Category: Geeks r Us
Hey all,
I just got my apex back from getting repaired (dot 5 key stopped working for some reason), and its now got ks 9.1. the internet is a lot faster, and it supposedly supports NLS books now! I hapen't gotten a chance to register since I just got it back like 2 hours ago haha! It seems like a pretty good update though. anybody got it? oppinions?
cool! I used to use keysoft way back whenbut now I ust a netbook.
I use a netbook too, but for class the BN's better since I can read what I'm doing while listening to the teacher. I don't get how ppl can use jaws and listen to a prof at the same time. sounds distracting to me haha!
Wow, I see that the new Keysoft updates, actually support Office 2003 files! Amazing!
Seriously, 2003, people, 8 years ago and Office 2010 coming out, and the BrailleNote (a 6000 dollar device) cannot play Word 2007 files.
No to proprietary technology that is overpriced by a huge factor, and 4 to 5 years behind compatibility with the most widely used file formats.
I realize these could be handy in certain situations and simplify the user interface e.g. for young kids, but even if you get the money from an agency, you could get a netbook with braille display (40 cell) and Office 2007 for half this price. Amazingly no one has made some sort of a braille display that you can fit a netbook or an iPad directly into (like into a slot on the base), if you could do this, you could use iPad, latest technology, you have GPS (without paying $800 extra), powrful PDA that is as bulky or non bulky as you want, and half the price, so agencies can help twice the amount of people, in hard economic teims this should be a good proposition.
Heck, go Humanware, they have a lot of experience of user interfaces and accessibility, so no reason they could not make a device like this.
It just seems their emphasis is totally on the wrong things.
I am not an Appl fan (as in Apple rules), but they have done a good job with their mobile technology, whilst Microsoft just told vendors and blind accessibility people 'sorry, Windows phone 7 is not accessible, we'll look at it in a couple of years.
Android is not doing much so far, though we hope for something certainly, there seem to be rumours that CodeFactory is looking at a screen reader for Android.
But, bottomline, this is an overpriced device with horrible software that is years behind the times. A forward looking company like Humanware should rethink their position and be smarter about what they develop.
I agree with you WB. Also, I'm willing to bet that the M-Power has nothing new, right? 8.0 sucked a fat one, to be polite, so I'm simply going to have to replace the bn soon.
That said, the nice thing about a notetaker is that the braille display is built in to the machine, so you don't have to take a bunch of different things with you. It's all one part. Certainly not worth paying so much money for though.
I really think someone should make a multiline braille display. Maybe instead of an 84 cell line, have four 21-cell lines or even two 42-cell lines. It would be so useful when writing math equations.
I wonder if the BrailleNote will ever grow an SDK. Ten-year-old platform and there's no<sup>*</sup> way that folks can develop external applications.
@wildebrew: Actually, Microsoft is ostensibly looking at the issue of accessibility in Windows Phone 7. Myself, I'm wondering if they'll implement accessibility before Google fixes their huge, huge problems with Android (the stock Web browser fails to be accessible? The stock email client? No way to independently enable accessibility on the device? And this *SHIPPED?* And with no fixes in sight?) This is to say nothing of the ... concern ... I have surrounding the fact that Android devices are going more and more towards the touchscreen-only form factor, and no accessibility seems to be aimed at this on Android—unless I'm missing something? If I am, do tell me, because my present employer develops on Android. The problem with Microsoft, aside from the fact that they didn't release accessibility in 1.0 of Windows Phone 7, is the fact that it takes millennia for them to go from giving a rat's exit ramp about something to implementing that in software.
<sup>*</sup>No way, unless you're a company wishing to enter into a development relationship with them. Programmer that's worked with Windows CE (and by that, I mean worked on the Windows CE product itself), that wants an SDK to write platform-agnostic Windows CE test code? No dice.