Yeah, I like th recorder too. I think it is a very important tool in high school. I sometimes find it quicker than trying to take notes, especially when a lot of students are reading summaries of their work to the class. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Joseph Lee Sent: Saturday, 27 September 2008 10:18 AM To: 'Braillenote List' Subject: [Braillenote] My thoughts on recent threads
Hi folks, Well, as a college student who is busy with his studies, I had no time reading all these recent posts in detail. But I have my own thoughts regarding recent posts: * This is the time of year when new feature sets for the next version of KeySoft is actually released (well, the actual release, really). I saw some posts about lack of communication from HumanWare, particularly about feature sets. I also read many comments about the next version of KeySoft and suggestions, as well as a message (and the site as well) about a supposed new hardware revision that has been announced to be released next year. As to what will be included, I don't know myself, but my guess is that it will be a new OS, an upgraded motherboard, etc. Perhaps it will have WiFi chip, a new Bluetooth stack, but I don't know. My point is this: don't lose hope. Maybe HumanWare is planning something big (just like KS6.1). Remember what happened with KeySoft 6.1: HW announced on late June and it was not available until late January of 2005. I'm sure it will be like that, but given the lack of communications about KeySoft version since May of this year, I'm thinking that it will be announced soon (I hope it would be next week or early October). As to hardware release, since ther is generally four to five months between product releases, I think it will be announced at conventions around July of 2009 (that's only my prediction based on statistical figures; read the archives for this list and BNAnnounce list; you should recognize a pattern that the new KS announcements, particularly hardware were made around July). * As to processing power, Alex is right. I agree with some people here that, despite the size, BrailleNote is really a PDA in terms of software. This means that there are hardware limitations and software issues that must be counted, such as low memory, processor, etc. My suggestion for those who want a PC-like features to investigate a subnotebook or a Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC). As to someone saying things about larger KeySoft System Disk, I don't think so - when the BN is upgraded to at least CE 5.0, Flash Disk BECOMES KeySoft System Disk, since all OS data will be stored there instead of partitioning portion of RAM (right now, KS disk is using a portion of RAM. * I don't know what's the logic behind it, but I personally don't think that recorder should be eliminated. As I've outlined several weeks ago, we have many people here - old folks, young students like myself, those who are good at computers, those who doesn't know what a computer is, and so forth. In my opinion, if there is something that you would like to use, then use it; if not, don't use it (sorry for harsh language here). For students like myself, having a recorder means that we can record lectures and discussions when we have no time for notetaking (when the instructor gives me permission), record some useful notes, etc. As to FM Radio, since it was a built-in hardware chip when the mPower was first released (back in 2005) but was not active until sometime later, it is something that we have to live with (again, if you don't want to use the radio, that's fine). So here are my points for the day: recognize limitations: what the BrailleNote can do, and what it cannot do. Surely, BrailleNote can be a tool for teaching braille via games (for some folks), notetaking, etc. Also, BrailleNote can be used in many ways, such as listening to music or voice notes, using USB flash drives to read books, etc. But there are things which the BN cannot do, such as running a software that's designed for a PC and other things. Also, note that if a hardware item was "in there" when the product was released but not active at that time, we cannot do anything about it (a good example would be the recorder on the PK). So, please recognize the limits of this device, just like we recognize limits about ourselves - for me, I don't know much about software development, and even though I can explain many things about BrailleNote, I cannot say that I'm from HumanWare because I'm not an employee - I'm just a freshman student at University of California, Riverside studying computer science (Alex, can you help me with some C++ code later?). That's all. Sorry if my poxt was somewhat offensive. Hope you understood my point here. Cheers, Joseph No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.526 / Virus Database: 270.7.3/1693 - Release Date: 9/26/2008 7:35 AM ___ 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 ___ 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
