[nabs-l] The technology in specialized notetakers

Sat Jul 13 22:14:38 UTC 2013

Antonio,

Although I unfortunately don't have the power to do as you suggest
since I am not a computer science major, I totally sympathize with
you.  This seems like an issue of inequality to me and has been
grossly overlooked for a long time.  I remember when I got my first
laptop for about $600 and the thing was a piece of junk.  A few short
years later the laptop I got was slightly better and down to $400.
Now I think the one my voc rehab agency got me and the one I'm typing
on now was abot that price but it runs a lot smoother, is about half
as thick, and has more protection from viruses and bugs.  The
functionality has gone up as the price has dropped, so why isn't that
true for assistive technology as well.  Humanware is starting to take
a hint from hims and offer free updates, but I'm wondering if that
isn't out of desperation to compete with Hims Inc or to reel in
customers who might be fed up.  The apex has always seemed buggier to
me than the BrailleSense too at least from my experiences, so
Humanware might also be trying to appease angry customers who have to
keep paying for updates in addition to getting  keys unstuck and what
not.

I really love my BrailleSense On-Hand.  It's very portable, has all
the functionality of a full-sized notetaker, and I've recently started
playing around with getting it to connect to my IPhone and tablet for
braille access.  Since it is so small I can take it anywhere.  I do
use it in some of my classes that require heavy notetaking as it is
much less cumbersome on a small desktop and easier to deal with
because of its size.  I also use my BookSense to record classes and
read documents for them on the go.

My goal for this year is to phase out the laptop in classes where it
isn't needed.  I keep all my textbook files on an SD card, so it would
be easy enough for me to pop it out of my computer and access the text
files on my BrailleSense.  I will still need my computer for music
courses so I can access my music software, but for notetaking purposes
I figure I can just use the BrailleSense in conjunction with a text
editor on my tablet, or even write it in the body of an email and copy
and paste it into a continuous file stored on my computer later.
Carrying around a BrailleSense and a tablet which doesn't even weigh a
pound will be a lot less cumbersome than carrying a backpack with a
laptop inside.

On 7/13/13, Antonio Guimaraes <freethaught at gmail.com> wrote:
> Anjelina,
>
> One of the problems you face is due to the lack of support from Humanware
> products. The Apex notetaker is not quick to add file formats to the list of
> supported documents. I find Hims, the maker of the Sense line of products a
> lot more responsive to these types of demands.
>
> Note-takers are so expensive, and so specialized that I would not be able to
> afford one if my voc rehab agency didn't purchase mine. That said, I am
> virtually naked without my note-taker. It provides the most efficient access
> to information on the fly for me. It pairs with my iPhone, and much more.
>
> There is a time and place for the laptop, and I am finding myself using the
> laptop more and more. It is easier to collaborate with sighted coleague. The
> windows or mac environments make it easier to manipulate data, and switch
> between applications.
>
> There is no replacement to the note-taker for me when it comes to taking
> notes at meetings, accessing a schedule, and the like.
>
> I've been spoiled by note-takers since the late 90's, but I am sure I would
> be able to do without if I really really had to, or if I were starting to
> use high tech devices in more recent years.
>
> I can imagine a blind person would have adequate access to her notes on a
> smart phone or tablet, a bluetooth keyboard, and some easy way to access the
> device qquiccckkly.
>
> I can get to any file and note in my Braille Sense in under 30 seconds if I
> know where to look. This is storage and retrieval at its best. The Braille
> Sense hands from a strap aaround my kneck, and I can get to anything in it
> very quickly.
>
> You cannot even bring up a netbook from hibernate mode to the desktop, let
> alone access information on a disk. You can't carry and hold a laptop with
> ease, so it is cumbersome and awekward to look up little things like flight
> numbers, phone numbers, addresses, and the like on a laptop while
> traveling.
>
> I need lots of reminders from travel directions to train schedules, to
> calendar appointments. The Braille Sense is the way to go for me.
>
> You can pair note-takers to laptops as input and output devices, so other
> scenarios are possible.
>
> I haven't tried this, but I suppose you could pair a Braille Sense to the
> laptop, leave the laptop at your seat, bring the Braille Sense to a lectern,
> and pull up notes for a presentation. You could plug a laptop to a
> projector, and work from your note-taker to access all the features on the
> laptop.
>
> Note-takers continue to improve, and I think manufacturers ahve been adding
> enough functionality to thhhem to keep them relevant to blind users.
>
> I am still waiting for the day when places like AFB will build an app good
> enough to make storage and retrieval cheaper, and just as easy as it is on
> the Braille Sense.
>
> We're not there yet. Power note-taker users know what we need to ditch the
> note-takers.
>
> I have yet to see a program with full support for folders and subfolders,
> good search and replace features, spell check, file conversion and support
> for multiple formats. There are many other things one could build into a
> note-taker app, but these I mentioned should get us halfway there.
>
> It shouldn't be hard to mimic a note-taker environment in a mobile
> application. I don't know what Hims and Humanware are waiting for.
>
> Let my sinnisism step into play again while I say there is no interest in
> making something low-cost when they ccan crank these things out at over
> $5000 a piece.
>
> The price of technology for the sighted keeps dropping. Why haven't we seen
> the same in the adaptive technology industry?
>
> I hope some really capable, passionate blind computer scientists feel like
> disrupting the note-taker industry. It's not technocally impossible, and it
> is desireable for blind people to get affordible quality solutions that will
> employ and empower more of us to get out there.
>
> I've been on my soapbox often in the past two days or so.
>
> I can't be the only one who feels this way, though.
>
> I hope  I've given you some interesting uses for note-takers.
>
> And if one of you is bright, motivated, and passionate enough about changing
> how mmmuch it costs to be blind, I'd encourage you to pursue your passion.
> Go get IT done, and ask people for ideas. Go and disrupt the AT industry,
> and don't forget you've got a beta tester right here.
>
> Thanks for reading,
>
> Antonio
>
> Antonio M Guimaraes Jr.
>
> On Jul 13, 2013, at 10:10, Anjelina Cruz <anjelinac26 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> HI all,
>> I used to heavily rely on my Braille Note but have found for me using
>> my computer during classes has been more productive. Is there a reason
>> why the technology in blindness devices seems to lag behind mainstream
>> technology? For instance, reading docx files has just come to the Apex
>> this summer.
>> I'm not at all unappreciative of the tools I have at my disposal,
>> however I wonder why there isn't more of a push within the blindness
>> community to modernize some of our tech choices faster.
>>
>> What devices have you found help you be a productive student?
>> --
>> Anjelina
>>
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-- 
Kaiti