Product Requirements:
Device:
Handspring Visor PDAs

Some people are really lucky, they live in areas where there is wireless modem coverage.  They can check their email and browse websites on their PDAs whenever and where ever they please. Those of us that aren't so lucky <pout> are destined to remain wired and as such, must use a regular landline modem for such tasks.  If you happen to be in the same boat that I'm in, and need a modem for your Handspring Visor, you'll want to take a look at the Thinmodem Plus from Card Access Inc.

The Thinmodem Plus is a Springboard 56K modem module that slides into the Springboard slot on any Handspring Visor PDA. The 'Plus' part of the device is 8mb of flash memory that you can use as extra storage for applications and data.

Hardware Specs:

56K modem
V.90
7.5 MB of user accessible flash memory for user data and application storage. 
Dimensions: 2.25" x 2.125" x 0.30" 
Handspring� Springboard� port compatible 
6ft RJ-11 phone cable 
Power consumption: Active: <50mA, Sleep: <250�A 
On-board software applications:
- Browse-it� 2.0 web browser
- JP Systems� One-Touch email package
- Real-time modem status monitor (shows connect speed, data TX/Rx amount, connect status and time)
- Battery indicator display
- File mover application
- Call-Progress speaker tones during connect. 

Physically, the Thinmodem is the same size as the slug that comes with every Visor. It is easy to insert into the Springboard slot but is a little difficult to remove as it only has a thin ridge at the top of the module that you can catch your nails on. 

As soon as you insert the Thinmodem into the Springboard slot, it will power on your Visor and the icons for the included applications will show up in the launcher menu. These applications are an email program, web browser and file manager. More details about them later.

In order to plug the modem into a phone line, you must use the included RJ-11 cable. This cable has a typical RJ-11 connector at one end and on the other end is a small thin connector that plugs directly into the top of the Thinmodem. Personally, I'd much rather see an X-Jack style connector. I don't like having to carry around an extra cable. And, since you have to plug the cable into the phone jack, that usually requires a person to crawl around on the floor and under desks to find the phone jack to plug it into. If the Thinmodem had an X-Jack, it would be a simple matter of pulling the phone line out of the back of a telephone and plugging it into the modem. Much easier.... and I'm all for doing things the easy way!

In order to actually be able to dial out and connect to your ISP or a Bulletin Board (do these even exist anymore?), you have to configure the modem via the system preferences and Thinmodem prefs. Luckily the Thinmodem Plus comes with great step by step instructions that will get you up and running in a few minutes.

After you have things setup correctly, you need to connect to the service. You can do this by going into the Network prefs and tapping the CONNECT button. Or, you can use the Browse-it or One-Touch email app to connect. Either way, the modem will dial up your provider... A small internal speaker in the modem will allow you to hear the connect sequence (barely). Then you should see the sign on process progress on the screen to let you know that you've signed on. 

Although the Thinmodem Plus is a 56k modem, I wasn't successful in connecting to my ISP at over 26.4k during my tests (with or without the V.90 option turned on). I'm going to blame the connect speeds on my location though as I can't normally connect at over 42.6k on my desktop machine. More often than not, I get 36k connects. It is good to point out that you can check your connection speed easily while connected to your ISP. You just tap in the bottom right corner of the display and a status window will pop up for a few seconds. 

At this point, you can use the Browse-it or One-Touch applications to surf or check email. You don't have to use these applications though, you are free to use any browser, or email app available. Which is a good thing because I was not successful in using the Browse-it web browser application included on the Thinmodem Plus. I tried numerous times with 2 different user id's and passwords. Every time I would try to browse a site, it would just say waiting.... forever. There was only one time that I was able to view the opening page of the WIRED site. I couldn't even take screen snaps of the Browse-it app. When I would try, I would get a fatal exception and my Visor would reset. Sooooooooo, I downloaded a couple other browsers just to test things and was successful with browsing using them. One thing to consider: don't buy this modem if you think you're going to use it to surf the web a lot. It's VERY painful to do so. The screen is too small and it's just too slow. Trust me...

The One-Touch email package however, was great! This application makes sending and receiving email on your Visor a snap! It is a full featured program that should do what most average users will want. The only thing I didn't see was a way to attach files. I really think that modems on PDAs are better suited for email tasks than web browsing tasks...

During the review period, I left the modem Springboard plugged into my Prism all the time and didn't notice any problems with the batteries draining faster than normal. This is great because in addition to the obvious modem features, this Springboard also has 8mb of flash memory that you can use for applications and data. Best of all, you can run the applications that you store on the Thinmodem directly. You don't have to copy them to the Visor's internal memory first. However, not all applications will run from flash. Any apps that try to create or modify databases in the flash storage will not work. 

A File Manager type application called File Mover is included on the Springboard. This app will allow you to manage the transfer of data from the Visor to the Thinmodem Plus module's flash storage memory. It allows files to be copied, moved, or deleted on both the internal memory of the Visor as well as the Thinmodem Plus.

There are a couple of things that the Thinmodem Plus can't do. It does not support sending and receiving of faxes. It also does not interface with cellular modems. 

All in all, this is a good modem and with the addition of the 8mb of flash memory, it makes this an attractive accessory for many Handspring Visor owners.

Price: $149.95

Pros:
Modem feature with 8mb of flash memory
Apps can be ran from flash memory

Cons:
Have to use a separate RJ-11 cable
Included Browse-it web browser is less than stellar