[blindlaw] Portable devices

Fri Mar 9 16:05:17 UTC 2012

Could you comment on handling PDF documents on the apple devices and also reviewing text files, 
searching, and marking your place and such?  I know these were issues in older Apple devices but have 
been addressed to some extent on newer devices.  

When looking at devices specifically developed for the blind, one should look at the BookPort Plus from 
the American Printing House for the Blind which has some WI-FI capability as well as the similar device 
sold by Freedom Scientific, the PlexTalk Pocket or whatever it is called.  I am not certain that a small 
laptop is still not the best solution for dealing with a wide variety of information, but I know that 
the Apple devices are very nice.  I did not have a good experience using a Netbook, but some have and 
they are getting better.  HP and Toshiba make some small laptops that are not much bigger than Netbooks 
and because they have small screens and no CD-Rom drives, they have good battery life and are light 
weight.  The Apple devices also have the advantage of working with a bluetooth keyboard and can be 
paired to braille displays, which is something the devices for the blind such as the Stream and the 
BookSense can't do.  The choice just isn't that simple, though.  It depends a lot on one's personal 
patterns of work such as the kinds of documents reviewed, whether one strictly reads or one does 
editing, to what degree one needs to access the internet and so forth.  Something like the I Phone and 
some I pads let you access the internet through the 4G networks from anywhere you have network coverage 
while other devices can only access the internet with Wi-Fi coverage.  The Booksense and the Stream must 
get their information through a connection to a computer.  How else can I confuse the issue?

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

On Fri, 9 Mar 2012 07:50:38 -0500, Daniel K. Beitz wrote:

>I have a book sense, and it was nice.  But devices like this are very
>expensive for the benefits you get, and don't offer anything close to the
>functionality of an iPod touch.  I use an IPad for my personal reading needs
>now because it has a better speaker, and can read any audio format plus any
>book on the Itunes library is also accessible.  The iPhone has a decent
>speaker as well, better than book sense.  The apple portable products are
>worth learning.

>-------------------------------------------
>Daniel K. Beitz
>Wienner & Gould, P.C.
>950 University Dr., Ste. 350
>Rochester, MI  48307
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>dbeitz at wiennergould.com
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>-----Original Message-----
>From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>Behalf Of Andrew Webb
>Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2012 11:10 PM
>To: 'Blind Law Mailing List'
>Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Portable devices

>Randy,

>Thanks much.  Yes, someone did mention this to me, I believe it is the Book
>Sense.  I will look into it.

>Otherwise, people are jut telling me to get an iPod Touch or an iPhone.

>Regards,
>Andrew

>-----Original Message-----
>From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>Behalf Of Farber, Randy
>Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2012 9:53 PM
>To: Blind Law Mailing List
>Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Portable devices

>Andrew

>	I have heard that HIMS makes a similar device.  It is slightly more
>expensive than the Victor Reader Stream, but apparently does more.

>Randy 

>-----Original Message-----
>From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>Behalf Of Andrew Webb
>Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2012 8:27 PM
>To: 'NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List'
>Subject: [blindlaw] Portable devices

>Hello all,

> 

>I would like to identify a highly portable and compact electronic device
>that might be ideal for storing and reviewing data on the go.  The piece I'm
>envisioning is one that I could easily carry along and pull out just about
>anywhere, whether that's on the bus/train, working around the house, sitting
>at the coffee shop, attending kids' soccer practice, etc.  I could use it to
>download materials including cases, statutes, and assorted other documents
>in a variety of digital formats.  I'd like to be able to easily arrange my
>downloads into files for quick retrieval and review, and to be able to
>highlight/bookmark salient portions of text.

> 

>Could I ask if, based either on personal experience or worldly wisdom,
>anyone can suggest a device along these lines?  It has come to my attention
>that the Victor Reader Stream  might be an apt choice, but I wondered if
>there might be some other good possibilities out there.

> 

>Many thanks in advance!

> 

>Regards

>Andrew Webb

> 

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