[nobe-l] Laptops and screen-readers

[Thornbury, Kelly]

Lucy,

I already had JAWS, but yes, if you don't have it yet you would have to 
purchase it, along with the Windows OS. Like I said, I already had both of 
these, but if you do have to purchase them additionally, then the set up 
becomes a bit more expensive. The BootCamp application is included with the 
Mac OS (I think the latest version is "Lion") and is on the set-up disc. If 
you want to run both OSes at the same time, you will need a program like 
"Fusion," which I think runs in the $30-$50 range, but I really don't 
remember. I've read that Fusion is a little slower than other options, but 
offers less problems. You would also want to Max  out the RAM to run both 
(something to consider in your purchase).

Be forewarned that Freedom Scientific offers no "support" for using JAWS on 
a Mac (so don't tell them that is how you have it set up, because I have yet 
to notice a difference). In fact, one tech I talked to pretty much shut me 
down before I could ask any questions when I mentioned my set up, but I also 
know a few JAWS techs who use the same set up on their own machines, so if 
you had a problem, well, hopefully you win the lottery.

Additionally you will want the Microsoft Office suite, and I recommend 
sticking with the PC side, I just don't like the Mac version of Office, but 
I have it for times when I want to mess with Word documents on the Mac 
platform (again, a little costly if you have to purchase both, but as a 
student I also got these for free through the college). You can work with 
Office documents (Word, Excel, and I think PowerPoint using "iWorks (Macs 
version of Office), but I find this to be a little clumsy as well. The 
iWorks suite used to run about $80, which makes it way cheaper than the more 
advanced Office suites.

Starting from scratch, the Mac + PC option is costly; I did it in part 
because of the corners I could cut. Depending on what you need, going 
straight PC is far less expensive, but I like my Mac platform so much more.

If you have any more questions, I'll be glad to try, but again, I'm not a 
computer person and I'm sure there are better ways.
Hope this helps,
Kelly

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lucy Sirianni" <lucysirianni at earthlink.net>
To: "National Organization of Blind Educators Mailing List" 
<nobe-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, October 30, 2011 3:32 PM
Subject: Re: [nobe-l] Laptops and screen-readers


> Thanks, Kelly -- this is really helpful information! I had a couple of 
> follow-up questions, if you have time.  First, what is the extra cost, if 
> any, associated with BootCamp? Second, I assume that you also need to 
> purchase JAWS; is this correct?
>
> Thank you again!
>
> Lucy
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Thornbury, Kelly" <kthornbury at bresnan.net
> To: "National Organization of Blind Educators Mailing List" 
> <nobe-l at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Sun, 30 Oct 2011 13:11:02 -0600
> Subject: Re: [nobe-l] Laptops and screen-readers
>
> Lucy,
>
> I am not a computer wiz, but I decided on a MacBook Pro and use BootCamp 
> to
> also have Windows.  I feel like I get the benefits of both worlds this 
> way,
> and I find situations where sometimes VoiceOver (Mac) is better and others
> where JAWS works better.  There is a way to run both operating systems
> simultaneously, but I have not tried this yet.
>
> My ultimate feeling is that with the PC, you are stuck with the PC, and 
> with
> Mac you can use both systems.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Lucy Sirianni" <lucysirianni at earthlink.net
> To: <nobe-l at nfbnet.org
> Sent: Sunday, October 30, 2011 12:09 PM
> Subject: [nobe-l] Laptops and screen-readers
>
>
> Hi everyone,
>
>   I am about to purchase a laptop and wondered if anyone on this list
> might have suggestions about what brand or model to buy based on our
> specific needs as teachers.  Are there laptops and screen-readers that are
> particularly compatible with PowerPoint, Track Changes, grading software,
> etc? Since my field is English, I also anticipate scanning a lot of
> material, and I'd love to find a laptop that interfaced well with my Apex.
> Any recommendations, thoughts about Mac vs.  Windows, etc?
>
>   Also, has anyone used a Pearl scanner from Freedom Scientific?
>
> Thank you in advance!
>
> Lucy
>
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