[nfbcs] Notetaker Reviews

Fri Sep 18 14:04:15 UTC 2009

Yeah, I saw that the dimensions of the other units are less than the Pac 
Mate. As you know, I own a Pac Mate. But I am wondering how they could make 
a notetaker any smaller. The PM already has a compressed keyboard. It is a 
fairly normal qwerty keyboard layout but there isn't quite as much space 
between the keys as there usually is.  And the layout does differ a bit from 
a regular qwerty keyboard. Some keys have been moved to fit the keyboard 
into a smaller space. Add on a braille display and I just don't see how the 
thing could be a lot smaller. Thinner maybe. And lighter maybe.  But there 
just is not a great deal of wasted space on the top surface of a Pac Mate.

If I had it to do all over again, I'd definately buy a standard notebook 
computer and put nvda on it. And then I'd buy a Trekker or something 
similar.  My Pac Mate has a GPS and I love it. I would no longer want to be 
without a GPS. But I'll admit that lugging a Pac Mate around is a pain. On 
the other hand, it can actually be an advantage to *have* to lug your 
notetaker around because then when you arrive at your destination, you have 
your notetaker. As much of a pain as it is to lug around, its nice to have 
it handy.

One day this week, I used the GPS feature on my Pac Mate to go to a Lions 
Club meeting at a hotel. At the meeting I took notes with the Pac Mate and 
added some folks to my contact database. Before the meeting I got on-line 
via the hotel's wireless and checked my email. That evening I composed a 
letter on the Pac Mate. Later I listened to a book downloaded from 
bookshare.org.

Not every day is that Pac Mate intensive. I literally do take it with me 
almost everywhere I go. But it is a huge pain to lug around.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
To: "'NFBnet NFBCS Mailing List'" <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, September 17, 2009 11:16 AM
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Notetaker Reviews

> Hi John,
>
> Interesting analysis.  I am leaning toward the BSP but do not deny that 
> the
> Pac Mate Omni makes a competitive case for itself.  I don't know that I
> agree that the Pac Mate Omni has fewer features because its operating
> platform allows the device to integrate with mainstream software, 
> something
> neither the BSP or mPower can accomplish.  The slight negative for me on 
> the
> Pac Mate Omni is the size of the unit.  At any rate, I am surprised at the
> lack of personal reviews of either product.  I wish someone would start a
> website devoted to adaptive technology reviews with specific criteria for
> the user to offer comments.  If anyone is interested maybe we can grab a
> domain and start it together, something on par with NoteBookReviews.com.
>
> 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: Thursday, September 17, 2009 10:34 AM
> To: NFBnet NFBCS Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Notetaker Reviews
>
> 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.
>
>
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