[nabs-l] notetakers: are they worth buying anymore?

[bookwormahb at earthlink.net]

Chris,
Absolutely, our special notetakers serve a purpose still.
I agree with Kirt.
Notetakers are great for notetaking!  They have built in braille displays 
and its just so easy and efficient! With a netbook/laptop you have to lug it 
around, and to write anything  it has to boot up, you open the word 
processor, write, save info, and exit the program. With a few keystrokes on 
my Braille Note, I can do the same things. I can put phone numbers, 
addresses, little notes, large notes from classes,
and reminders in quickly and efficiently. I heard you can get a display for 
your IPad or I Phone, but its not the same  as the Braille Notes easy built 
in display with cursor routing keys.
We have had this discussion before and I think the opinions were half and 
half. Also til companies build in more accessibility, many of us will like 
the special notetaker built for blind people with accessibility right there 
and some of us may not like touch screens. I love the Braille Note with its 
ability to just operate with braille. I hardly ever use speech and I am glad 
I don't have to hear that synthesized voice; with a IPad,IPod touch, or 
whatever I'd be forced to primarily use speech again. I already have to use 
jaws on my computer.
Ashley
or


-----Original Message----- 
From: Chris Nusbaum
Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2011 10:01 PM
To: Blind Talk list ; NABS list
Cc: BrailleNote list
Subject: [nabs-l] notetakers: are they worth buying anymore?

Hi all,

I don't have a set opinion on this matter as of yet, but I'd like
to initiate the discussion.  I'm noticing a trend in the
blindness technology field: PC's can do most everything a
notetaker (BrailleNote, BrailleSense, PacMate, etc.) can do, with
some obvious changes and differences, and in some cases can do
and support more than the notetaker.  This is also true with the
ever-improving accessible smartphones and tablets: the iPhone,
iPad, iPod Touch, (the semiaccessible) Android phones, the KNFB
Reader, etc.  Yes, the notetakers have built-in Braille displays,
but you can also install a stand-alone Braille display on a
computer to display what's on the screen, or you could just buy a
screen reader (text-to-speech, not text-to-Braille) as a
replacement for the Braille display...  that is, if you think it
is in fact a replacement for refreshable Braille.  That's another
question for all of you in this discussion.  So, here's the
question: with all the advancements and capabilities of a
computer and screen readers or stand-alone refreshable Braille
displays, is it worth it, in your opinion, to buy a notetaker
anymore? What, given all the things a PC can do, is the real
purpose of the notetakers now? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Chris

"A loss of sight, never a loss of vision!" (Camp Abilities motto)

The I C.A.N.  Foundation helps visually impaired youth in
Maryland have the ability to confidently say "I can!" How? Click
on this link to learn more and to contribute:
www.icanfoundation.info or like us on Facebook at I C.A.N.
Foundation.

Sent from my BrailleNote

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