize them so you don’t overlook them, and 
assign them a due date. 
To make sure you don’t lose any of this important information, you 
can synchronize your data with Palm Desktop software on your 
computer so you always have a backup copy. You can set different 
levels of security for your Visor handheld so unauthorized eyes 
cannot view your data.
When you are out of the office, track your expenses for your expense 
reports; then transfer the data to your computer to print it out. You can 
write, edit, and view your e-mail, and then synchronize your e-mail 
with your desktop E-Mail application when you return to your office. 
						

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System requirements
To install and operate Palm Desktop software, your computer system 
must meet the following requirements:
Minimum requirements
nWindows 98 or Windows 2000 (for USB cradle)
--or--
Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, or Windows NT 4.0 
(for serial cradle)
n486 MHz processor (or faster)
n8 MB RAM (memory) minimum, 
16 MB recommended
n25 
MB available hard disk space
nVGA monitor or better 
nCD-ROM drive (you can also download Palm Desktop software 
from www.handspring.com)
nMouse
nUSB port (for USB cradle)
Serial port (for serial cradle)
Optional equipment
nModem (such as a Springboard™ modem)
nSpringboard expansion modules
Upgrade information
If you already own a Palm OS® handheld, Handspring recommends 
that you install the version of Palm Desktop software that comes with 
your Visor handheld into the same folder as your current Palm 
Desktop software. When you install the new version in the same 
folder as the previous version, all your data is preserved. If you use 
another personal information manager (PIM), you still need to install 
Palm Desktop software in order to update the HotSync Manager on 
your computer.
You perform HotSync operations in exactly the same way, so you can 
quickly synchronize your old data with your new handheld. 
To upgrade:
1. Synchronize your old handheld with your old Palm Desktop 
software. This ensures that the latest information from your 
handheld is on your desktop computer. 
						

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2. (Optional) To ensure against any data loss, go to the folder that 
stores Palm Desktop software, copy your user name folder, and 
store the copy outside the Palm Desktop software folder.
3. Follow the installation instructions in “Installing Palm Desktop 
software” later in this chapter. Be sure to install the new software 
in the same folder as the old software.
4. To prepare for the first HotSync operation that synchronizes your 
new handheld with your new Palm Desktop software, go to the 
HotSync Manager and choose Custom.
Note: 
Be sure your user name appears in the box at the top of the 
Custom dialog box. If not, select your user name.
5.  For all conduits, click Change and select the option Desktop 
overwrites handheld. Then click Done. See “Customizing HotSync 
application settings” in Chapter 8 for more information.
6. Place your new handheld in the cradle and press the HotSync 
button. If the Select User dialog box appears, select your user 
name.
7. Compare the applications on your old and new handhelds.
8. Beam any third party applications that did not transfer from your 
old handheld to your Visor handheld, or install them from the 
original files.
Each handheld must have a unique name
After you complete the upgrade process described above, you have 
two handhelds with the same name. This is an undesirable situation. 
Each handheld must have a unique name in order to prevent 
unexpected results during HotSync operations and other 
complications.
We strongly recommend that you perform a hard reset on your old    
handheld. See “Performing a hard reset” in Appendix A for details.
A hard reset not only erases all data from the old handheld; it also   
erases the name and makes that handheld a clean slate, ready to 
receive a new name. The next time you perform a HotSync operation 
with this old handheld, you are asked to give it a name. Be sure to give 
it a unique name. 
						

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Visor components
Locating front panel controls
Stylus
Slides in and out of the slot in the back panel of the 
handheld. To use the stylus, remove it from the slot 
and hold it as you would a pen or pencil.
Visor 
handheld 
screenDisplays the applications and information stored in 
your Visor handheld. It is touch-sensitive and 
responds to the stylus.
Graffiti
 
writing 
areaThe area where you write letters and numbers using 
the Graffiti alphabet. See Chapter 2 to learn how to 
write Graffiti characters. 
Screen
Graffiti
® writing area
Application 
buttons
Scroll buttons
Power button and 
brightness control
MicrophoneLED
Stylus 
						

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Power 
button and 
brightness 
controlTurns your handheld on or off. If your Visor 
handheld is turned off, pressing the power button 
turns the unit on and returns you to the last screen 
you viewed. If your Visor handheld is turned on, 
pressing the power button turns the unit off. 
Holding the power button down for about two 
seconds opens the brightness control panel where 
you can adjust the appearance of the screen. To adjust 
the brightness, drag the slider or tap the arrows to 
increase or decrease the brightness. To fine tune the 
brightness, press the scroll buttons on the front panel 
of your handheld. 
LED charge 
indicatorIndicates the status of the battery as it charges. When 
your handheld is in the cradle, the LED blinks while 
the battery charges and stays on after the battery is 
charged.
Application 
buttonsActivates the individual applications that correspond 
to the icons on the buttons: Date Book Plus, Address, 
To Do List, and Memo Pad. See “Buttons preferences” 
in Chapter 9 for details on reassigning these buttons 
to activate any application on your Visor handheld.
Tip:
If your Visor handheld is turned off, pressing 
any application button activates the handheld 
and opens the corresponding application.
Scroll 
buttonsDisplays text and other information that extends 
beyond the area of the Visor handheld screen. 
Pressing the bottom scroll button scrolls down to 
view information below the viewing area, and 
pressing the top scroll button scrolls up to view the 
information above the viewing area.
Microphone
For use with Springboard expansion modules that 
support this feature. 
						

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Locating back panel components
Springboard 
expansion slot 
protectorSlides in and out of the Springboard expansion 
slot. You can replace the slot protector with a 
Springboard expansion module to add features to 
your handheld.
IR port
Uses infrared technology to transmit data to and 
receive data from other Palm OS handhelds. See 
“Beaming information” in Chapter 7 for more 
information. You can also use the IR port to 
update the information between your handheld 
and computer using HotSync technology. See “IR 
HotSync operations” in Chapter 8 for details.
Reset button
Under normal use, you should not have to use the 
reset button. See Appendix A for information 
about when and how to use the reset button.
USB and serial 
connectorThe connector that connects your handheld to the 
cradle, which in turn connects to a USB port or 
serial port on your computer. This allows you to 
update the information between your handheld 
and computer using HotSync technology.
Reset button
USB and serial 
connectorIR port
Springboard 
expansion slot 
protector 
						

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Charging the battery
To use your Visor handheld, you must connect the cradle and charge 
the battery. See “Battery considerations” in Appendix A for tips on 
extending the life of the battery.
Connecting the cradle
The cradle that comes with your Visor handheld enables you to charge 
your handheld battery and to synchronize the information on your 
Visor handheld with your Palm Desktop software using HotSync 
technology.
Note:
If your computer does not have a USB port, or it uses 
Windows 95 or Windows NT, you need a serial cradle to 
connect to your computer. You can purchase a serial cradle 
from www.handspring.com. 
To connect the cradle:
1. Plug the AC adapter cable into the back of the cradle cable 
connector.
2. Plug the cradle cable connector into the USB port or serial port on 
your computer.
Note:
If you are unsure about the exact location of the USB port or 
serial port on your computer, refer to the manual supplied 
with the computer.
3. Plug the AC adapter into a wall outlet.
USB cradle and port 
						

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To charge the battery:
1. Connect the cradle as described in the previous steps.
2. Place your handheld in the cradle.
Note:
The LED blinks while your handheld charges. When the 
LED stays on, your handheld is charged. It takes about 90 
minutes to fully charge a drained battery.
Serial cradle and port
LED