Handspring Backup Springboard Module

Bad points:
-Backups are relatively slow -- I have about 5.9MB of used memory on my handheld, and each backup session takes almost 4 minutes. This figure is better on the Original Visor or other Visors with less used memory, but it's still going to be pretty slow compared to hotsyncing. Some of you may replace hotsyncing with backup modules for various reasons, but I'll bet that you won't be backing up on the module that liberally. This takes much more patience, not to mention more battery power.
-All or nothing -- Mentioned in another review as well. Restoring/backing up the whole handheld is generally the ideal thing you want, but suppose you accidentally delete an app, or it'd be easier to just restore an old version of some set of records rather than manually undoing everything. You'll get those modifications you done to be undone, but so will everything else you've done since that time, like new appointments you set up or new phone numbers you recorded since then.
-Kinda bulky -- In the age of high capacity SD/MMC cards and DVD +/- R/RWs, one would scoff to see only 8MBs in such a plastic cartridge. There aren't many other backup modules for Handspring though, and the smaller SD cards mean u just lose them easier.

WHO SHOULD BUY THIS?
-People on the road, going through extended periods of time without having access to a laptop or desktop to synchronize their info
-People who have, foresee, or are worried of their desktop AND handheld crashing. (For me, it was using Win98 SE, loading a bunch of 3rd party games and apps, and having to reset both of them often)
-People who find forty to sixty-five dollars a small price to pay for losing extremely critical data
-People who REALLY want to keep their high scores (expansion flash memory cards are another alternative)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
-Unless you're handheld is constantly bugging out (in which case you should consider getting a new unit that's more stable), than it'd be wise to keep that and the module apart for as much as possible. Specifically, if you're out on the road and keep the module plugged in, you'll be defeating the purpose of utilizing a backup module if your handheld (and the backup that's plugged into it) gets stolen, lost, or falls into a wishing fountain and shorts out everything. Technically you >could< restore from you're desktop, but the whole idea of having a backup is so that we wouldn't have to place all our trust in our desktop AND handheld right?
-If you feel you have a solid, stable PC and/or handheld, then you could easily get away with making backups every 2 weeks or once a week. If you just added a lot of important data to your handheld, then backup right away. Otherwise don't bother. The slow backup process will seem much less painful if you cut down on the number of backups you need to perform.

-Obviously, apps and files only on plugged in expansion cards aren't backed up, but those files on expansion cards would be backed up already in the case that you lose handheld and desktop information.
-In case it's not mentioned, this product has 8MB of memory, so it'll work for every type of Visor handheld except for the Visor Pro. For original Visor users, you don't get to save 2 - 4 profiles on there. Only one just like the rest of us.


nice tool   April 10, 2003
very helpful. When you're on the road and have to hard reset (happened to me), this is a life saver.


You must buy this!   March 25, 2002
Complete back-up of your Visor for Forty-bucks? All you do is push one button, and your entire Visor Deluxe is backed-up? You gotta' be kidding me. Buy this pronto dude! Mine has worked perfectly for 2 years.


. . . Buy this now!   January 31, 2002
This is the one and only Springboard Module I have bought for my Visor. I love my Visor, but I don't feel the need to play mp3s with it. But, this module is great. Irony of ironies, while I was waiting for this to arrive from amazon, I had a problem with my Visor and lost three weeks of data, because I was also having Hot Sync problems. Not a problem anymore. I don't even Hot Sync anymore, I just use this module about once a week. It's worth [the money] for peace of mind. I will NEVER lose my data again.


What is your time worth?   December 1, 2001
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

If you have ever had to do a hard reset of your visor then you know what a pain it is to restore everything on your Handspring. HotSyncing does not save everything and many times does not backup the programs you may have installed. After I had two hard resets I purchased this module. Each reset took me about 2 hours to recover data and programs. I think that after just two hard resets this module will have paid for itself for me. The program is simple - you can backup or restore. This is not a memory expansion module. Get one and use it often. (Hopefully not for often restorations!)