[nfbcs] Notetaker Reviews

Tue Sep 8 22:03:59 UTC 2009

You should consider subscribing to the Pac Mate user's list. I believe you 
can subscribe by sending a message to
pmlist-request at pacmategear.com. People are always trying to sell used Pac 
Mates

there. are also a couple of email lists for blind people to sell stuff. I 
don't have those addresses available right now. But I can forward the 
addresses to this list when I get messages from the lists. I just don't 
happen to have any messages from the lists in my inbox at the moment. But 
they're very active lists and it won't be long.

----- Original Message ----- 

From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
To: "'NFBnet NFBCS Mailing List'" <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 3:19 PM
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Notetaker Reviews

> Hi John,
>
> Trust me.  If I found someone to sell me their used unit at a discount, 
> I'd
> go for it.  Even gainfully employed people like myself have to seriously
> give it some thought before plunking down six grand, not including
> maintenance agreements.
>
> Joe Orozco
>
> "A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the
> crowd."--Max Lucado
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of John G. Heim
> Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 2:10 PM
> To: NFBnet NFBCS Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Notetaker Reviews
>
> Yeah, the Pac Mate braille display is detachable but I wouldn't
> think that would be a drawback. When the braille display is
> attached, it really feels and acts like an integrated unit. I
> have taken the braille display off and used it on a linux
> machine. Honestly, the day I did that, I got my wife to come
> down stairs to my workroom to see it. As if anybody, even
> another blind person, would care.  I just thought that was so
> cool though.
>
> You can do debian linux installs with a braille display from a
> Pac Mate. And I just saw that support for loading the drivers
> at boot time is being added.
> So you will get boot messages on your braille display. That
> would be cool.
>
> I cannot actually recommend buying a new Pac Mate though. I
> don't actually recommend against it either. But the thing is
> $5600 new. I just don't know how  anybody can afford that. I
> guess a lot of people have the government buy it for them.
>
> I got my Pac Mate used though and if I were you, I'd look into that.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'NFBnet NFBCS Mailing List'" <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, September 07, 2009 8:49 AM
> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Notetaker Reviews
>
>
>> Dean,
>>
>> Good point.  I should have included what I was looking for.
>>
>> I'm looking for greater compatibility with mainstream
> devices.  I agree
>> with
>> Gary that the Braille quality on the BrailleNote is
> pleasantly sharp, but
>> I
>> may consider trading that for quicker connectivity and
> conversion between
>> file formats.  Braille is, by the way, my main reason for wanting to
>> evaluate new units.  I like the benefits of the Icon and such
> products,
>> but
>> I like a unit with a built-in Braille display as opposed to
> the Pac Mate
>> which at one point was selling as a detached piece.  Is that
> still the
>> case?
>>
>> I don't know how much I need third-party applications.  The
> BrailleNote,
>> unless I'm mistaken, does not offer much support for such
> collaboration,
>> so
>> I've never had the opportunity to really delve into what is
> available for
>> Windows operating systems, or Linux for that matter.
>>
>> On that note, I would be willing to learn Linux if anyone has
> experience
>> with the Elba, even if it does appear to be on the heavy side
> of the scale
>> compared to the weight of the Braille Sense and BrailleNote.
>>
>> In brief, I bought a smaller laptop for greater portability, but for
>> presentations I want a good Braille display system that can
> talk with the
>> laptop without much fuss or additional file conversion steps.  I could
>> invest in a small Braille display, but there are trips when I
> want to be
>> able to not have to carry two pieces of equipment when only one could
>> suffice.
>>
>> At any rate, I really appreciate people's feedback.  Like I said, the
>> prices
>> on these things are ridiculous.  The price to fix them when
> they bust is
>> equally disturbing, so I want to make sure my money is being
> well-spent.
>> Your advice is good because it seems the only thing we can do
> without the
>> opportunity to check into a store and play with one.  Maybe Apple will
>> figure out Braille display technology and give the current
> players a run
>> for
>> their money.
>>
>> Joe Orozco
>>
>> "A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the
>> crowd."--Max Lucado
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org
>> [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Dean Martineau
>> Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 10:26 PM
>> To: 'NFBnet NFBCS Mailing List'
>> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Notetaker Reviews
>>
>> In this sort of thing, the first question is, what do you want
>> to do with your device?  Pac Mate runs Windows Mobile6, or
>> maybe 6.1, so you can install third-party software on it, but
>> it is less simple to use than the Braille Note. The more you
>> can delineate about your intended use for the product, the
>> better able you will be to elicit comparisons.  If you want a
>> package that does what it does out of the box but is not
>> expandable, then Braille Note or Braille Sense would fit.  Icon
>> is somewhat expandable if you want to delve into Linux.  Also,
>> for the same reason that sighted people aren't buying PDA's
>> much any more, many of us do many of the tasks formerly done on
>> notetakers on powerful cell phones that are smaller and cheaper.
>>
>> Dean
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org
>> [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ryan Mann
>> Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 7:13 PM
>> To: NFBnet NFBCS Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Notetaker Reviews
>>
>> Another note taker is the Icon from Levelstar.  I don't know
>> that much about that notetaker, but I do know a few pros of it.
>> 1.  It has a hard drive  instead of flash memory, so it can
>> store a lot of information.
>> 2.  It can play the new digital books from NLS.
>> 3.  It runs Linux, which is a really stable operating system.
>>
>> On Sep 6, 2009, at 9:09 PM, Joe Orozco wrote:
>>
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> Sorry for the cross-post.
>>>
>>> Is it correct that the Braille Sense Plus, BrailleNote mPower and Pac
>>> Mate are the only three Braille notetakers at the moment?  I have an
>>> mPower I want to get rid of, but at six thousand dollars for a new
>>> device the damn thing had better do what I need it to.
>> KeySoft is not
>>> all that amusing for me, but for anyone considering the mPower it has
>>> more to do with personal preference.
>>>
>>> I found a comparison chart on GW Micro's web site over these three
>>> products, but I would be interested in another round of personal
>>> reviews from anyone who can speak to their likes and dislikes on the
>>> units.
>>>
>>> Thanks in advance for any assistance.
>>>
>>> Joe Orozco
>>>
>>> "A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the
>>> crowd."--Max Lucado
>>>
>>>
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