Jahmal, Saying that Humanware will disintegrate is a little strong, lol, but they do need to revamp their attitude a bit. The world will not adapt to BrailleNote users; BrailleNote users have to adapt to the world. So using KeyChat as an example, the social scene at my university will not migrate to Google Talk simply because it would be easier for the handful of BrailleNote users on campus; rather, by using scripted instant messaging clients such as Windows Live Mobile, that handful of users should be adapting to everyone else. This analogy extends to other parts of blindness notetaking, from compatible document formats to reading PowerPoint presentations to reading rich Emails that people send us, etc..
My philosophy--blindness products needing to adapt to the mainstream world rather than the reverse--is the one that Freedom Scientific and the PAC Mate seem to be following. And while things can get a bit sticky sometimes, particularly in the early days of a device like the PAC Mate, it's a philosophy that I think will work much better than Humanware's, unless some SERIOUS work is done to make BrailleNote more adaptable. At this point in my life I really only use a notetaker for just that, "note taking", maybe light web browsing, and reading, doing most of my other computer-related tasks on a mobile phone or full computer. I therefore have no problem sticking with the BrailleNote for now, which performs these tasks fairly well. But if you want to have the complete power of a mobile device, I sadly have to say that the BrailleNote just might not be there, yet. Humanware, I'm still a fairly loyal BrailleNote user, so listen to me, please! Cheers, Grant On 3/2/09, Jahmal Lovato <[email protected]> wrote: > It's not windows live and yahoo that will disentagrate, it's HW! > On Mon, 2 Mar 2009 18:03:53 -0800, Grant Hardy wrote: > > >>Hi all, >> >>In today's Tech Talk presentation on KeySoft 8, I emphasized the fact that >>while nearly everyone on the University of British Columbia campus with me >>carries around laptops and mobile devices with Windows Live Messenger and >>Yahoo! Messenger, I know nobody who uses Google Talk, iChat, or any other >>open instant messaging service. And with two other notetaking >> products--the >>Braille Sense and the PAC Mate--supporting Windows Live, I asked at what >>stage, if at all, the BrailleNote would follow suit. In an evasive >>response, Dave Wilkinson from Humanware implied that somehow Windows Live >>and Yahoo! were going to disintegrate, so it really isn't necessary >> anyway. >>Not true: the one and only reason neither Yahoo! nor Windows Live need to >>use an open instant messaging standard is due to the sheer volume of users >>who already populate their services. Rather than adapting to this truth >> as >>other competing products have, the BrailleNote from Humanware will change >>the way you communicate in realtime...if you can convince everyone you >> know >>to switch instant mesaging clients. >> >>There is also no way to sign in invisibly (also called appearing offline) >> in >>KeyChat. This is standard in all other messaging clients that I have come >>across, and is a great way to see who's online without getting flooded >> with >>instant messages. Greg Stilson from Humanware discounted this and called >> it >>"kinda creepy", so apparently the BrailleNote user base will not see this >>function, either. >> >>Normally I don't rant, but I am upset with the attitude of these Humanware >>representatives: instead of politely stating that these essential features >>are not yet present in KeyChat, they instead discounted their importance. >> >>So to summarize: communicate in real time with the 1 % of your friends >> that >>KeyChat will support, and don't expect to be able to sign in invisibly, >> cuz >>that's just kinda creepy! >> >>Grant >>___ >>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
