Spot on. "One size fits all" is not applicable here.
Quote of the nanosecond...
Oxymoron: Unexpected surprise
Robert & Dreamer Doll ke7nwn
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Baracco, Andrew W" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, November 03, 2011 2:17 PM
Subject: RE: read easy
I greatly dislike statements like this.
Well, some people can't. my wife has a friend who has a developmental
disability. She also is diabetic, and has peripheral neuropathy, which
makes typing almost impossible. She simply cannot use a PC, but she can
and does use a stand alone reading machine.
Andy
From: Katherine Moss [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, November 03, 2011 2:12 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: read easy
I agree with part of this, but on the other hand, I also think that in
this day and age, there is no excuse for not learning a computer.
Computers are the way of the world now, and whoever disputes that will
be one sorry person.
From: David [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, November 03, 2011 5:04 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: read easy
What I am curios about, is how easy this unit actually is. I do see your
point Les, and if you are right, I guess it is fine for some people.
What makes me reluctant here, is that I have been in and around asistive
technology since the mid-70s. Sometimes even been the first person to
start using new technology locally. And, the idea of making aunit, that
will easily read to the blind, is simply nothing new. Kurtzweil has
already been mentioned. Might I tell those of you, who are old enough to
know what I am talking about, that I am still hanging on to my good old
Optacon, from the T.S.I company.
In most cases though, these kind of 'helpful' gadgets, do turn out to be
rather tricky in use. From the little info GW has given, it sounds like
you simply put your object in front of the unit, press a button, and job
is done. Sorry, but honestly, I have a bit of a time in trusting that to
the full. Likely I am wrong, and so would love to be corrected. Anyone
who has tried to work with a scanner or the like, be in a specially
designed format, or in a standard compute-based system, will know the
many challenges. And, at least when you are working with a standard
scanner, you have a particular surface to stick with, in the glass plate
of your scanner. You know, that whatever sits outside that surface, will
not be scanned. From what I get, there is little chance for the user
with this new unit, to know what will actually be scanned.
Believe me, I have been a teacher for the blind computer users for
several years. Even teached blind students how to use a scanner, in the
days when scanners was just for people that had won in some kind of
lottery, or had some kind of backing from federal institutions. Young,
and old. Many of them pretty newly lost their sight. Even with a
hard-surfaced scanner, there is many challenges. And I do hold, that
with no real good guidance as to what will be 'seen' by the unit, you
might be even worse off.
That would, in such a case, leave us with the fact, that either you need
have enough sight left to see what you are doing, or you would have to
go through a good chunk of learning. That is why, I do wonder if it
really will hit the market of elderly people, who thinks a computer is
too much to learn.
After all - and this might differ quite a chunk from where you live - we
are getting more and more into a world where you have no other choice
but learn a computer. Locally here, it is extremely hard to pay your
bills, if you don't do it through the net-services of your bank. And,
for about fifteen years, we have had retired people running around with
their cell phone, and even been ahead of the young ones on that part.
OK, as I said, this might be different in other parts of the world. But
I do know, that as time moves by, the computer will be more and more the
thing you rely on. And those who gets retired today, will likely already
know how to operate a computer. So, the learning curve of the
computer-based systems, might at least grow somehow smaller down the
road. Not saying that this would keep us from wanting a gadget like the
new one of GW. Only saying, that it might change.
A portable and easy-to-use equipment? Oh, you bet! That would be great.
And if I happen to be wrong, in assuming that it is not all that easy to
use after all, nothing could be better. Again, if this had been a unit
costing a few hundred dollars, and being available to people all around
the globe, I guess it would have been more of interest to the general
user. That way, it could have become what it really should be: An
additional equipment. As it stands, the user will somehow be left with a
choice, go for this unit, or a PC. And, he might have more - and even
more easy - use of his PC. If it is the amount of buttons that will make
the choice, there is solutions on the market (for a far less price),
that would leave you with whatever few keys to operate on your PC.
I guess this discussion somehow got out of its dementions. I am just
curios to know, how easy this unit actually will turn out to be, and I
was quite interested to know, what would justify for me to spend that
amount of money. Well, the latter part of my curosity has already been
firmly answered. I do see, that it hardly will be any benefit to me.
Then we only have to see, how helpful, and easy, it will turn out to be
in usage. Guess, if not gW could shed more light on this, that only time
and the market, will tell. Enjoy it, whoever wants to try it. And if
anyone can prove me wrong, I am all ears.
----- Original Message -----
From: Les Gordon <mailto:[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Thursday, November 03, 2011 6:05 PM
Subject: read easy
hey everyone, i think one big reason gw is selling this product,
is for many people the simplier a product is to use the better. i can
see this being of great benefit for older people that have a difficult
time learning new technology. or it can even be a time factor this can
be of great benefit.
les
Cd/Dvd Duplication & Custom Printing
Customer Service
Les Gordon
Phone: (267)329-8150
email: [email protected]
web: http://www.cdrdvdr.com
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