[nabs-l] Questions About Getting New Laptop

Mon Jun 20 21:29:24 UTC 2011

I know Serotek has an OCR for the mac...I think it's called Docuscan
or something.  Not sure how well it compares to Kerzweil or open-book,
though.
  Best,
kirt

On 6/20/11, Jorge Paez <computertechjorgepaez at gmail.com> wrote:
> Yes.
> Open Book is only for Windows.
> And no, there is no software for Mac.
> And don't even try to run Windows on your Mac via bootcamp, I know from
> experience that slows your computer to at least a forth of its usual speed.
>
>
> On Jun 20, 2011, at 3:19 PM, Katie Wang wrote:
>
>> Hi, all,
>>  I have been following this thread as I'm also planning to purchase a
>> new laptop within the next year or so (my current one still runs
>> Windows XP). One question for those of you who use and like Macs: Is
>> there some sort of OCR sofftware that works with Macs? I regularly use
>> Open Book to scan documents or convert pdf files into a more
>> accessible format, but from what I understand it only works on Windows
>> machines. Is that correct? Thanks!
>>   Katie
>>
>>
>> On 6/20/11, Chris Nusbaum <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Florida? Are you going to convention while you're there?
>>>
>>> Chris
>>>
>>> "A loss of sight, never a loss of vision!" (Camp Abilities motto)
>>> To learn more about Camp Abilities and find a local camp near
>>> you, just click on this link to their national Web site:
>>> www.campabilities.org.
>>>
>>> The I C.A.N.  Foundation helps visually impaired youth in
>>> Maryland have the ability to confidently say "I can!" How? Click
>>> on this link to learn more and to contribute:
>>> www.icanfoundation.info.
>>>
>>> Sent from my BrailleNote
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: Kerri Kosten <kerrik2006 at gmail.com
>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>,"T.  Joseph Carter" <carter.tjoseph at gmail.com
>>> Date sent: Mon, 20 Jun 2011 02:00:04 -0400
>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Questions About Getting New Laptop
>>>
>>> Hi All!
>>>
>>> Thanks for the info.  I really appreciate it!
>>>
>>> I want to hopefully bring this new laptop to my upcoming trip to
>>> Florida to visit some family so I think I am going to just go for
>>> windows and maybe get a mac later when I know I'll have more time
>>> to
>>> spend learning voiceover.
>>>
>>> I did a quick search on Amazon for the I7 laptops and the
>>> cheapest
>>> prices I can find are in the $800 range.
>>>
>>> What kind of budget/price should I go for? I guess the more you
>>> pay
>>> the better...are the more expensive I7 processor high end laptops
>>> worth it over the much cheaper I3 ones?
>>>
>>> I don't want to be so cheap I get a crappy laptop but at the same
>>> time
>>> I don't want to get something that is overpriced and I end up
>>> getting
>>> screwed.
>>>
>>> For those who have purchased laptops recently did you go for the
>>> cheaper lower end or the more expensive higher end models?
>>>
>>> I don't mind spending the money for something good but I also
>>> don't
>>> want to spend a ton on something and get screwed.
>>>
>>> Thanks!
>>> Kerri
>>>
>>> On 6/19/11, T.  Joseph Carter <carter.tjoseph at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> For a JAWS user or Window Eyes user, the Mac is going to take a
>>> little getting used to, but other than learning the new screen
>>> reader, it functions basically as you뭗 expect it to.  The
>>> option to
>>> use a virtual machine to run Windows exists on a Mac as well,
>>> and you
>>> will find the MacBook Air in particular a joy to carry after
>>> lugging
>>> around a larger, heavier laptop.
>>>
>>> Most ultralight PCs are cheap netbooks and pretty sluggish.
>>> They뭭e
>>> got going for them the size and usually also the weight, but
>>> they
>>> sacrifice much in terms of function to do it.  The difference
>>> between
