Re: Sleek and shiny Mac OS X powered Notetakers

[erik burggraaf]

Well we don't need, "another pack mate".  That's for sure.  But it  
would nbe nice to have an option on something that costs half the  
price, comes in 1/3 of the size, has better hardware, runs off the  
shelf programs, and is completely modular.  Even the braille sense  
hardware, which puts the packmate pretty well to shame is completely  
proprietary and right around the same price.

I think this is what we're talking about here.
Best,

erik burggraaf

Certified Technician
Assistive Computing LTD Support and training
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On 20-Nov-08, at 8:19 PM, Victor Tsaran wrote:

What's the battery life?
The only reason I can think of that would justify buying such a  
device would be to read books on the plane..
Otherwise, do we need another Pacmate? <grin>


On 11/18/2008 1:46 AM, Krister Ekstrom wrote:
Why on earth would anyone buy such a device when the macs  
themselves are
accessible right out of the box? I'd, just like Jacob, rather, much
rather buy a macbook of some kind and get the same functionality and
more. Making specialised products "for the blind" usually means  
making
things as simple and feature poor as possible. I'll probably get  
flamed
for saying the next thing but... I hae the feeling that of late,
manufacturers and dealers of blindness related products seem to think
that blind people are stupid and not capable of chewing bubblegum and
walking at the same time, so give 'em something that's the least
complicated and lacks a good implementation of even the most basic
features, and while we're at it, let's reinvent the wheel yet again  
only
much much simpler.
Ok off my soap box now...
/Krister


18 nov 2008 kl. 04.53 skrev Alex Jurgensen:

Hi,

Keep the questions flowing.

Thanks for listening,
Alex,


On 17-Nov-08, at 7:44 PM, Jacob Schmude wrote:

More questions. First, I take it this will be Apple-branded  
hardware
then, as that is the only way to currently satisfy their licensing
conditions? Second, how are you planning to keep it under $500  
with a
built-in braille display? Currently there's not a way to buy even a
regular braille display for $500. If you know where to get one at
such a price do tell, please. Who, or what, are you referring to  
when
you say the driving force behind this?
Yep, I've got loads of questions :).



On Nov 17, 2008, at 22:35, Alex Jurgensen wrote:

Hi,

Jacob,

Just to let you know, the driveing force is completely compliant
with Apple's Licence, so I would be allowed to sell the product
legally. The main feature is the size, which make it fit inside a
pocket quite easily. Another advantage is the built-in Braille
display. Yes, we plan for a mini Querty Keyborad once the Braille
input is out on the main stream.

Thanks for listening,
aelx,



Thanks for listening,
Alex,


On 17-Nov-08, at 7:29 PM, Jacob Schmude wrote:

Depends. You going to offer a qwerty version? I absolutely hate
braille input.
Getting more serious though, this would be considered a Mac  
clone,
and would need to be authorized by Apple. Yes, you can get OS X
running on your own PCs. But you are not allowed to sell such a
thing, at least not according to Apple's licensing. This is being
questioned as I write this in the United States Courts, but don't
expect an answer any time soon--this will be one long court  
battle
between Apple and another company called Psystar at least  
assuming
they don't settle out of court. I wouldn't get my hopes up, the
company with the most and best lawyers usually wins these battles
here.
Would I buy it? Unless there were significant advantages in doing
so I would not, but would buy a Mac laptop instead. Such  
advantages
might be a much longer battery life, for example which would
certainly be possible due to the lack of a screen. To be honest
though I'm a bit biased, in all cases I refuse to buy blindness
products when a mainstream product is available that will
accomplish the same functions. Since I don't care for braille  
input
I would probably go straight for a laptop unless, as I said,  
there
were compelling advantages to such a device.
I don't think you would be able to keep that name for it,  
however.

On Nov 17, 2008, at 22:15, Alex Jurgensen wrote:

Hi,

Would you buy this?


EyeMac -- The next generation of sleek notetakers

The EyeMac features aluminum housing, weighing in at under a
pound. This sleek and shiny notetaker is based on the state of  
the
art technology, featuring wireless and bluetooth. The six-key
input provides Braille users the ability to legally access the
world's most user friendly and advanced operating system.  
Built on
the foundation of Mac OS X, the EyeMac is the bleeding edge in
affordable portable computing technology. Costing around $500  
us,
the EyeMac is an easy pick for the user with a tight budget. Its
portability make it ideal for not only end users but the
professional who needs a lightweight, portable solution. The
EyeMac measures less than 20 CM long by seven CM wide, and  
about 3
cm high. Durable, powerful! Take full advantage of the world  
wide
web. The EyeMac Pro has wireless anywhere capability. Need a
Braille display? EyeMac Plus models feature built-in Braille
displays that make reading Braille text messages and documents a
breeze. The EyeMac is built on a actively developed Operating
System, that features a well documented programming guide that
will ensure your EyeMac can be customized with the applications
that best suit your needs. Designed for ease of use, this
revolutionary device will change your portability experience.

Project status: Planning

Thanks for listening,
Alex,