[nabs-l] Note takers

Danielle Montour hypoplexer at gmail.com
Fri Oct 22 00:00:22 UTC 2010


Hi,
Well, as for internet on the Apex, it all depends on your 
connection.  I am using built in wireless right now, and it's 
relatively fast.  You can unpack bookshare books on the apex, and 
there is support for both SD and SDHC (high capasity) cards.  To 
contradict the PacMate, there is NO slot for compactflash cards.  
If I were you, I'd modernize and find a notetaker to your liking.

However, I want to bring this to all of your attention: the 
Braille Wizard.  Here's some info:

 Introducing the Wizard
  The Wizard is a braille Personal Digital Assistant, PDA, 
designed specifically for blind people.  Most of us use PDA's in 
our personal lives and know them as smart phones, iPad's, laptop 
computers, and even desktop computers.   The Wizard is a similar 
device that is tailored for blind people.  Instead of a screen, 
the Wizard features a 20-character braille display with synthetic 
speech output and a standard braille keyboard for data entry.  
Packaged to keep it small and portable, the Wizard is about half 
the size of a sheet of paper and less than one inch thick, so 
users can take it everywhere they would take a cell phone.

Why Create Another Braille PDA for Blind People?

Braille PDA's for the blind are not a new concept.  The 
technology has been available for almost three decades, but since 
blindness is a low incidence disability in the UddS,.  the size 
of this market does not encourage the same innovation that drives 
mainstream technology.  As a result, current braille PDA's are 
expensive--in the $5,000-10,000 range-- and often lack the same 
features as sighted people have come to expect in a PDA.   What 
makes the Wizard different is that it is being produced by a 
Boston-based non-profit, National Braille Press, that is 
dedicated to literacy for blind people through braille.  NBP is 
committed to creating a braille PDA that is affordable, with a 
wide range of features, and uses Android as an open source 
platform to encourage innovation.

Wizard Features and Functions

  chinin 8 dot braille keyboard with an imbedded cursor pad.
  chinin 20 cell, 8 dot braille display with cursor routing and 
forward and back keys.
  chinin Android Operating system found in many smartphones and 
notepads.
  chinin 32GB of internal storage, users can plug SD cards into 
the back of the Wizard to create data backups or to load data 
from other sources.
  chinin Bluetooth wireless connectivity for headsets and other 
hands free devices.
  chinin WiFi connectivity to access local networks or other WiFi 
hotspots.
  chinin Two USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports for users to 
connect to other computer devices.
  chinin Accelerometer -- the same chip that is used in games is 
also used to detect the orientation of the Wizard and allows it 
to adjust when it is tapped or rotated.
  chinin Speech input and output for users who want to listen 
instead of read braille, the Wizard has synthetic speech output.  
It also has speech input so users can perform voice searches, 
dial by voice, and create voice short cuts.
  chinin Cellular connection for data and voice, which can be 
used as a cell phone and smart phone for email, web browsing, and 
smart applications.
  chinin Built-in speakers and microphone for users with a cell 
phone carrier contract to make and receive phone calls.
  chinin Headphonestheadset jack, a standard jack where users can 
plug in their favorite headphones.
  chinin GPS receiver to identify locations, and with the help of 
smart applications, to provide navigation information.  
Android-based navigation applications for blind users are 
currently being created by other developers.
  chinin Compass to help users navigate.
  chinin Built-in music player.  Users can load a music library 
on the Wizard and listen via speakers or headset.
  chinin 5Mp camera, for photography and to identify items or 
surroundings in the user's environment.  Applications are 
available that can photograph and read a printed page.
  chinin Video output connector: for users who need a visual 
display.
  National Braille Press is currently in the first year of 
product development and making significant progress.  A working 
prototype of the Wizard is expected to be completed by 2011 and 
the device will be available to the public soon after that.  
Since Android is a working, usable operating system, we expect to 
continually upgrade and expand the features of the Wizard.  
Applications for the Wizard will be created by third party 
developers so there is unlimited possibility for the product to 
evolve based on the user's needs.
  About National Braille Press The Wizard is a project of the 
Center for Braille Innovation (CBI) at National Braille Press, 
which began in the winter of 2009.  In an effort to increase 
braille literacy, the Wizard was conceived as the first CBI 
project, one of many projects that NBP's Center plans to initiate 
to make accessible technology products for blind people so that 
they can stay connected in the digital world.     NBP is taking a 
leadership role to research, develop and produce specific 
affordable accessible technology products that will help promote 
braille literacy for young readers, and support blind students 
and adults in school and in the workplace environment.  While 
paper braille will not disappear in the immediate future, NBP 
believes that it is equally important for blind people to have 
accessible technology to access information that the digital age 
provides
  Worldwide Collaborations Since the launch of National Braille 
Press's Center for Braille Innovation, NBP has been joined by the 
National Federation of the Blind, The China Braille Press, the 
World Braille Foundation and the American Printing House for the 
Blind to partner in various affordable technology projects for 
blind people.  The Wizard project is being funded by the National 
Braille Press, federal appropriations, the National Federation of 
the Blind, and the China Braille Press.  As non-profit 
organizations, these groups are committed to ensuring that blind 
people have access to technology at affordable prices.  If you 
would like to donate to this project, please go to NBPDDORG to 
learn more


----- Original Message -----
From: Kerri Kosten <kerrik2006 at gmail.com
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Thu, 21 Oct 2010 19:21:57 -0400
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
 _______________________________________________
 nabs-l mailing list
 nabs-l at nfbnet.org
 http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
 To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account 
info
 for nabs-l:
 
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/hypoplexe
 r%40gmail.com

 _______________________________________________
 nabs-l mailing list
 nabs-l at nfbnet.org
 http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
 To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account 
info for
 nabs-l:
 
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/kirt.craz
ydude%40gmail.com


 _______________________________________________
 nabs-l mailing list
 nabs-l at nfbnet.org
 http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
 To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account 
info for
 nabs-l:
 
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/kerrik200
6%40gmail.com


_______________________________________________
nabs-l mailing list
nabs-l at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info 
for nabs-l:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/hypoplexe
r%40gmail.com




More information about the NABS-L mailing list