[nfbcs] Notetakers vs. netbooks

[Maurice Mines]

hi for the deaf-blind a notetaker is the only chose just my thought,  
on this. maurice ham call sine kd0iko.
On Sep 18, 2009, at 12:24 PM, Gary Wunder wrote:

> Hello Tracy. I think one of the reasons people are not moving in  
> large numbers to netbooks and away from notetakers for the blind is  
> that integrated braille support, no matter what screen reader you  
> seem to use, is not nearly as good as with a document stored on a  
> notetaker. I can deliver remarks at a reasonable rate of speed with  
> a document which has been sent to the BrailleNote, but I certainly  
> can't make that claim using Jaws for Windows even on a display which  
> is twice as long. I think you also have to address the question of  
> how much setup time you want once you get somewhere and decide to  
> take a note, check your calendar, or look in your telephone list.
>
> Some of the notetakers have pretty impressive times when you look at  
> how long they will run from a fully charged battery. I think the  
> BrailleNote advertises something like 21 hours. Most laptops I've  
> seen are stretching it if they say three hours but since netbooks  
> don't have any motorized hard drive, my guess is that their battery  
> life is considerably longer.
>
> Lastly, as we found with the KNFB Reader classic, people don't like  
> to carry around multiple chargers to support one unit. If you're  
> braille display can be adequately powered by the USB port, then this  
> isn't an issue, but if it runs from its own internal battery, then  
> you have another plug to find in a hotel or a classroom.
>
> Warmest Regards,
>
> Gary
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net 
> >
> To: <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, September 18, 2009 1:07 PM
> Subject: [nfbcs] Notetakers vs. netbooks
>
>
>> Is there a good reason, other than a built-in braille display, to  
>> buy a
>> notetaker instead of a netbook?
>> The weight of the netbook seems about the same as that of many  
>> notetakers,
>> and it runs off-the-shelf software.  Of course, one would have to  
>> add the
>> extra weight and space of a braille display, which could be a  
>> drawback.
>> Someone told me that netbooks have trouble running speech, but  
>> another
>> person said she'd had no problems.  The netbooks I saw online look  
>> to be
>> more powerful than my old laptop, and smaller.
>> And a netbook is a whole heck of a lot cheaper than a notetaker,  
>> even one
>> without braille.  So what are the drawbacks?  Why aren't most blind  
>> guys
>> buying netbooks instead of notetakers?
>> Just curious, and wondering if I should replace my old laptop with
>> something new and snazzy.
>> Tracy
>>
>>
>>
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>
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