[bksvol-discuss] Re: Braille Note or Pack Mate
- From: "Kaitlyn Hill" <Kaitlyn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 20 Aug 2005 11:40:48 -0700
HI Sharon,
As long as I have been using computers I have not heard that term... Hmmm:)
More and more it's looking like the Sony. At least on that I will be able to
run standard software:
-----Original Message-----
From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Shelley L. Rhodes
Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2005 11:06 AM
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Braille Note or Pack Mate
to add to that, the reason it has the name it does, is for the certain row
of keys
Q W E R T Y are above the left hand home row.
Shelley L. Rhodes and Judson, guiding golden
juddysbuddy@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Guide Dogs For the Blind Inc.
Graduate Advisory Council
www.guidedogs.com
The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to
stare up the steps - we must step up the stairs.
-- Vance Havner
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sharon Jackson" <dolly1025@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2005 1:35 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Braille Note or Pack Mate
Kaitlyn,
A qwerty keyboard is the normal keyboard like what you use for a laptop or
desktop.
HTH,
Sharon
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kaitlyn Hill" <Kaitlyn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2005 12:54 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Braille Note or Pack Mate
> HI Sharon,
>
> I need to get over to the commission one of these days but...
> What is a qwerty keyboard?
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Sharon Jackson
> Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2005 6:44 AM
> To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Braille Note or Pack Mate
>
> Kaitlyn,
>
> Most of these notetakers come with or without braille displays and an
> option
>
> to have a braille or qwerty keyboard.
>
> Sharon
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Kaitlyn Hill" <Kaitlyn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Friday, August 19, 2005 11:29 PM
> Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Braille Note or Pack Mate
>
>
>> Hello Sharon,
>>
>> This was an interesting article. The more I look at my needs, not being
>> an
>> avid Braille reader some of the ultra light laptops may serve me better.
>> Thanks again :)
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> [mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Sharon Jackson
>> Sent: Friday, August 19, 2005 5:03 AM
>> To: Bookshare
>> Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Braille Note or Pack Mate
>>
>> Hello,
>>
>> I have been following the discussion about the Braille Note versus Pack
>> Mate
>> and thought others would enjoy reading the article, "Braille Note or Pack
>> Mate" from the July-August issue of the Braille Monitor.
>>
>>
>> The Braille Monitor
>> July 2005
>>
>> (back <http://www.nfb.org/bm/bm05/bm0507/bm050709.htm> ) (next
>> <http://www.nfb.org/bm/bm05/bm0507/bm050711.htm> ) (contents
>> <http://www.nfb.org/bm/bm05/bm0507/bm0507tc.htm> )
>>
>> BrailleNote or PAC Mate:
>> A Matter of Personal Preference
>>
>> by Danika Rockett
>> Jim Gashel, NFB executive director of strategic initiatives, is
>> enthusiatic
>> about his PAC Mate, which he uses with his cell phone to download email
>> on
>> his way to the office in the morning, Mark Riccobono, NFB manager of
>> education services, is equally committed to his Braille
>> Mate.<http://www.nfb.org/bm/bm05/bm0507/bm050716.jpg>
>> Jim Gashel (right), NFB executive director of strategic initiatives, is
>> enthusiastic about his PAC Mate, which he uses with his cell phone to
>> download email on his way to the office in the morning. Mark Riccobono
>> (left), NFB manager of education services, is equally committed to his
>> BrailleNote
>>
>> From the Editor: On May 1, 2005, Danika Taylor, NFB
>> copyeditor,
>> married Don Rockett. When she returned from her honeymoon, she sat down
>> to
>> talk with several electronic notetaker users about the features they
>> liked
>> and did not like in the units they had chosen. Here is the result of
>> those
>> conversations. It is not a careful review by the International Braille
>> and
>> Technology Center (IBTC) staff, but it does contain interesting
>> information
>> and views. This is what she says:
>>
>> The decision to spend upwards of five thousand dollars on a
>> device that can fit in the palm of a hand and allow blind people to read,
>> write, keep track of appointments, and even do email on the go should not
>> be
>> taken lightly. For most of us contemplating the purchase of a Braille
>> notetaker, the sticker shock involved in the process is also accompanied
>> by
>> the equally unsettling lists of technical specifications and claims and
>> counterclaims which those who sell these devices make.
>>
>> In this article we turn directly to the experience of several
>> longtime Federationists who use their notetakers every day. Their
>> observations are based not on theoretical or technical data but on the
>> reality of living day in and day out with a particular notetaker.
>>
>> If you would like to explore your personal notetaker needs
>> with
>> the experts at the International Braille and Technology Center for the
>> Blind
>> (IBTC), they invite you to do so. They can be reached at the technology
>> answer line: (410) 659-9314, option 5 on the automated greeting.
