[nabs-l] Notetaker Reviews

[Joe Orozco]

Dean,

Good point.  I should have included what I was looking for.

I'm looking for greater compatibility with mainstream devices.  I agree with
Gary that the Braille quality on the BrailleNote is pleasantly sharp, but I
may consider trading that for quicker connectivity and conversion between
file formats.  Braille is, by the way, my main reason for wanting to
evaluate new units.  I like the benefits of the Icon and such products, but
I like a unit with a built-in Braille display as opposed to the Pac Mate
which at one point was selling as a detached piece.  Is that still the case?

I don't know how much I need third-party applications.  The BrailleNote,
unless I'm mistaken, does not offer much support for such collaboration, so
I've never had the opportunity to really delve into what is available for
Windows operating systems, or Linux for that matter.

On that note, I would be willing to learn Linux if anyone has experience
with the Elba, even if it does appear to be on the heavy side of the scale
compared to the weight of the Braille Sense and BrailleNote.

In brief, I bought a smaller laptop for greater portability, but for
presentations I want a good Braille display system that can talk with the
laptop without much fuss or additional file conversion steps.  I could
invest in a small Braille display, but there are trips when I want to be
able to not have to carry two pieces of equipment when only one could
suffice.

At any rate, I really appreciate people's feedback.  Like I said, the prices
on these things are ridiculous.  The price to fix them when they bust is
equally disturbing, so I want to make sure my money is being well-spent.
Your advice is good because it seems the only thing we can do without the
opportunity to check into a store and play with one.  Maybe Apple will
figure out Braille display technology and give the current players a run for
their money.

Joe Orozco

"A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the
crowd."--Max Lucado 

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org 
[mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Dean Martineau
Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 10:26 PM
To: 'NFBnet NFBCS Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Notetaker Reviews

In this sort of thing, the first question is, what do you want 
to do with your device?  Pac Mate runs Windows Mobile6, or 
maybe 6.1, so you can install third-party software on it, but 
it is less simple to use than the Braille Note. The more you 
can delineate about your intended use for the product, the 
better able you will be to elicit comparisons.  If you want a 
package that does what it does out of the box but is not 
expandable, then Braille Note or Braille Sense would fit.  Icon 
is somewhat expandable if you want to delve into Linux.  Also, 
for the same reason that sighted people aren't buying PDA's 
much any more, many of us do many of the tasks formerly done on 
notetakers on powerful cell phones that are smaller and cheaper.  

Dean


-----Original Message-----
From: nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org 
[mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ryan Mann
Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 7:13 PM
To: NFBnet NFBCS Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Notetaker Reviews

Another note taker is the Icon from Levelstar.  I don't know 
that much about that notetaker, but I do know a few pros of it.
1.  It has a hard drive  instead of flash memory, so it can 
store a lot of information.
2.  It can play the new digital books from NLS.
3.  It runs Linux, which is a really stable operating system.

On Sep 6, 2009, at 9:09 PM, Joe Orozco wrote:

> Hello,
>
> Sorry for the cross-post.
>
> Is it correct that the Braille Sense Plus, BrailleNote mPower and Pac 
> Mate are the only three Braille notetakers at the moment?  I have an 
> mPower I want to get rid of, but at six thousand dollars for a new 
> device the damn thing had better do what I need it to.  
KeySoft is not 
> all that amusing for me, but for anyone considering the mPower it has 
> more to do with personal preference.
>
> I found a comparison chart on GW Micro's web site over these three 
> products, but I would be interested in another round of personal 
> reviews from anyone who can speak to their likes and dislikes on the 
> units.
>
> Thanks in advance for any assistance.
>
> Joe Orozco
>
> "A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the 
> crowd."--Max Lucado
>
>
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