[Nfbmt] Who uses what?

[d m gina]

you can take notes with a smart phone,
As well as gps different gps methods are out there.
A money identifier different apps to down load on the phone that works well.
I also have the tape you are speaking about that can be used for taking 
information you can use on anything.
The cane is the best sord I have used when I need to do so.
Glad I know how to do what I know with the phone.

Original message:
> Low and high tech solutions:

> A slate and stylus.  Who uses that any more?  I do, I do.  It doesn't wear
> out, doesn't need batteries, and isn't too expensive to replace.  I used to
> take notes on it in college, but that was another era when the dinosaurs
> roamed.

> Also a Braille writer.  Not as portable as a notetaker and much too loud to
> use anywhere but home.  But still mighty functional.  I have had mine since I
> was ten.  I use it every day.

> Various notetakers, all of which are so outdated they do not do email or
> internet any more.  Ah well, maybe some day.

> A Samsung Haven flip cell phone, which speaks every function to me.  I use it
> to make phone calls and text.  They don't make them any more so if I want one
> I have to find it used.

> Talking clock: Tells the time and the indoor and outdoor temperature on the
> hour.  Shuts up between eleven p.m. and eight a.m.

> Braille Watch:  Silently tells me the time.

> Desktop and Laptop Computer with JAWS (Job Access with Speech) Screen Reader.
> Pretty much indispensable.  I need to figure out why the laptop computer
> doesn't connect with Wyfi systems in hotels and other places other than home,
> though.

> Printer/scanner/copier/fax machine:  As a scanner, it lets me weed out junk
> mail and know what my bills and other mail are, as long as they are not
> handwritten.  We haven't had someone read our mail in over fifteen years now.
> I love the autonomy and privacy of that.

> Trekker Breeze:  GPS System.  It doesn't do everything I would like it to do,
> but it's cheaper than many and better than nothing.

> Victor Reader Stream:  Love to download books and podcasts with this and
> listen to internet radio and NFB NewslineR.

> Talking Thermometer: I have more than one, one for use in the kitchen, which
> I don't use much but it is handy for checking the internal temperature of
> meats or poultry, and one for human body temperature use.  They are not
> interchangeable.

> I know someone who has a talking microwave.  Now that has to be a cool
> device.  I have mine marked in Braille.  Same with my gas range, dishwasher,
> and washer and dryer.

> I.D. Mate:  A bar code scanner that speaks.  Most of the time it will tell
> you what item you are scanning, and even give you preparation instructions on
> some items.

> Labeling Tape:  It comes on a roll that you can put into a Braille writer and
> write Braille on it, then peel off the sticker and stick it on a box or can
> or CD or whatever you want to label.  It comes in two sizes, one is one
> Braille line, and the other will take three or four. One is probably four
> inches by 1/2 inch, and the other is probably 4 inches square.

> Dymo tape:  Another type of peel-and-stick labeling tape that comes in a
> roll, but is much sturdier.  You can write on it with a Braille writer, a
> slate and stylus, or a Dymo tape writer.

> There is another type of Braille labeling that I use in the freezer.  It
> consists of plastic labels that can hold one or two lines of Braille.  They
> have a hole at each end that you can put an elastic band into, and then
> stretch it onto a package or box and put it in the freezer.  They are
> reusable.  They are easier to read in the cold freezer because they are more
> sturdy than most other labeling methods, and because they aren't stick-on
> labels they don't often come off in the freezer.

> Money Identifier:  I like to carry this with me and slip a bill in it and
> push a button and it usually tells me the denomination of the bill.  Handy
> for when no one else is around, which is often the case.

> Talking Compass: Something I got thinking I would use it a lot, and I don't.

> White cane or guide dog:  Mobility devices.  One has a wagging tail and sheds
> and needs to be fed and taken out; the other one doesn't.  But one is so much
> more cuddly than the other.

