[nabs-l] Note takers

Thu Oct 21 23:36:27 UTC 2010

I heard the Braille Sence from GW Micro has Y-fi, and blue tooth built in. 
Does anyone or has any one used the braille sence? Is it worth bying? Carri, 
I haven't had to think about upgrading to a newer note taker until now, when 
my Braille 'n speak 200, just stopped working. I had the thing for ten 
years. RJ
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kerri Kosten" <kerrik2006 at gmail.com>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, October 21, 2010 7:21 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Note takers


> Hi Curt and All:
>
> First, for those who have the Pacmate what made you switch to the
> Braille Note whether it be Apex or one of the other ones?
>
> Here is my delemma.
>
> I had the option of getting a notetaker about five years ago in 2006.
> At that time, I didn't know how to research very well and wasn't as
> into technology as I am now.
>
> Having used Jaws and liking it, and seeing that pocket Jaws was on the
> Pacmate and it ran windows which was the same OS I was using, I just
> stupidly decided on the Pacmate without doing much other research or
> comparing the pacmate to other notetakers. Also, because I was so into
> computers at that time, I got the QX pacmate thinking the laptop style
> keyboard would be better for me.
>
> When I first got the Pacmate it was nice and I played with it all he
> time. But, now I hardly use it. First of all, the internet on it is
> terrible...very very very slow. It takes forever for a webpage to
> load. Also, the Pacmate doesn't have an internal wi-fi card so you
> have to use one of those compact flash cards which are pretty much
> obselete now. The Pacmate only has a mini usb port so to connect
> anything to USB you have to use an external object. All I find I use
> it for now is reading BRF books from NLS or Bookshare and taking notes
> in class. The Pacmate doesn't even have bluetooth! It also doesn't
> have sd card slots...only ones for those obselete compact flash cards.
>
> I look at more modern notetakers like the Apex and get excited and
> think...I should look into modernizing and get one of those. But, then
> I think...I have the pacmate (even though I hate it) that does have a
> braille display, I have a netbook, I have a laptop, I have an Iphone,
> and I want to get an Ipad...that essentially all do the same thing. I
> think...would I really use a newer more modern notetaker enough to
> justify the $6000 price when I have all these other devices?
>
> But, then if I had a notetaker that I could just whip open and take
> notes portably, or write contact info down quickly, and could have
> more functionality I wonder if I'd use it more?
>
> What do you think I should do...stick with what I have or look into
> modernizing and getting a better notetaker?
>
> How is the Internet browsing on the apex? Is it very slow and sluggish
> or is it fast like wireless internet on laptops and netbooks is?
>
> Thanks,
> Kerri
>
> On 10/21/10, Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Dear Listers,
>>   Even with the netbooks and braille displays out there, I still use
>> my notetaker.  (I just got an apex and I love it, although switching
>> over from the PAC Mate has been kind of hard)  I know laptops with
>> braille displays are cheaper.  But, for me, having a notetaker as
>> opposed to a computer in school/church/wherever is a godsend.  I can,
>> for instance, whip out my Apex and put someone's phone number in my
>> contact list without waiting 1-3 minutes for my computer to start and
>> get a file somewhere open.  It's so nice to have instant access to
>> everything, without having to wait for the laptop to load up, jaws to
>> start, and then having to open such and such application to do my
>> thing.  It's so much easier to turn on a machine, usee 1 or maybe 2
>> keystrokes, and be right where I need to be within seconds.  That's
>> why I still have my notetaker because a computer just can't do that.
>>   All the best,
>> Kirt
>>
>> On 10/21/10, Danielle Montour <hypoplexer at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Hi all,
>>> I am a BrailleNote Apy user, the latest
>>> notetaker.  Although the Apex has great potential, there's some
>>> work to be done on it.  It's a good don't get me wrong, don't get
>>> me wrong, it just has room for improvement.  Here is a comparison
>>> between the BrailleNote Apex and BrailleSense Plus.
>>>
>>> HTH
>>>
>>> Danni
>>>
>>> Courtesy: Alex Hall.
>>>
>>>  Here is a look at the BrailleNote Apex and its closest
>>> competitor, the Braille Sense Plus (from GW Micro).  I do not
>>> know enough about the Pac Mate Omni (Freedom scientific) to
>>> include it in this comparison.
>>>
>>>   chinin Internal Storage: the BSP has 8 gigabytes of storage.
>>> The Apex has 8 gigabytes as well.
>>>   chinin RAM: The BSP has 128 megabytes of RAM, as does the Apex.
>>> However, the Apex has an additional 126 megabytes of storage for
>>> operating system and temporary files, whereas the BSP has 64
>>> megabytes for this purpose.
