[nfbcs] Notetaker Reviews

Tue Sep 8 20:19:09 UTC 2009

Hi John,

Trust me.  If I found someone to sell me their used unit at a discount, I'd
go for it.  Even gainfully employed people like myself have to seriously
give it some thought before plunking down six grand, not including
maintenance agreements.

Joe Orozco

"A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the
crowd."--Max Lucado 

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org 
[mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of John G. Heim
Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 2:10 PM
To: NFBnet NFBCS Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Notetaker Reviews

Yeah, the Pac Mate braille display is detachable but I wouldn't 
think that would be a drawback. When the braille display is 
attached, it really feels and acts like an integrated unit. I 
have taken the braille display off and used it on a linux 
machine. Honestly, the day I did that, I got my wife to come 
down stairs to my workroom to see it. As if anybody, even 
another blind person, would care.  I just thought that was so 
cool though.

You can do debian linux installs with a braille display from a 
Pac Mate. And I just saw that support for loading the drivers 
at boot time is being added. 
So you will get boot messages on your braille display. That 
would be cool.

I cannot actually recommend buying a new Pac Mate though. I 
don't actually recommend against it either. But the thing is 
$5600 new. I just don't know how  anybody can afford that. I 
guess a lot of people have the government buy it for them.

I got my Pac Mate used though and if I were you, I'd look into that.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
To: "'NFBnet NFBCS Mailing List'" <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
Cc: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, September 07, 2009 8:49 AM
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Notetaker Reviews

> Dean,
>
> Good point.  I should have included what I was looking for.
>
> I'm looking for greater compatibility with mainstream 
devices.  I agree 
> with
> Gary that the Braille quality on the BrailleNote is 
pleasantly sharp, but 
> I
> may consider trading that for quicker connectivity and 
conversion between
> file formats.  Braille is, by the way, my main reason for wanting to
> evaluate new units.  I like the benefits of the Icon and such 
products, 
> but
> I like a unit with a built-in Braille display as opposed to 
the Pac Mate
> which at one point was selling as a detached piece.  Is that 
still the 
> case?
>
> I don't know how much I need third-party applications.  The 
BrailleNote,
> unless I'm mistaken, does not offer much support for such 
collaboration, 
> so
> I've never had the opportunity to really delve into what is 
available for
> Windows operating systems, or Linux for that matter.
>
> On that note, I would be willing to learn Linux if anyone has 
experience
> with the Elba, even if it does appear to be on the heavy side 
of the scale
> compared to the weight of the Braille Sense and BrailleNote.
>
> In brief, I bought a smaller laptop for greater portability, but for
> presentations I want a good Braille display system that can 
talk with the
> laptop without much fuss or additional file conversion steps.  I could
> invest in a small Braille display, but there are trips when I 
want to be
> able to not have to carry two pieces of equipment when only one could
> suffice.
>
> At any rate, I really appreciate people's feedback.  Like I said, the 
> prices
> on these things are ridiculous.  The price to fix them when 
they bust is
> equally disturbing, so I want to make sure my money is being 
well-spent.
> Your advice is good because it seems the only thing we can do 
without the
> opportunity to check into a store and play with one.  Maybe Apple will
> figure out Braille display technology and give the current 
players a run 
> for
> their money.
>
> Joe Orozco
>
> "A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the
> crowd."--Max Lucado
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Dean Martineau
> Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 10:26 PM
> To: 'NFBnet NFBCS Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Notetaker Reviews
>
> In this sort of thing, the first question is, what do you want
> to do with your device?  Pac Mate runs Windows Mobile6, or
> maybe 6.1, so you can install third-party software on it, but
> it is less simple to use than the Braille Note. The more you
> can delineate about your intended use for the product, the
> better able you will be to elicit comparisons.  If you want a
> package that does what it does out of the box but is not
> expandable, then Braille Note or Braille Sense would fit.  Icon
> is somewhat expandable if you want to delve into Linux.  Also,
> for the same reason that sighted people aren't buying PDA's
> much any more, many of us do many of the tasks formerly done on
> notetakers on powerful cell phones that are smaller and cheaper.
>
> Dean
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ryan Mann
> Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 7:13 PM
> To: NFBnet NFBCS Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Notetaker Reviews
>
> Another note taker is the Icon from Levelstar.  I don't know
> that much about that notetaker, but I do know a few pros of it.
> 1.  It has a hard drive  instead of flash memory, so it can
> store a lot of information.
> 2.  It can play the new digital books from NLS.
> 3.  It runs Linux, which is a really stable operating system.
>
> On Sep 6, 2009, at 9:09 PM, Joe Orozco wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>>
>> Sorry for the cross-post.
>>
>> Is it correct that the Braille Sense Plus, BrailleNote mPower and Pac
>> Mate are the only three Braille notetakers at the moment?  I have an
>> mPower I want to get rid of, but at six thousand dollars for a new
>> device the damn thing had better do what I need it to.
> KeySoft is not
>> all that amusing for me, but for anyone considering the mPower it has
>> more to do with personal preference.
>>
>> I found a comparison chart on GW Micro's web site over these three
>> products, but I would be interested in another round of personal
>> reviews from anyone who can speak to their likes and dislikes on the
>> units.
>>
>> Thanks in advance for any assistance.
>>
>> Joe Orozco
>>
>> "A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the
>> crowd."--Max Lucado
>>
>>
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