[nabs-l] Questions About Getting New Laptop

Tue Jun 21 00:34:11 UTC 2011

Yeah but its online and costs I think like twice of what their Windows version costs.

On Jun 20, 2011, at 5:29 PM, Kirt Manwaring wrote:

> I know Serotek has an OCR for the mac...I think it's called Docuscan
> or something.  Not sure how well it compares to Kerzweil or open-book,
> though.
>  Best,
> kirt
> 
> On 6/20/11, Jorge Paez <computertechjorgepaez at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Yes.
>> Open Book is only for Windows.
>> And no, there is no software for Mac.
>> And don't even try to run Windows on your Mac via bootcamp, I know from
>> experience that slows your computer to at least a forth of its usual speed.
>> 
>> 
>> On Jun 20, 2011, at 3:19 PM, Katie Wang wrote:
>> 
>>> Hi, all,
>>> I have been following this thread as I'm also planning to purchase a
>>> new laptop within the next year or so (my current one still runs
>>> Windows XP). One question for those of you who use and like Macs: Is
>>> there some sort of OCR sofftware that works with Macs? I regularly use
>>> Open Book to scan documents or convert pdf files into a more
>>> accessible format, but from what I understand it only works on Windows
>>> machines. Is that correct? Thanks!
>>>  Katie
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On 6/20/11, Chris Nusbaum <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Florida? Are you going to convention while you're there?
>>>> 
>>>> Chris
>>>> 
>>>> "A loss of sight, never a loss of vision!" (Camp Abilities motto)
>>>> To learn more about Camp Abilities and find a local camp near
>>>> you, just click on this link to their national Web site:
>>>> www.campabilities.org.
>>>> 
>>>> 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.
>>>> 
>>>> Sent from my BrailleNote
>>>> 
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: Kerri Kosten <kerrik2006 at gmail.com
>>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>,"T.  Joseph Carter" <carter.tjoseph at gmail.com
>>>> Date sent: Mon, 20 Jun 2011 02:00:04 -0400
>>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Questions About Getting New Laptop
>>>> 
>>>> Hi All!
>>>> 
>>>> Thanks for the info.  I really appreciate it!
>>>> 
>>>> I want to hopefully bring this new laptop to my upcoming trip to
>>>> Florida to visit some family so I think I am going to just go for
>>>> windows and maybe get a mac later when I know I'll have more time
>>>> to
>>>> spend learning voiceover.
>>>> 
>>>> I did a quick search on Amazon for the I7 laptops and the
>>>> cheapest
>>>> prices I can find are in the $800 range.
>>>> 
>>>> What kind of budget/price should I go for? I guess the more you
>>>> pay
>>>> the better...are the more expensive I7 processor high end laptops
>>>> worth it over the much cheaper I3 ones?
>>>> 
>>>> I don't want to be so cheap I get a crappy laptop but at the same
>>>> time
>>>> I don't want to get something that is overpriced and I end up
>>>> getting
>>>> screwed.
>>>> 
>>>> For those who have purchased laptops recently did you go for the
>>>> cheaper lower end or the more expensive higher end models?
>>>> 
>>>> I don't mind spending the money for something good but I also
>>>> don't
>>>> want to spend a ton on something and get screwed.
>>>> 
>>>> Thanks!
>>>> Kerri
>>>> 
>>>> On 6/19/11, T.  Joseph Carter <carter.tjoseph at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> For a JAWS user or Window Eyes user, the Mac is going to take a
>>>> little getting used to, but other than learning the new screen
>>>> reader, it functions basically as you뭗 expect it to.  The
>>>> option to
>>>> use a virtual machine to run Windows exists on a Mac as well,
>>>> and you
>>>> will find the MacBook Air in particular a joy to carry after
>>>> lugging
>>>> around a larger, heavier laptop.
>>>> 
>>>> Most ultralight PCs are cheap netbooks and pretty sluggish.
>>>> They뭭e
>>>> got going for them the size and usually also the weight, but
>>>> they
>>>> sacrifice much in terms of function to do it.  The difference
>>>> between
>>>> the MacBook Air and a more conventional laptop is that it뭩
