[nabs-l] Notetaker Reviews

[Sarah Jevnikar]

Hi,
I just bought a Pac mate, but not before I did a lot of trials with the
Braille note and Pac mate. I have heard good things about the Braille Sense,
but haven't used one myself. Here is my comparison of the Braille Note
versus Pac Mate. Note that I am using the Pac Mate with a Braille keyboard.
1. Until I made this purchase, I was using a Braille Lite 40, a much simpler
model. With this in mind, I found the Braille Note much easier to learn and
use initially. The menu system of the Pac mate can be more daunting at
first, though as mentioned before it is almost identical to a Windows PC
menu system.
2. It is easier to work with mainstream programs on the Pac mate, as
mentioned before. It is possible to synchronize e-mails, contacts, calendar
etc. on the ac Mate directly from your PC. This might be available for the
Braille Note but I'm not sure.
3. The detachable Braille display on the Pac mate is wonderful; I have never
used a Braille display with JAWS but it sounds really neat.
4. I have heard the Braille note has better support for additional
languages. I am still not sure if this is the case.
5. The Pac Mate uses JAWS (a nicer sounding voice) than the Braille Note.
Like my next comment, this is definitely not something that should keep you
from buying it.
6. The Pac mate keyboard has a much different feel to it than the Braille
Note. I first thought the keyboard on the Pac Mate felt spongy and that I'd
be more likely to make errors on it than on the Braille Note. This initial
discomfort is surmountable, but it takes some getting used to.
7. The Braille Note has a built-in FM radio which is fun. The Pac mate only
has Windows Media Player.
8. The Braille Note comes with built-in wireless Internet capability but you
have to buy a separate wireless card to use with the Pac Mate.
9. Both I think can have GPS capability at an extra cost.
10. Lastly, the Pac Mate opens a wider variety of file types including .rtf,
.docx. .doc, etc. whereas I don't think the Braille Note does.

I hope this all helps, and best of luck with your decision.
Sarah

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Sean Whalen
Sent: Monday, September 07, 2009 3:29 PM
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Notetaker Reviews

Hi Joe,

Let me preface this by saying that I know absolutely nothing about the
BrailleSense. Having used both a Braille Note and PacMAte, I prefer the
PacMate by far. The Braille display is a separate piece, however it is so
seamlessly integrated into the unit, that had I not been told this, I would
have never noticed. PacMate is larger than either of the other two, but no
larger than a small laptop.

I like PacMate because:

The OS is windows mobile and very familiar if you have used a phone or pda
that runs Windows Mobile.

If you use a qwerty keyboard and are a JAWS user, many of the commands will
be very familiar.

You can open and edit Excell files. (you may be able to do this with the
newest version of Keysoft, I don't know)

You get a 40 cell Braille display.

As has been mentioned, you can install many third party applications.

I have had the PacMate for a year and have found it to be stable. The wheel
for navigation is not my thing, but you don't have to use it.

If you want to check it out before you make a purchase, I could bring it to
Sport one night.

Let me know if there is anything else I can tell you.

All the best,

Sean


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