Is it possible to use the PK as a Braille display for the computer like the
BN?
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lisa Kozlik" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Braillenote List" <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2004 6:35 PM
Subject: [Braillenote] The PK: My Impressions
I had the opportunity to see the PK this morning and all I can say is wow!
Here are some of my personal observations:
Size and weight: One of the first things I noticed was how light and small
the PK was. For those of you who are familiar with the dimensions of a
Braille 'N Speak, the PK is even smaller than that. It's also very
lightweight. When I draped the shoulder strap of the PK's leather case
over
my shoulder, I almost forgot it was there.
Keyboard: There's only one word to describe it. Different! Dots 1 and 4
are
located just below the PK's speaker and require the index finger of each
hand to rest differently than they do on a BrailleNote BT or Perkins. It
took me a little while to become used to this but once I did, I had no
problems typing and could even pick up a good deal of speed. The location
of
the left and right space bar didn't feel natural to me. I would have
preferred that they be located above the Braille display and below the
Perkins keyboard.
PK's Braille display: In comparing the PK's Braille display to the
BrailleNote, I really couldn't tell much of a difference in sharpness or
increased/decreased readability. I suspect that this may be due to the
fact
that I'm used to my own BN which I've owned for almost 4 years.
Cursor routing keys: The cursor routing keys on the PK were much easier to
identify tactually versus the rubber cursor buttons. (At this time, I'm
not
sure which I prefer.)
Power button: There is none to be found. <smile> Powering the unit
requires
you to press one or two control keys together. This is a creative idea and
something I really like. I no longer have to worry about accidentally
turning on or off the unit while in transit.
Two-way communication between PK and QWERTY keyboard: Very impressive! I
was
able to read text that was inputted on a QWERTY keyboard and sent over to
the PK. I could also type a message back and have it appear on a laptop
screen in a Word document. This would be a wonderful means of
communication
for the deafblind and a sighted-hearing person who does not know sign!
Additionally, as a deafblind college student who uses Braille captioning
in
the classroom, this arrangement would allow me to type a question to my
captionist who can verbalize it to the professor or clarify something
within
the transcript I may not understand. Thanks again to PDI/Humanware for
implementing this feature. I'm very excited about the possibilities and
how
this can help deafblind users in a variety of environments. <smile>
In my opinion, the PK is a very impressive notetaker! For those of you who
plan to purchase one, I think you'll be pleased! Getting a PK of my own is
on my agenda for next year but we'll see what the family budget has in
store
by then. <grin>
Lisa
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