[Electronics-talk] Re Braille Sense Plus

[Steve Jacobson]

Elizabeth,

The limitation of the BrailleSense Plus not reading NLS books is not their choice or their fault.  This is a limitation 
placed by the National Library Service.  They currently do not authorize the playing of books on computer-like devices 
because of 
the increased possibilities that the encryption could be defeated.  Netbooks won't play them either.  The same may be 
true of RFBD, but I am less familiar with their position.  Some public library books use digital rights management 
approaches that were designed for use on computers which is why you see some library access on note-takers.  

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

On Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:21:16 -0700, Elizabeth Rene wrote:

>Mike,

>You have asked me why I would want any adaptation made to the Braille Sense 
>Plus for it to read NLS or RFB&D digital books.

>You wondered why I couldn't just download these into the notetaker just as I 
>would do any other file, treating the notetaker drive as an ordinary drive.

>Here is my response to your question, based on my exploration of that 
>product earlier this year.

>GW Micro's Braille Sense Plus, which comes with either a Perkins-type or a 
>QWERTY keyboard, each  with a 30-cell Braille display and an 8 gigabyte data 
>storage memory, may be able to receive downloads from NLS, or even RFB&D, 
>for ultimate transfer and unzipping into a digital playback machine, such as 
>the one provided by NLS, or the Victor Reader Stream.

>In that regard, it wouldn't differ from a laptop or a netbook computer.

>But neither NLS nor RFB&D have licensed GW Micro to play back digital books 
>on the Braille Sense Plus itself.

>When I checked with these two libraries earlier this year, I learned that I 
>could not get User Authorization Keys for this notetaker.

>I, for one, don't want to carry an arsenal of gadgets around with me when I 
>travel.  If I pay a premium price for a notetaker designed for the blind, 
>rather than buying a netbook and loading it with speech software, I want the 
>biggest bang for my buck.

>And at $6,000 a pop, I think the Braille Sense Plus should provide access to 
>the mainstream libraries used by blind consumers.

>This notetaker does have UAK's for other libraries, it appears, and also 
>offers AM/FM radio among its many tempting features.

>Braille can be written on either the Perkins or the QWERTY keyboard, the 
>Perkins version has a little screen that allows sighted co-workers or 
>deaf-blind friends to read what's been written, translation from Braille to 
>print is advertised to be seamless, e-mail can be sent and received by 
>either device without an additional modem, both can be connected to a 
>monitor via USB port, and the notetakers are streamlined, light weight, and 
>elegant.

>For many reasons, I would prefer the Braille Sense Plus over the Braille 
>Lite or the Pacmate Omni, but I think the inability to read digital books on 
>the Braille Sense Plus is a major deficit, for the money.

>Elizabeth



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