Hi everyone. I'm away at present and just spent an interesting two and a half hours catching up on the e-mail from this list. It's certainly filled up my evening when I'm on my own in yet another hotel room. I don't think it would be practical for me to reply to each and every post on this subject, so I hope this consolidated reply will suffice.
Firstly, thanks to those who have offered feedback. I'm proud to say that Pulse Data runs its own support list, which is monitored by staff. Your opinions and suggestions are very much valued. Indeed, it was all of your suggestions for what should be in the Planner that has made it the hit that it is, so thanks for that. When you've made an investment in technology as significant as the BrailleNote, I can understand that concerns about its future can be quite an emotional subject. However I would ask that we please conduct discussions on this list without rancour, name calling or profanity. I also believe it is a fairly obvious courtesy that discussions on mailing lists for other products is clearly inappropriate. Thanks for bearing this in mind as it will ensure the list is useful both to you and to us here at Pulse Data. Some of the product comparison posts I've read are highly inaccurate and misleading. However I don't think that much can be served by getting embroiled in a blow by blow refuting of many of these points. so let me just discuss the BrailleNote. The BrailleNote is so easy to use, that the user interface often masks how powerful it is. I've been using Windows since 1993, and yet I chose to buy a BrailleNote long before I worked here at Pulse Data. If I had to make that choice again today, I would still buy a BrailleNote, because it allows me to interact with my information with efficiency and power, allowing me to focus on the ends and not the means. But as a very wired, mobile, connected user of technology, I am not satisfied with where the BrailleNote is today, and one of the great attractions about accepting Pulse Data's offer of being the Product manager for the BrailleNote was that I could do something about it. I hear loud and clear that there are some needs that we're not presently meeting. We will never meet everyone's needs, however there are some critical issues that need addressing. In retrospect, I made an error in not summarising on this list some of the remarks I made at the BrailleNote breakfast at the recent CSUN conference, so I will do that now. When I joined Pulse Data International in July, obviously I spent some time understanding how things were done, talking to current and potential users, and our many sales people around the world who interact with a wide range of people. Then I sat down and put a paper together on what we need to do to make sure that the reputation of the BrailleNote as an innovative piece of technology on the cutting edge is preserved. Certainly one thing that needed to change was resourcing, so we can get product out to you in a more timely manner. I'm delighted to say that in recent weeks, that has changed. We now have four new developers added to the BrailleNote team and additional quality assurance engineers. What this means is that already, development is accelerating rapidly, although the nature of the work that is being done because of its significance means that you may not see it for a wee while. However, once we get over the infrastructural hurdles we're now dealing with, I can assure you that with a much expanded team, updates will be more feature-rich and more frequent. The increase in the BrailleNote team represents a significant investment in human resources by Pulse Data and signals our commitment to an exciting future for the product. I also want to point out that not once on this list have I ever said, and nor will you ever hear me say, that you should stop dreaming great dreams for the BrailleNote because it's not a laptop. Some subscribers say this, but I don't share that view. Now clearly the BrailleNote will not ever do everything that a laptop does, but it's not an excuse for inactivity. Let's face it, you pay good money for one of these devices, much more than a sighted person pays for a PDA. So on that basis, within the constraints of the available technology and without compromising our philosophy of computing for everyone, I want the BrailleNote to eventually do as much as possible, which is why we now have a much larger team working on it. Clearly, at the moment, there are some needs we are not meeting, and while no product can please all the people all of the time, we are taking steps that I think will address most of the major shortfalls customers have identified. It's not yet the time for me to be more specific and I regret that, however I hope the concrete facts I have given you about our expanded development team demonstrates that we mean serious business. These changes haven't happened as fast as I would like, or as fast as many of you would like. I have had to get used to the pace at which this kind of major change comes. But the team is now strong and there is some good work being done. Let me close with a personal assurance. I am a BrailleNote owner and user myself. It was a big investment. I have a vested interest in making sure my investment in a BrailleNote was a good long-term decision, and I assure you we'll be delivering. Four talented, bright software engineers working their socks off in addition to the great team we already have is a testimony to that. Thanks for reading. Jonathan Mosen BrailleNote Product Marketing Manager Pulse Data International Ltd DDI: +64-3-373-6192 Fax: +64-3-384 4933 Mobile: +64-21 466 736 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Internet: www.pulsedata.com
