[nabs-l] Did Anyone At Convention See the Neo Braille

Sun Jul 10 05:17:13 UTC 2016

Hi,
thanks for the information. Maybe I'll get a used apex since it costs less.
Its shocking to me that the new braille note touch from humanware will not 
read keyword files and they got rid of block commands menu.
I love keyword and use block commands menu to manipulate files a lot like 
inserting  smaller files to bigger ones and also deleting or inserting 
blocks of text.
Also surprising to me is they got rid of the databases from keybase; not 
that I used them much on the braille note empower though, but IMO it was a 
nice feature.
I know humanware had to do something different since as you said windows CE 
is obselete, but why they had to get rid of keyword, I don't understand.

I don't like the idea of buying a touch screen device as I want something 
tactile to press down on, so the touch  does not seem like something for me.
I know the braille touch has a keypad to use in place of the touch screen 
but still I don't like the idea of a visual touch screen on the device.

I'll have to research my options including the neo braille.

Thanks.

Ashley

-----Original Message----- 
From: Karl Martin Adam via NABS-L
Sent: Saturday, July 09, 2016 5:31 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Cc: Karl Martin Adam
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Did Anyone At Convention See the Neo Braille

Hi Ashley,

As an Apex user, I would definitely suggest getting a newer
notetaker like the Touch or the Neo or maybe even the
Braillesense.  I like my Apex a lot, but the software is
hopelessly out of date because it's running Windows CE, which has
been dead for years.  That means basically every website I go to
tells me that my browser is not supported and that I need to
upgrade to a modern browser, and a lot of them don't work at all.
It still works now, but if you're going to buy something, I
wouldn't invest in a notetaker that is at the edge of being
obsolete.  There are a few things the Touch doesn't do that the
Apex does.  It no longer reads keyword files, and it now has a
separate word processor that defaults to using docx and a braille
file reading and writing utility instead of one word processor
that can do both.  They've also gotten rid of block commands and
replaced it with highlighing chunks of text, which I personally
find annoying.  And the databases from keybase are no longer
supported, and there isn't a way of transfering the e-mail or
address list databases, though Mike Tindal told me there's a way
of uploading my addresses to GMail from the Apex so I'll still
have them on the Touch.

HTH,
Karl

----- Original Message -----
From: Ashley Bramlett via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Sat, 9 Jul 2016 16:57:10 -0400
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Did Anyone At Convention See the Neo
Braille

Hi Katie,
I'm also interested in a new notetaker. But I might just purchase
the apex
before they stop making them.
Does the braille note touch have everything the apex does plus
more bells
and whistles?
How much does the braille note touch cost versus the neo braille?

My understanding is the apex has internet capability through wifi
built into
it. It also has bluetooth connections available to a smart phone
or tablet
such as an ipod touch or ipad.
Also the apex has ability to read NLS books from bard unlike my
braille
Note.
So, I think the apex or new Braille touch would meet my needs.
Still interested in the neo braille so I can decide.

Ashley

-----Original Message-----
From: Katie Wang via NABS-L
Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2016 6:15 PM
To: david.thomas at davidthetechguy.com ; National Association of
Blind
Students mailing list
Cc: Katie Wang
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Did Anyone At Convention See the Neo
Braille

Hi Vejas and all,

I also plan to replace my Braille Note Apex with a new note-taker
within the next year or so, so I'm very interested in this
thread. I
have been intrigued by the Braille Note Touch - Do people have
specific opinions/thoughts about its user interface? Is the touch
screen intuitive to use? Could most functions be carried out
using the
keyboard cover if one prefers not to use the touch screen? Thanks
for
any input!

Katie

On 7/7/16, David Thomas via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
Hello,
The notetaker missing in this discussion is the El Braille. This
notetaker
is a full Windows 10 Machine with 14 cells of refreshable
braille, and a
promising outlook as it will receive updates at the same time
that other
Windows 10 devices get updated. Another benefit of this device
is the
ability for network administrators to easily integrate it into
pre-existing networks, and for the blind user to be able to use
all
business protocols such as exchange, Skype for Business, and
other
business collaboration packages on the market today. My worry
about the
group of Android notetakers that are being released to the
market today is
the possibility of them not being updated. An example of an
Android
notetaker gone wrong is the APH braille Plus that was released
in 2011
running 2.3 gingerbread. At that time gingerbread had been out
for 1 year,
and Google had already unveiled Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
Yes I
understand it is a lot of work to keep a notetaker up-to-date,
but it is
really a necessary thing if we are expected to compete on a
level playing
field.
The next question this brings me to is "Do we actually need a
notetaker?"
I personally have come to the conclusion of no, and have
implemented a
system using an iPhone, and a braille display for my simple note
taker
needs. This solution insures that I am using a mainstream device
while
retaining the lovely braille output we have come to love.
Regards
David Thomas

-----Original Message-----
From: NABS-L [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Karl Martin
Adam via NABS-L
Sent: Thursday, July 7, 2016 3:27 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Cc: Karl Martin Adam
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Did Anyone At Convention See the Neo
Braille

The Neo is an Android notetaker with the ability to download and
use all
accessible Android apps from the Google Play Store, just like
the Touch.
The BrailleSense doesn't have that capability, and it's an older
design,
so you would have it for fewer years before they come out with
the next
hardware revision.  I didn't really compare the Neo to the
BrailleSense in
terms of specs because I was mostly looking at the Touch and the
Neo.

  ----- Original Message -----
From: justin via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Wed, 6 Jul 2016 14:37:38 -0400
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Did Anyone At Convention See the Neo
Braille

How does it stack up to the braille sense u2?
  Justin

-----Original Message-----
From: NABS-L [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Karl Martin
Adam via NABS-L
Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2016 1:47 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Cc: Karl Martin Adam <kmaent1 at gmail.com
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Did Anyone At Convention See the Neo
Braille

Yes I did see it.  The guy from Irie didn't know much about how
the
software or user interface works (Irie is only the distributor
not the
manufacturer), so I don't know how efficient it is to actually
use.  It is
less expensive than the Braillenote Touch though with
significantly better
memory, processor speed, and running a newer version of Android,
and most
importantly for me will have the option of a qwerty smart case,
so I am
very excited to learn more once it actually comes on the market
at the end
of the month.

  ----- Original Message -----
From: Vejas Vasiliauskas via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Thu, 07 Jul 2016 10:35:33 -0700
Subject: [nabs-l] Did Anyone At Convention See the Neo Braille

Hi All,
I was wondering if anyone at convention who went to the exhibit
hall, saw
the Neo-Braille, presented by Irie AT.  It is a notetaker that
is so new
that many people have not heard of it.
In fact, I never heard it announced anywhere else at convention,
so if I
hadn't gone to their table I probably never would have heard
about it
myself.
If you did see it, I would appreciate it if you could tell me
your opinion
on it and whether you feel it would make a good notetaker.  I
currently
have a Braille note and am looking within the next year of
either getting
the one I just described, or a Braille sense U 2.
Thanks.
Vejas

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