[nfb-db] Communication Options and Technology

[Yirmiyah]

Hi Haben,

I have no personal experience with this product, but Freedom  
Scientific makes an add-on for PAC Mate called FaceToFace.  I've cut  
and pasted some of the relevant text from their data sheet on the  
product.  I'm hoping that someone who has personal experience with it  
can also contact you, but hopefully this information is a start:

FaceToFace includes the
application and a CompactFlash®
Bluetooth card. It can be run on a PAC
Mate 4.1 or PAC Mate Omni. The PAC
Mate Omni is available with either a
20-cell or 40-cell refreshable braille
display, however, the PAC Mate and
braille display must be purchased
separately.

For a truly portable solution FaceTo-
Face is available with a companion
HP iPAQ Pocket PC for the sighted
half of the conversation.


On May 14, 2009, at 8:56 PM, Haben Girma wrote:

>
> Hi there,
> I'm contemplating all my options for communicating with the public  
> in such places as restaurants, offices, etc. I'm a braille reader  
> with significant hearing loss and very good speech. I am familiar  
> with the Screen Braille Communicator, but I find it uncomfortable to  
> use. Firstly, the braille display is tiny, and secondly the QWERTY  
> keyboard for the other person is awkward to type on. My PAC Mate has  
> a much nicer QWERTY keyboard, so I've contemplated using my PAC Mate  
> to communicate with the public. The problem with the PAC Mate is  
> that the braille display faces the person typing. Hence, I would not  
> be able to read what the person writes until after they have  
> finished, and then the PAC Mate would need to be pushed back across  
> the table to me. The ideal setup for me would be for the PAC Mate's  
> braille display to wirelessly receive information from the main body  
> of the PAC Mate. That way, someone could type on the PAC Mate to me  
> while I'm facing them on the other side of the table reading what  
> they are saying on the PAC Mate's braille display. Now, is this at  
> all possible with the PAC Mate? The ALVA BC640, which I also have,  
> has built-in bluetooth functionality. Would the PAC Mate be able to  
> connect with an ALVA BC640 to get it to do what I want?
>
> All ideas and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
>
> Haben
>
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