>>
>> Humanware's BrailleNote and Freedom Scientific's PAC Mate are two of the
>> most popular Braille notetakers. For various reasons some users prefer
>> one
>> machine to the other, but just what is the difference between these two
>> seemingly similar products?
>>
>> We might begin with physical characteristics, for herein lie
>> the
>> most obvious differences. The BrailleNote is smaller in height and width
>> than the PAC Mate but slightly thicker. To be specific, the BrailleNote
>> is
>> 9.9 by 6.1 by 2 inches, and the PAC Mate is 11 by 6.81 by 1.93 inches. To
>> be
>> sure, these differences are slight, and as J.R. Westmoreland said in his
>> 2005 CSUN (California State University at Northridge) conference paper
>> titled "BrailleNote or PAC Mate: A Side-by-Side Comparison," the
>> difference
>> in size is a "minor factor navigating in tight areas." A smaller
>> BrailleNote, the BrailleNote PK, is a mere 6.8 by 3.6 by 1.3 inches, but
>> it
>> comes with only an 18-cell display option, and at around $5,000 the
>> smaller
>> dimensions might not be worth the cost for many users.
>>
>> The weight of each product varies a bit depending on the model
>> and the size of the refreshable Braille display. The 20-cell PAC Mate
>> weighs
>> 3 pounds, 9 ounces, whereas the 18-cell BrailleNote weighs 2.2 pounds;
>> likewise, the 40-cell PAC Mate weighs 4 pounds, while the 32-cell
>> BrailleNote weighs 2.9 pounds. Therefore, although the PAC Mate weighs
>> more
>> than the BrailleNote, the larger size of the PAC Mate's Braille display
>> may
>> be an important consideration for some users.
>>
>> Both machines have wireless network access support, the option
>> of a QWERTY keyboard, and similar external connections and hardware
>> slots.
>> Of course these details vary slightly from model to model. J.R.
>> Westmoreland
>> praises the PAC Mate's support of CF cards. "The BrailleNote," he says,
>> "has
>> a limited number of cards that are supported. The PAC Mate, on the other
>> hand, not only supports these cards but many other cards that have
>> drivers
>> for Pocket PC."
>>
>> We could go on and on about the characteristics of each
>> machine,
>> but in the end the question of which is better comes down to personal
>> preference. Diehard advocates exist for most notetakers on the market,
>> depending on the individual user's needs.
>>
>> Adrienne Asch, Henry R. Luce Professor in Biology, Ethics, and
>> the Politics of Human Reproduction at Wellesley College in Massachusetts,
>> is
>> a BrailleNote user. However, she is certainly not a diehard advocate.
>> "The
>> BrailleNote has many fine features," she says. "But it has a few major
>> problems, at least from my point of view."
>>
>> Footnotes, or rather the lack thereof, are among Dr. Asch's
>> complaints. "The BrailleNote will not permit the writing of footnotes or
>> endnotes in Microsoft Word documents," she says. Therefore any articles
>> she
>> writes requiring footnotes or endnotes--and she is a prolific academic
>> scholar--must be written, or at least finished, on the computer using a
>> Braille display or speech, which can be inconvenient and is certainly
>> inefficient.
>>
>> The BrailleNote "will also not display footnotes or endnotes in
>> Word documents sent to me," she continues. "This means that I must open
>> the
>> file on a laptop or desktop computer and convert it to ASCII format. If I
>> don't have computer access, I simply cannot read the footnotes or
>> endnotes."
>> These complaints are important, but they demonstrate how much personal
>> needs
>> and preferences determine which notetaker to buy. A person who does not
>> regularly use footnotes or endnotes may not be bothered by the fact that
>> no
>> device using Pocket PC can identify footnotes and endnotes at all.
>>
>> Another problem for Dr. Asch involves formatting. "Although the
>> manual claims that documents can be prepared in Braille and then
>> formatted
>> for printing, that claim is only partly accurate," she says. "If one
>> wishes
>> to create italicized, bolded, or underlined material in a printed
>> document,
>> one cannot use the format menu within the Braille document to do so. One
>> must manually do this formatting from within the translated file."
>>
>> She also faults the BrailleNote for reading fewer and fewer of
>> the many documents she wants it to display. "More and more email
>> attachments
>> are in formats, whether advanced versions of Microsoft Word, RTF, or some
>> other format that the BrailleNote will not display," she complains.
