[nfb-talk] APPLICATION FOR LOAN

Mike Freeman k7uij at panix.com
Fri Mar 8 16:27:01 UTC 2013


terry: 

To be fair, one can listen to those directions on one's iPhone more easily than one can use an Apex, at least while leaning against a wall although reading the iPhone with a braille display under those circumstances is a bit more cumbersome. The fact remains, though, that dedicated note-takers have their place. 

Mike Freeman
sent from my iPhone

On Mar 8, 2013, at 6:16, "Powers, Terry (NIH/NCI) [E]" <Terry.Powers at nih.gov> wrote:

> Go, Mike, go!!!  I love my Apex!  It can be used anywhere!  I wrote down directions and on campus of NIH, I stood up against a wall, in a building, pulled out my Apex and read my notes, on where I was going.  Bet you can not do that easily, with a lap top.
> 
> Terry Powers
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mike Freeman [mailto:k7uij at panix.com] 
> Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2013 11:24 PM
> To: 'NFB Talk Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] APPLICATION FOR LOAN
> 
> Chris:
> 
> I'm not Eddie but ... I don't think dedicated note-takers are going away any time soon. Yes, I know various denizens of geekdom predict every nanosecond that i-devices and android devices will bury the dedicated note-taker market. But to see why this *won't* happen, consider two things: (a) there are quite a few people who are basically computer-phobic and for whom note-takers are about as close to a computer as they want to get -- whatever the consequences in terms of limited functionality and (b) look how long it took Apple to correct the bug introduced with iOS 6 that prevented most HIMS note-takers with Braille displays from pairing with i-devices. Do we
> *really* want to be at the mercy of mainstream manufacturers to ensure that our specialized devices such as Braille displays work *continuously* with mainstream devices? Also, is there a dedicated editor for mainstream devices that works as well as the BrailleNote and HIMS Braille devices' editors do?
> For instance, I haven't worked with an i-device editor yet that allows going from beginning to end of file in a single keystroke.
> 
> We can't expect mainstream "universal" technologies to work as well as our dedicated devices. It's one reason why I'm in the minority who emphatically do *not* believe in "universal design", believing that it's a recipe for mediocrity.
> 
> And I say this owning and loving an iPhone. But it's good for what it's good for and note-takers are good for what they're good for.
> 
> Just my $0.02-worth.
> 
> Mike Freeman
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfb-talk [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Chris Nusbaum
> Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2013 3:12 PM
> To: 'NFB Talk Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] APPLICATION FOR LOAN
> 
> Eddie,
> 
> I agree with you. Very well said.
> 
> And what of notetakers? As more and more mainstream technology becomes accessible and more wireless, how do you think companies like Humanware and HIMS will fare in the current and future technology markets, especially considering the limitations of these notetakers?
> 
> Chris
> 




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