>>>> missing
>>>> optical drive and ethernet port.  And that it weighs half as
>>>> much!  I
>>>> personally can뭪 imagine carrying anything else anymore.
>>>> 
>>>> If you don뭪 mind the heavier laptop, all the advice about what
>>>> to
>>>> look for in a good laptop (i7 being more battery efficient than
>>>> i3,
>>>> etc.) applies to Macs as well.
>>>> 
>>>> The one thing that will take getting used to if you use Windows
>>>> your
>>>> Mac (either via BootCamp or virtual machine) is the keyboard.
>>>> You
>>>> will find that the Alt and Windows keys are reversed.  The
>>>> keyboard
>>>> is basically done the way Mac keyboards have been for ages뾦t뭩
>>>> just
>>>> that Apple and Microsoft happen to put the "alternative
>>>> function" and
>>>> "vendor logo function" keys in opposite locations.  I뭭e gotten
>>>> used
>>>> to using Windows that way.  To me it뭩 no different from using
>>>> the
>>>> Control key versus the Command key for cut/copy/paste.  I just
>>>> do
>>>> what뭩 appropriate in the environment I뭢 using pretty
>>>> automatically.
>>>> 
>>>> Joseph
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> On Sun, Jun 19, 2011 at 07:55:28PM -0400, Kerri Kosten wrote:
>>>> Hi Everyone!
>>>> 
>>>> Well, after five years, it looks like I am going to have to get a
>>>> new
>>>> laptop.
>>>> 
>>>> I haven't had to look for a laptop in like five years so I had
>>>> some
>>>> questions.
>>>> 
>>>> First, from an accessibility/screenreader standpoint what is
>>>> better
>>>> windows or Mac? Was the switch to mac from windows hard? Was
>>>> voiceover
>>>> easy to get used to? Do you like your mac better than windows?
>>>> I've
>>>> been told macs don't get viruses or have spyware and they seem a
>>>> lot
>>>> more durable.  I have a friend who says he has had one for three
>>>> years
>>>> (he isn't blind) and he says other than spending some money on a
>>>> bigger hard drive and paying $25 for one of the new OS updates (I
>>>> believe it was snow lepoard) he said it works just as fast and
>>>> everything as it did the day he got it.  It seems with windows
>>>> the life
>>>> is only around four or five years old.  Sighted people are
>>>> telling me
>>>> to go with mac but I know the world is still largely dominated by
>>>> windows.
>>>> 
>>>> For windows users who have purchased laptops recently what things
>>>> did
>>>> you look for in the laptop? What brands are people using with the
>>>> windows screenreaders? I found a Tasheba satellite on Amazon.com
>>>> for
>>>> $479...it is usually $780 but has been on sale for $479.  It has
>>>> an I3
>>>> processor, 4 gigs of ram, 640 gig hard drive, and a 15 inch
>>>> screen not
>>>> that that matters to me.  Supposedly the battery lasts for five
>>>> hours.
>>>> I was going to just go with this one but i noticed it is rated 3
>>>> starrs on the customer reviews and I wonder why it has dropped so
>>>> much
>>>> in price on Amazon.  is anyone else using a tasheba and are they
>>>> good?
>>>> What things did you look for in you're laptop before purchasing
>>>> it?
>>>> 
>>>> The laptop I will likely get has Windows 7 and is 64 BIT.  Is
>>>> there any
>>>> big bugs I should know about with 64 BIT, Windows 7, and Jaws? Do
>>>> you
>>>> like windows 7 overall? Is it better than windows vista? My old
>>>> hp
>>>> laptop had windows vista on it and my netbook (which I am typing
>>>> this
>>>> on) has windows XP.
>>>> 
>>>> Even if Rehab or some other source purchased your laptop, I am
>>>> noticing most of the new ones have similar specks:Windows 7, a
>>>> 500 gig
>>>> or bigger hard drive, I 3 and up processor, 4 gigs of ram.  How
>>>> fast
>>>> are these? My laptop is so old I'm kind of excited and curious to
>>>> hear
>>>> about how fast the latest laptops with these new and improved
>>>> specks
>>>> are.
>>>> 
>>>> Thanks!
>>>> Kerri
>>>> 
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>>>> 
>>>> 
>>> 
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>> 
>> 
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> 
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