Hi, Thanks for that. About the SDK: I really wanted to take advantage of it... too bad that it is licensed to companies rather than to individuals. Thanks for the update (I'll use some of the materials for a future Apex page on my PBWorks). Cheers, Joseph P.S. Looking forward to Monday then.
-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Chris Hallsworth Sent: Saturday, November 14, 2009 1:23 AM To: 'Alex Hall'; 'Braillenote' Subject: RE: [Braillenote] Apex presentation on ACB radio: summary Wow this sounds cool. -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Alex Hall Sent: 14 November 2009 4:15 AM To: Braillenote Subject: [Braillenote] Apex presentation on ACB radio: summary Hi all, >From the ACB radio presentation tonight, we now know the following: The Apex is about the same thickness as the stream and about the same weight as the PK. The need to recallibrate the battery gauge is no more; the Apex handles its battery in such a way that you no longer need to condition the gauge every so often. The keyboard is better: it has the same size keys as the mPower, but not as much pressure is needed to press a key down, and the keys need to move a shorter distance than those on the mPower. it can be quieter by not using so much pressure to type. The thumb keys are slightly smaller, but still positioned in such a way that they will be easily useable when reading the Braille display. There will be at least two more upgrades for the mPower and the PK, nothing is promised past that point. I would guess that this means the mPower will not be upgraded to CE 6. case: there is a magnetic closure for the top flap, instead of Velcro. There is a pocket on the top flap, though it was not made clear if it is on the inside or outside. The case has four rubber feet on it, like the mPower does now (on the body of the mPower, not the case). Velcro is still used for the side flaps (covering the audio ports, record button, power switch, and reset button on the left, and the USB client port, plus whatever else is there, on the right). The host USB ports, of which there are three, are on the back of the unit. The client port is on the right side. Braille cells on the Apex are still KGS cells, though they are newer and much smaller than the cells used in the mPower or PK. The Apex can be upgraded from either an SD card or a thumb drive, with no size limits for the upgrade media; just put the upgrade file on the card or drive, plug the device into the Apex, and say yes to the upgrade prompt that will appear when the Apex sees the upgrade file. serial: no serial port is on the Apex, but each Apex has a free usb-serial adapter packaged with it. I gather you can just leave this on the serial cable you used to plug into the mPower and then just plug the USB into the Apex like you would have plugged the serial into the mPower. dictionary: if you have a license for this or the Nemeth Tutorial, it will be transfered to the Apex. All data for the Tutorial or dictionary is now stored on the Apex's flash disk, so you do not need to worry about putting in a card just to look up a word. keysoft is modularized now (offering better multi-tasking options, if hw includes them) No SDK is planned for the public; if you want to write programs for keysoft, you must partner with HW, and it sounded like they want to partner with companies, not individuals, and the process smacks of being expensive. The Apex comes with 1 free SMA account, and Keysoft after ks9 will include Word 2007, so you get it for free with your free account; Word 2007 support was basically promised, for free, to any Apex owner, though we do not know if that support will be available to mPower or PK users as well. Have a great day, Alex New email address: [email protected] ___ 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 No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.425 / Virus Database: 270.14.64/2501 - Release Date: 11/13/09 18:22:00 ___ 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
