[blindlaw] Jotting down notes in meetis / on calls: devices / strategies?

Fri Apr 11 02:55:04 UTC 2014

The Surface Pro 2 with JAWS has some decent touch gestures, though it is not
as responsive as an iPhone. I use it with the Type Cover 2 keyboard, which
Microsoft specifically produces for use with the Surface. And when I'm at
home, I just plug in a full keyboard via USB at my desk. The real advantage
is having a super light weight, really snappy computer.

I haven't thoroughly explored the touch gestures though since I don't do
touch screens without an available tactile keyboard. I even attach a little
Bluetooth keyboard to my iPhone.

-----Original Message-----
From: blindlaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Amar Jain
Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2014 2:58 AM
To: Blind Law Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Jotting down notes in meetis / on calls: devices /
strategies?

Thanks guys for so many wonderful responses.

Well, initially I did not think of using Braille. Although I had good
Braille skills in my school days, but surely I know that can be achieved
once again.

In one sense Braille helps is because you don't have other sound in your
ears like that of your screen reader and you can completely focus in the
discussion. So just for my knowledge and more thinking, how does it really
work? I have seen Braillers and slates both. And both of them are not good
options at the moment. So in a notetaker or all the other products, do you
have internal file saving from line to line?
Thus doing away with the need to have papers?
If someone can comment on the software options available to transcribe
that back into text then it will be great. What is the level of accuracy
you get? One of them I understand is transcribe back. As people commented.

For those who are using laptop as efficiently as Braille, how is the speed
level difference between both?

And at the other hand I like the idea of carrying the tablet or an ultra
laptop. How are the touch gestures working on surface pro? I am sure
achieving speed on a tab would be much easier than compared to the phone.

