[nfbcs] Notetaker Reviews

[John G. Heim]

Here is a link to the comparison chart that was mentioned in another message 
in this thread:
http://www.gwmicro.com/Braille_Sense/Comparison_Chart/

Even though it's done by GW Micro, it's a pretty nice, even handed 
comparison , IMO. I don't see a distinct winner.  The Pac Mate Omni probably 
does have the fewest features but it is also quite a bit less expensive than 
the other products. The things that stand out in the comparison chart for me 
were:
1. The Braille Sense has an 8 gigabype flash drive compared to 128 megabytes 
for the other 2 notetakers.
2. The Pac Mate has a 40 cell display compared to 32 for the other 2 
notetakers.
3. I'm not sure about whether a notetaker should have built in bluetooth and 
wireless. Specs for those thing do change and if it's built in, you'd have 
to send the unit back for an upgrade if you want to keep up with technology. 
On the other hand, you're probably going to have to do that anyway. I have a 
Pac Mate classic and it needs an upgrade to Omni. I can't afford it but I'd 
do it if I could. Anyway, I'm going to call that whole issue a draw.
4. Both the Braille Sense and the Braille Note have LCD displays and/or a 
VGA port. This is the one thing that I think should be an add-on. 
Personally, I would not want to pay for those features.