> I have been thinking lately how many of these gadgets could be replaced by a
> Smart phone.  I could probably open my own gadget store.  Joy

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nfbmt [mailto:nfbmt-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Marks, Jim via
> Nfbmt
> Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2016 9:04 PM
> To: 'NFB of Montana Discussion List'
> Cc: Marks, Jim
> Subject: Re: [Nfbmt] Who uses what?

> Sorry to be so slow in replying and for missing so many Chapter meetings.
> Seems like life keeps getting the way of participating like I want.  I have
> to admit that I missed the most recent Chapter meeting because I went to a
> music concert by Iris Dement.  Iris was wonderful, but so is our collective
> activity.

> The device I use the most these days is my Android smart phone.  It's a jack
> of all trades sort of device.  I use in the usual way for things like making
> calls and texting.  And there are lots of really good apps for blind people,
> too.  For example, I use the KNFB Reader app that makes my smart phone a
> portable reading tool.  It really works well, so much so, I can't figure out
> how I got along without it.  Another useful app is Nearby Explorer, a way
> finding tool designed for blind users.  It's accurate enough to walk in
> unfamiliar places with confidence.  Yet another app is the Ideal Currency
> Identifier.  It tells me the denomination of bills.  I often use mainstream
> apps such as Google Maps.  It allows me to navigate from a car.  I simply
> tell it where I want to go, and it gives step-by-step driving instructions
> for my drivers and me.  There are far more apps I could mention, but this
> gives an idea of why I like my smart phone so much.

> My phone is a Galaxy Note 3, and it's now over two years old.  Newer phones
> perform even better, but what I have is so good, I'm actually reluctant to
> give it up.  To help operate the phone, I use a separate Braille Bluetooth
> keyboard called the Focus 14.  It takes a while to get the knack of using it,
> and I learn new things almost every time I try to use the device.

> Now, I know a lot of blind folks really like the Apple phones.  Today,
> though, the Android option is every bit as good as the Apple.  And I have to
> admit I like the diversity of Android.  Apple's stuff is elegant and well
> supported, but Apple takes the philosophy of not caring much about user input
> and favoring giving us technology the company thinks we need.  Android is
> more user generated, and, as a consequence, sometimes frustrating to use as
> frequent app updates require relearning things over and over again.  Still, I
> like the challenge.  Really, using technology means adopting an attitude of
> problem solving in a very dynamic environment.  Technology not only gives me
> tools to use, it keeps my thinking cap functioning like it should.

> Best!



> Jim Marks
> Blind.grizzly at gmail.com


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nfbmt [mailto:nfbmt-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Rik James via
> Nfbmt
> Sent: Wednesday, February 10, 2016 2:41 PM
> To: NFB of Montana Discussion List
> Cc: Rik James
> Subject: [Nfbmt] Who uses what?

> How many members are using which device?

> Who feels like they need help with which device?

> Who would like to devote a part of a chapter meeting discussing this?

> But not only devices.
> How about other non-device aspects to day to day life as a blind person?
> List some of those as well.

> I keep spending time looking for things.
> I am working on my scanning technique.
> Seems that too often, I say well I can't find it.
> Then to find out the lost item was right in the area where I had been
> looking.
> What is wrong with this picture?
> Frustration.

> What should I do?
> I have an old thinking cap.
> I used to wear it, until I got too big headed.
> So I put it in a drawer
> Of course my life was rather dull, not wearing my thinking cap.
> But when living off of my wits proved too great a challenge, I chose to
> reconsider my situation.
> Then, when my ego had shrunk a bit, I could not remember which drawer I had
> put it in.

> What?
> Look again in that drawer.
> Why yes. There it is.

> That's just silly.
> Isn't it?
> Who needs to wear a hat just to think?

> Ah well.
> Complications.

> Looking for the cell phone.
> Call myself up on the land line.
> That works.
> Should I have put the phone where the hat was?
> Silly again. Oh well.

> Let us hear your thoughts, folks.
> Rik James


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