>>>   chinin Processor: the BSP's processor, type unknown, runs at
>>> 400 megahertz.  The FreeScale IMX31 processor in the Apex runs at
>>> 520megahertz.  Both the BSP and the Apex processors are 32-29t
>>> versions.
>>>   chinin
>>>   chinin Underlying Windows CE The BSP runs on CE 5.0.  While
>>> this is an improvement over the BrailleNote mPower's CE 4.2, it
>>> is not as good as the Apex's CE 6.0, which allows for many new
>>> features to be introduced, namely better RAM management and tens
>>> of thousands of processes to run concurrently; CE 5 still has a
>>> 32 process limit.
>>>   chinin USB: the BSP has 2 (1?) USB master port(s) for storage
>>> devices, printers, keyboards, and so on.  The Apex has 3 USB
>>> master ports for these purposes.  The BSP has one mini USB port,
>>> used to connect it to a computer to connect to ActiveSync or use
>>> as a removable disk.  The Apex also has one mini USB port, though
>>> it cannot act as a removable device.  Unlike the BSP, though, it
>>> can synchronize its contacts, calendar, and other items with
>>> Microsoft Windows computers.
>>>   chinin Other Storage Options: The BSP has both an SD card slot,
>>> which supports SDHC cards as well as standard SD cards, and a
>>> compactflash card slot.  It can also use its bluetooth to
>>> transfer files between itself and any other bluetooth device
>>> supporting object exchange.  The Apex has an SD card slot
>>> supporting regular and high-capacity (HC) cards.  It does not,
>>> however, have a compactflash card slot, nor does it support
>>> bluetooth object exchange, though Humanware could add this option
>>> to Keysoft with little trouble thanks to the new Windows CE 6
>>> bluetooth stack.
>>>   chinin Audio: Both devices have built in stereo speakers,
>>> stereo headphone jacks, external mono microphone jacks, and a
>>> mono internal microphone.  The Apex also supports bluetooth audio
>>> devices, the BSP does not.  Both devices can create recordings
>>> via either microphone, with adjustable microphone gains and
>>> quality levels, however the BSP can record in MP3 format or WAV
>>> format, whereas the Apex only supports the larger WAV format
>>> (maybe).  The Apex contains an FM radio internally and uses
>>> anything plugged into the headphone jack as an antenna.  The
>>> radio can be recorded as though it were another input source for
>>> the recorder.  The BSP also has a radio which works in the same
>>> way, but it cannot be recorded.
>>>   chinin Wireless Communication Both devices contain both an
>>> internal BstG wifi card and an internal bluetooth 2.1 card.
>>>   chinin Battery Both devices have about the same battery life,
>>> and both contain a removable battery.  The Apex has a way to
>>> charge the battery outside of the computer itself, the BSP does
>>> not.
>>>   chinin Jacks and Ports BSP: two master USB, one slave (mini)
>>> USB, cable ethernet, VGA, SDSTSDHC slot, compactflash slot, mono
>>> microphone, stereo headphone, AC power port.  Apex: 3 master USB,
>>> 1 slave (mini) USB, cable ethernet, VGA, SDSTSDHC slot, mono
>>> microphone, stereo headphone, AC power port.  Basically, they are
>>> the same except that the Apex has one more master USB port than
>>> the BSP, and the BSP has a compactflash card slot whereas the
>>> Apex does not.
>>>   chinin Visual Output The BSP can print what is spoken or
>>> brailled to a monitor through its VGA port, or through its
>>> built-in LcD display.  The Apex can also print to a monitor with
>>> its VGA port, or through use of a Windows program called KeyView.
>>> This means that the Apex can connect to a Windows computer via
>>> USB or bluetooth (or through serial using a serial-USB
>>> converter).  KeyView will then display the Apex's text on the
>>> computer's screen.
>>>   chinin Microsoft Word 2007 Neither device currently supports
>>> the disdocx (Word 2007) format.  Humanware has promised that the
>>> Apex will handle disdocx files in the near future, providing a
>>> free upgrade to all Apex owners so they can have this support for
>>> free when it is released.  GW Micro has not commented on Word
>>> 2007 support, though another device of theirs, a digital book
>>> reader called the Book Sense, does support Word 2007, so it is
>>> likely that the BSP will support this format in the near future
>>> as well.
>>>   chinin Internet Communication: Both devices have a web browser,
>>> an email program, and an instant messenger.  The BSP's browser
>>> cannot handle cookies like the Apex can, but that is the only
>>> major difference between the two.  The email programs are pretty
>>> well matched, except for one under-the-hood difference: the Apex
>>> stores all emails in a database, making it difficult to copy a
>>> message somewhere else for storage; copying the text is easy
>>> enough, but copying the message headers along with the text is
>>> all but impossible without going through a lot of tedious steps.
