There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all product. Before you buy
anything, you should find out whether or not the product will
fit your needs, especially if you can only obtain one computer. I like my
BN, but I know that it can't do everything a PC can do. I believe there is
no notetaker on the market which can replace a PC.
A person also must think of weight. The unit must be light enough to carry
around without breaking your back. That's why I suggested the SmallTalk
Ultra, it's an example of the UPCs on the market today. You must be certain
that whatever UPC you buy is blind-friendly. Some are not.
I will also add that I don't think a SmartPhone or PDA phone can replace a
PC nor am I sure it would take the place of a notetaker. HumanWare sells
MobileSpeak Pocket and its price is expensive. It costs more than
MobileSpeak SmartPhone. And if you want braille support, you need a braille
display and I don't think any of the HumanWare braille displays, including
the BN, will work with any CDMA cell phone.
I think one of the major problems of most notetakers is they use the wrong
operating system. Windows in all its flavors is a memory hog. Linux, on
the other hand, is not.
But there's only one handheld notetaker on the market which uses Linux, the
Icon Plus and it doesn't support braille yet.
HumanWare's new product for the deaf-blind sounds nice, but I think it's a
mistake to tie a product to a particular cell phone because cell phones
change so often. What happens when the cell phone you must use with it
becomes obsolete or is discontinued? This communicator is very expensive:
the BNmp costs over $6,000 and the cell phone, especially without a
contract, will cost money, plus you will be tied to cell phone providers
which sell the particular phone needed to connect with the BNMP plus the
screenreader for the cell phone and the software used to communicate between
the BN and the cell phone.
I hope I'm wrong and that HumanWare will continue to develop the BN, as they
say they wil in their latest announcement. I'll believe it when it happens.
Terri Amateur Radio call sign KF6CA.
the
___
Replies to this message will go directly to the sender.
If your reply would be useful to the list, please send a
copy to the list as well.
To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank message to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To view the list archives or change your preferences, visit
http://list.humanware.com/mailman/listinfo/braillenote