Regards,
Amar Jain.
> Thanks for the clarification. I agree, slate and stylus would be
> cumbersome for that reason.
>
> On 4/9/14, Gerard Sadlier <gerard.sadlier at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Angie,
>>
>> I didn't say that using a braille display was less effective. I was
>> actually commenting on the implications of using a braille slate and
>> stylus. If you did so, the material would be brailled on physical
>> sheets of paper and would have to be manually transcribed.
>>
>> Ger
>>
>>
>>
>> On 4/9/14, Angie Matney <angie.matney at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> I see someone beat me to the observation that you don't have to
>>> transcribe braille notes anymore. For clarification, the Perkins Mini
>>> (this device is also known as the Mini Seika) does not, as of yet,
>>> contain a back translator. But I do have software that could quickly
>>> back-translate the notes for me.
>>>
>>> I also agree with whoever it was that posted about a portable scanner.
>>> I have a nice portable one, but I rarely take it with me. The Perkins
>>> Mini, on the other hand, is perfect for when a partner says, "Hey,
>>> meet me in my office to discuss Client X."
>>>
>>> I emphatically disagree with the assertion that even if your braille
>>> skills are superior, using a braille display/notetaker is an inferior
>>> method. for me, braille is qualitatively different than speech, and in
>>> some situations, it is far superior. Speech is preferable in other
>>> situations, and most of the time, I like having access to both.
>>>
>>> Anyway, interesting discussion.
>>>
>>> On 4/9/14, Sy Hoekstra <sy.hoekstra at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> This one:
>>>>
http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-HBS-730-Bluetooth-Headset/dp/B009A5204K
>>>>
>>>> The basic idea is there is a light horseshoe shaped wire thing around
>>>> the
>>>> back of your neck. At either end of the horseshoe are some buttons. If
>>>> you're using a computer, only the volume buttons matter, but if you're
>>>> using
>>>> a Bluetooth audio file playing device, you can also play and pause and
>>>> skip
>>>> tracks. If it's a phone, you can pick up and talk because there is a
>>>> mic
>>>> built in. The headphones are ear buds, and if you aren't using them,
>>>> they
>>>> magnetically clip into the horseshoe thing, so you can use one for
>>>> meetings
>>>> and both for the rest of the time.
>>>>
>>>> It's like $80, but I bought it used for $35 on the Amazon Warehouse,
>>>> and
>>>> they work perfectly well. With my new surface pro 2 and these
>>>> headphones,
>>>> I
>>>> am quite tech happy at the moment.
>>>>
>>>> Note: JAWS on my tablet works really well with these, but Voiceover on
>>>> my
>>>> iPhone, for some reason, does not. Voiceover cuts in and out and is
>>>> basically useless.
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: blindlaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
>>>> Shannon
>>>> Sent: Wednesday, April 9, 2014 5:39 PM
>>>> To: 'Blind Law Mailing List'
>>>> Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Jotting down notes in meetis / on calls:
>>>> devices
>>>> /
>>>> strategies?
>>>>
>>>> What blue tooth head phones?
>>>>
>>>> Sincerely,
>>>>
>>>> Shannon Geihsler
>>>> Law Office of Shannon Brady Geihsler, PLLC
>>>> 1001 Main Street, Suite 803
>>>> Lubbock, Texas 79423
>>>> Phone: (806) 763-3999
>>>> Mobile:  (806) 781-9296
>>>> Fax:  (806) 749-3752
>>>> E-Mail:  sbg at sbgaal.com
>>>>
>>>> This email may contain material that is confidential, privileged
>>>> and/or
>>>> attorney work product for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any
>>>> review, reliance or distribution by others or forwarding without
>>>> express
>>>> permission is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended
>>>> recipient,
>>>> please contact the sender and delete all copies.
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: blindlaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Sy
>>>> Hoekstra
>>>> Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2014 2:52 PM
>>>> To: 'Blind Law Mailing List'
>>>> Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Jotting down notes in meetis / on calls:
>>>> devices
>>>> /
>>>> strategies?
>>>>
>>>> I am now using a Surface Pro 2 with Windows 8.1, JAWS, the type cover
>>>> 2
>>>> keyboard, and Bluetooth headphones. It's a tablet, so it's light,
>>>> incredibly
>>>> fast processing, and, you know, it's a full computer. Also, it boots
>>>> up
>>>> ridiculously quickly, like faster than any computer I have ever seen.
>>>> Totally off to fully ready to run with jaws open is about 15 seconds.
>>>> About
>>>> another 10 to sign in with your user name and have jaws open again and
>>>> ready
>>>> to go. I've actually timed it.
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: blindlaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Angie
>>>> Matney
>>>> Sent: Wednesday, April 9, 2014 11:13 AM
>>>> To: Blind Law Mailing List
>>>> Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Jotting down notes in meetis / on calls:
>>>> devices
>>>> /
>>>> strategies?
>>>>
>>>> I've just recently started using a Perkins Mini, a sixteen-cell
>>>> braille
>>>> display. This unit weighs about a pound. It doesn't quite have the
>>>> features
>>>> of the Braille Sense U2 devices discussed by others, but it meets my
>>>> needs
>>>> (and is less expensive). This machine does not have speech output. You
>>>> can
>>>> use it as a braille display via bluetooth or USB, but it also has
>>>> several
>>>> internal apps. The most useful of these are the notetaker and the book
>>>> reader. The machine uses MicroSDHC cards and USB flash drives to store
>>>> books
>>>> and notes.
>>>>
>>>> I sometimes use the Perkins Mini on its own to take notes in meetings.
>>>> I used it at a conference recently as a display for my iPhone. I used
>>>> AccessNote, the app released by the American Foundation for the Blind,
>>>> as
>>>> the notetaker. I used a bluetooth keyboard for input because I thought
>>>> the
>>>> keys on the Perkins Mini might be too noisy.
>>>>
>>>> The Mini charges via USB, which means that ou can get one of those
>>>> external
>>>> battery paks for smart phones and charge it that way.
>>>>
>>>> I like being able to use the Mini with my iPhone, and I really like
>>>> the
>>>> capability to take notes on the device itself.
>>>>
>>>> Obviously, if you need speech, this won't work for you. But if you are
>>>> a
>>>> braille user, the Mini is worth considering. I like not having to use
>>>> an
>>>> earphone.
>>>>
>>>> You can find more info at www.perkinsproducts.org.
>>>>
>>>> On 4/9/14, Gerard Sadlier <gerard.sadlier at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> I use a laptop. The only issue is battery life at times.
>>>>>
>>>>> On 4/9/14, Robert Jaquiss <rjaquiss at earthlink.net> wrote:
>>>>>> Hello:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>      I would suggest looking at the Hims Braille Sense U2. It is a
>>>>>> notetaker with a 32 cell braille display. It can use speech, but I
>>>>>> turned speech off and use the braille display. The U2 can provide
>>>>>> files in various formats and when you want your notes on a PC, the
>>>>>> files can  be transferred.
>>>>>> See the site www.hims-inc.com. Hope this helps.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Robert
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>> From: blindlaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
>>>>>> Amar
>>>>>> Jain
>>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2014 11:40 PM
>>>>>> To: blindlaw at nfbnet.org
>>>>>> Subject: [blindlaw] Jotting down notes in meetis / on calls: devices
>>>>>> / strategies?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dear List Members,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> One of the challenge which I have now started facing is to take
>>>>>> notes
>>>>>> during meetings or on calls whether internal or external.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> One of the issue is of portability of devices, and other is the most
>>>>>> efficient way to do it within the short span of time.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> What are the strategies which members on the list adopt to do the
>>>>>> same?
>>>>>> My
>>>>>> typing speed is reasonable enough to match with the speed with which
>>>>>> we go, so as of now the uncomfortable way is to carry your laptop
>>>>>> along with headphones and take notes. This especially becomes more
>>>>>> challenging when you have phone in one ear and headphone in other
>>>>>> ear. And of course portability is another aspect of it.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> So, do notetakers in this situation help really? If someone can
>>>>>> throw
>>>>>> light on their usage and features it will be great. I am not well
>>>>>> equipped with the knowledge of notetakers. Which are the good
>>>>>> manufacturers of notetaker devices?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Is netbook with Jaws the other possible option? And lastly which I
>>>>>> can think of is the Bluetooth keyboard with Bluetooth headset and
>>>>>> smart phone.
>>>>>> How is that combo? What is the battery life of lets say IPhone and
>>>>>> Bluetooth Keyboard when used together?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I am not comfortable with the idea of recording first and then
>>>>>> transcribing the same into text. As that is time consuming.
>>>>>> Any suggestions will be deeply appreciated.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Amar Jain.
>>>>>> Website: www.amarjain.com
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> blindlaw mailing list
>>>>>> blindlaw at nfbnet.org
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>>>>>> et
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>
>>>>
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