>> "Again,
>> the only solution is to take the file to a standard laptop or desktop,
>> convert it to an ASCII text file, and then return the newly formatted
>> file
>> to the BrailleNote. This conversion means a loss of formatting, meaning
>> that
>> I cannot edit the document in the same format in which it was sent to me.
>> The device is no longer a reliable method of reading documents prepared
>> in
>> electronic form that are given to me at meetings, conferences, and the
>> like.
>> I will soon find that I must travel with a laptop, if only to convert the
>> documents I am given, in order to do my actual reading on the
>> BrailleNote.
>
>> I
>> had hoped with the newest software upgrade, 6.11, that I would have
>> solved
>> the problem of unreadable documents; I have not solved it. When I send
>> examples of unreadable documents to Humanware's technical support staff,
>> they generally tell me that they too cannot read them on their machines,
>> but
>> they have no suggestions or solutions."
>>
>> Mark Riccobono, National Federation of the Blind manager of
>> education programs, is a satisfied BrailleNote user. In fact he liked the
>> BrailleNote so much that he recently upgraded to the smaller BrailleNote
>> PK.
>> He says that the PK is similar to the previous models, other than the
>> size
>> (it is currently the smallest notetaker on the market) and the USB port.
>>
>> Unlike Adrienne Asch, Mark Riccobono is not bothered by the
>> BrailleNote's inability to deal with footnotes or endnotes. It isn't that
>> he
>> doesn't use them, but he considers his BrailleNote more of a supplement
>> to
>> his PC than a stand-alone computer, so he doesn't mind transferring
>> documents for editing. One feature he enjoys is the PK's portability and
>> power. "I can carry around my contacts and synchronize them with
>> Microsoft
>> Outlook," he says. "I am on the road a lot, and if I meet someone, it is
>> easy to enter the information into my PK. Then, when I get to the office,
>> I
>> simply synchronize the information with Outlook, and it is there. Also
>> the
>> calendar feature is a major advantage because it too synchronizes with
>> Outlook. And I can work on documents while I am commuting, then transfer
>> them to my PC when I get to work. Basically I treat my PK like a PDA, not
>> like a PC replacement."
>>
>> He admits, however, that formatting causes the occasional
>> frustration. "Transferring from a Word document causes it to appear in a
>> different format, which destroys the formatting, so I have to go back and
>> correct it. That is definitely frustrating sometimes, especially when I
>> am
>> in a hurry. But I don't worry about it too much because I use my PC most
>> of
>> the time."
>>
>> Another disadvantage of the PK is its lack of audio streaming
>> ability. While the PAC Mate has the ability to stream audio from the
>> Internet, the PK does not. Anyone who knows Riccobono knows he is an avid
>> baseball fan, and the feature he would most like to see added to the PK
>> is
>> the ability to stream audio, especially baseball broadcasts. Like Dr.
>> Asch's, his complaints are a matter of personal preference. Not every
>> user
>> will consider streaming audio to be a priority when making a purchasing
>> decision.
>>
>> As for audio quality, though, Chad Allen, government programs
>> specialist (intern) for the National Federation of the Blind, loves the
>> fact
>> that his BrailleNote PK has stereo quality audio for his enjoyment while
>> listening to the many MP3s he has downloaded onto the device. Allen also
>> praises the built-in Bluetooth technology feature on the PK. "I use my
>> Nokia
>> 6620 model cell phone to surf the Internet on my PK," he says. "I use the
>> Mobile Speak software and my cell phone as a modem, and I have another
>> Internet-surfing option anywhere I go." The BrailleNote PK comes with
>> Bluetooth technology installed, whereas this technology must be purchased
>> separately for other notetaking devices. Again, for those who are less
>> computer savvy or are not interested in the capacity to surf the Internet
>> at
>> a moment's notice, this technology does not factor heavily into the
>> decision-making process.
>>
>> Allen, a Jaws user, mentions that Freedom Scientific does not
>> support the use of Jaws with competing notetakers such as Humanware's
>> BrailleNote PK. "I didn't know this when I purchased the device. I
>> assumed
>
>> I
>> could use the Jaws screen reader on a PC with my PK doubling as a
>> refreshable Braille Display, but it didn't work. I was disappointed
>> because
>> I had to purchase and install a new screen reader, but overall the PK is
>> a
>> great notetaker, and I am very satisfied with it."
>>
>> Eric Duffy is an NFB leader in Ohio. He is technologically
>> sophisticated and spends a significant amount of time helping other blind
>> people solve technology problems. This is what he says about his decision
>> to
>> use the PAC Mate: "I was a Braille 'n Speak user beginning in the late
>> eighties. I then got a Braille Lite not long after it came out. Both of
>> these devices were good-quality notetakers, but they are not even in the
>> same league with the PAC Mate. It is far more than a note taker. The
>> capacity and versatility of the PAC Mate exceed that of the Braille 'n
>> Speak
>> and Braille Lite, first developed by Blazie Engineering and now
>> supported,
>> at least minimally, by Freedom Scientific.