>>> The BSP stores its messages as diseml files, allowing users to
>>> not only copy entire emails to different locations, but to view
>>> these messages on other Windows computers.  The BSP also allows
>>> users to view HTML-encoded messages as web pages; the Apex, as
>>> far as I know will not let you do this, though it may be the case
>>> that it is, in fact, possible.  The instant messenger on the BSP
>>> only supports Windows Live (formerly known as MSN) Messenger,
>>> though this is a very popular network.  The Apex supports all
>>> XMPP networks, which include, but are not limited to, Google
>>> Talk, IC-HAT, and Jabber.  The Apex, essentially, supports a
>>> range of less popular networks, whereas the BSP supports only one
>>> network, but that one network is very widely used compared to the
>>> networks supported by the Apex.
>>>   chinin Braille Codes and Languages The Apex supports 6 and 8
>>> dot computer braille, grade 1, grade 2, and UEB, plus it has
>>> computer Braille tables for English, French, Spanish, and Italian
>>> and it can speak in those languages.  The BSP supports only
>>> English computer braille (6 or 8 dot unknown), grade 1, and grade
>>> 2.  However, the BSP will let you write in any grade, even in a
>>> text document or on a web page; the Apex allows only computer
>>> braille in text documents and web page forms.
>>>   chinin Braille Scrolling and Navigation The BSP has four keys,
>>> two on either side of the Braille display for moving the Braille,
>>> for navigation, as well as four function keys for quickly
>>> switching tasks, closing programs, and performing other basic
>>> tasks.  The Apex has four thumb keys on its front, where the
>>> thumbs naturally rest while reading Braille.  These keys act like
>>> the scroll keys on the BSP, except they are more conveniently
>>> placed.  The Apex also has a scroll wheel, which lets you quickly
>>> scroll through lists and files.  The wheel also has a button in
>>> the center to act as an enter key, and four buttons arount the
>>> outside edge to act as hotkeys for commonly used keystrokes, such
>>> as calling up the help prompt for the given situation on the
>>> Apex.
>>>   chinin Multi-Tasking The BSP can run 7 programs at once; you
>>> could leave your wordprocessor open while you quickly switch to
>>> your email to read something, then leave the email open to go the
>>> the file manager to copy a couple files...  For this reason, the
>>> BSP contains task manager, which is a large part of the
>>> functionality of the four function keys.  The Apex cannot, as far
>>> as I know, do this.  You can leave a media file playing in the
>>> background or do other things on the Apex while you wait for your
>>> machine to connect to a wireless networo, but you cannot let your
>>> email download in the background while you read a book.  The
>>> Apex, though, now (thanks to CE6) has the ability to do a lot of
>>> multi-tasking, far exceeding the BSP's limit of 7 applications at
>>> once, though such functionality is not yet implemented in
>>> Keysoft, much like bluetooth object exchange could easily be
>>> supported but is not yet there.
>>>   chinin External Media Controls Tge Apex has only one media key:
>>> the record button.  The BSP has buttons on its front, where the
>>> Apex's toumb keys are, for skipping tracks, recording, playing,
>>> pausing, and so forth, not to mention its media switch, which
>>> lets you select a mode for your media keys: media, DAISY, and FM
>>> radio.  While both machines support playing media, playing DAISY
>>> files, and an FM radio, only the BSP has external buttons to
>>> facilitate easy manipulation of media.
>>>   chinin Synthesizers: The Apex comes with two speech
>>> synthesizers: Keynote Gold, which supports only one voice, and
>>> Eloquence, with five voices to choose from.  The BSP only has
>>> Eloquence with its selection of
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "RJ Sandefur" <joltingjacksandefur at gmail.com
>>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> Date sent: Thu, 21 Oct 2010 12:36:18 -0400
>>> Subject: [nabs-l] Note takers
>>>
>>> I use a braille 'n speak which I've had for ten years now, and
>>> its on its last leg.  What types of note takers do you guys use,
>>> How much does it caust, and does it live up to what is advertised
>>> concerning it? I'm not shure wheather or not to get a packmate, a
>>> braille note, or a braille sence.  I'm on disability, due to some
>>> other disabililities I have.  I'm also in a distance learning
>>> Seminary, going for my doctorate degree in theology.  I'm not
>>> shure how I can purchose a note taker, due to the fact, I have
>>> alot of bills to pay.  Would my local lions club be able to
>>> assist me in this reguard? RJ
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>>>
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>>
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