>>> the MacBook Air and a more conventional laptop is that it뭩
>>> missing
>>> optical drive and ethernet port.  And that it weighs half as
>>> much!  I
>>> personally can뭪 imagine carrying anything else anymore.
>>>
>>> If you don뭪 mind the heavier laptop, all the advice about what
>>> to
>>> look for in a good laptop (i7 being more battery efficient than
>>> i3,
>>> etc.) applies to Macs as well.
>>>
>>> The one thing that will take getting used to if you use Windows
>>> your
>>> Mac (either via BootCamp or virtual machine) is the keyboard.
>>> You
>>> will find that the Alt and Windows keys are reversed.  The
>>> keyboard
>>> is basically done the way Mac keyboards have been for ages뾦t뭩
>>> just
>>> that Apple and Microsoft happen to put the "alternative
>>> function" and
>>> "vendor logo function" keys in opposite locations.  I뭭e gotten
>>> used
>>> to using Windows that way.  To me it뭩 no different from using
>>> the
>>> Control key versus the Command key for cut/copy/paste.  I just
>>> do
>>> what뭩 appropriate in the environment I뭢 using pretty
>>> automatically.
>>>
>>> Joseph
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sun, Jun 19, 2011 at 07:55:28PM -0400, Kerri Kosten wrote:
>>> Hi Everyone!
>>>
>>> Well, after five years, it looks like I am going to have to get a
>>> new
>>> laptop.
>>>
>>> I haven't had to look for a laptop in like five years so I had
>>> some
>>> questions.
>>>
>>> First, from an accessibility/screenreader standpoint what is
>>> better
>>> windows or Mac? Was the switch to mac from windows hard? Was
>>> voiceover
>>> easy to get used to? Do you like your mac better than windows?
>>> I've
>>> been told macs don't get viruses or have spyware and they seem a
>>> lot
>>> more durable.  I have a friend who says he has had one for three
>>> years
>>> (he isn't blind) and he says other than spending some money on a
>>> bigger hard drive and paying $25 for one of the new OS updates (I
>>> believe it was snow lepoard) he said it works just as fast and
>>> everything as it did the day he got it.  It seems with windows
>>> the life
>>> is only around four or five years old.  Sighted people are
>>> telling me
>>> to go with mac but I know the world is still largely dominated by
>>> windows.
>>>
>>> For windows users who have purchased laptops recently what things
>>> did
>>> you look for in the laptop? What brands are people using with the
>>> windows screenreaders? I found a Tasheba satellite on Amazon.com
>>> for
>>> $479...it is usually $780 but has been on sale for $479.  It has
>>> an I3
>>> processor, 4 gigs of ram, 640 gig hard drive, and a 15 inch
>>> screen not
>>> that that matters to me.  Supposedly the battery lasts for five
>>> hours.
>>> I was going to just go with this one but i noticed it is rated 3
>>> starrs on the customer reviews and I wonder why it has dropped so
>>> much
>>> in price on Amazon.  is anyone else using a tasheba and are they
>>> good?
>>> What things did you look for in you're laptop before purchasing
>>> it?
>>>
>>> The laptop I will likely get has Windows 7 and is 64 BIT.  Is
>>> there any
>>> big bugs I should know about with 64 BIT, Windows 7, and Jaws? Do
>>> you
>>> like windows 7 overall? Is it better than windows vista? My old
>>> hp
>>> laptop had windows vista on it and my netbook (which I am typing
>>> this
>>> on) has windows XP.
>>>
>>> Even if Rehab or some other source purchased your laptop, I am
>>> noticing most of the new ones have similar specks:Windows 7, a
>>> 500 gig
>>> or bigger hard drive, I 3 and up processor, 4 gigs of ram.  How
>>> fast
>>> are these? My laptop is so old I'm kind of excited and curious to
>>> hear
>>> about how fast the latest laptops with these new and improved
>>> specks
>>> are.
>>>
>>> Thanks!
>>> Kerri
>>>
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>>
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