>>
>> "The BrailleNote was the first product in what most of us
>> think
>> of as the modern class of notetakers for the blind. I had heard about the
>> BrailleNote before it hit the market, and I began to use one as soon as I
>> could get my hands on a loaner unit. I liked some things about it but
>> before
>> buying decided to wait to try the new product from Freedom Scientific
>> that
>> was soon to be released. I really wanted to compare the BrailleNote and
>> PAC
>> Mate and make an informed choice about which product would best meet my
>> needs. I have chosen the PAC Mate. Here are my thoughts about both
>> products.
>>
>> "The BrailleNote is still a proprietary product, which is to
>> say
>> that the Keysoft user interface and suite of applications is developed
>> and
>> supported by the manufacturer of the BrailleNote, Humanware. So
>> off-the-shelf products cannot be used with the BrailleNote.
>>
>> "I like the fact that the PAC Mate runs on a
>> WindowsRMobile-based technology. This is the same system that sighted
>> consumers use to operate their PDAs. Programs released for PDAs in the
>> general market can more easily be adapted for the PAC Mate.
>>
>> "I use the PAC Mate every day for word processing, email, and
>> more. I like the fact that I can synchronize email as well as contacts
>> and
>> files between the PAC Mate and my PC. Using the PAC Mate, I can write
>> email
>> messages using contracted Braille and with a key stroke have the message
>> translated to computer Braille and sent. I can work in Pocket Word using
>> contracted Braille and have the file easily translated into print.
>>
>> "I am pleased with the connectivity of the PAC Mate. Because
>> of
>> it I am no longer tied to my computer to be productive. I can send files
>> to
>> my computer or through email using my wireless network or Active Sync. It
>> is
>> also possible to beam files from one Pac Mate to another or for that
>> matter
>> send them to a laptop or a PDA. I can have instant access to information
>> in
>> contracted Braille as long as the producer of the file can beam it to me
>> or
>> put it on a flash drive.
>>
>> "I have learned by painful experience that, if I want to be
>> absolutely certain that I do not lose the data I am working with, I must
>> store it in internal flash. When storing information in main memory, one
>> runs the risk of losing it when the PAC Mate crashes, which it does more
>> frequently than I would like, or if it is necessary to perform a hard
>> reset.
>> Information can also be lost if the battery gets too low. In theory,
>> because
>> the PAC Mate has an internal battery, one can wait up to seventy-two
>> hours
>> after the battery dies before recharging the unit without losing data,
>> but
>> theory and reality are very different, and users have learned the hard
>> way
>> not to let the battery lose its charge completely.
>>
>> "Freedom Scientific strongly recommends that one use Active
>> Sync
>> or Sprite Backup to be sure that data and settings are not lost. Sprite
>> Backup involves saving data to a flash card, and Active Sync enables a
>> backup directly to a PC.
>>
>> "I very much like the fact that the Braille display can be
>> detached from the PAC Mate. If I am having a problem with my display, I
>> can
>> return it for service without having to send the Pac Mate back. Of course
>> the reverse is true as well. If I am having a problem with the PAC Mate,
>> I
>> can use the display with my PC while the main unit is being repaired. I
>> don't enjoy having to pay extra for Bluetooth cards, WiFi cards, and
>> other
>> peripherals, But again, if I have a faulty card, I can replace it without
>> having to send the entire unit in for service.
>>
>> "It does seem to me that the BrailleNote is most useful for
>> those who do not need or want to connect to other devices. The operating
>> system is simple, and the learning curve is easy. Freedom Scientific
>> markets
>> the Pac Mate by saying that, if you know JAWS and if you know Windows,
>> you
>> know how to use the PAC Mate. Although I don't fully agree with that
>> statement, knowing these programs certainly shortens the learning curve
>> for
>> new PAC Mate users, yet there is still a good bit to master.
>>
>> "I do have two serious concerns about the PAC Mate. The first
>> is
>> that Pocket Word is not as functional as it could and should be. In fact
>> it
>> is really better to work in FSEdit, the word-processing program developed
>> by
>> Freedom Scientific. When told about problems that crop up for users who
>> are
>> trying to edit files in Pocket Word, Freedom staff respond by saying that
>> the problem is Microsoft's. The same response occurs when problems with
>> other programs are mentioned. I believe that, if a program has been
>> installed on the PAC Mate by Freedom Scientific, any problems that arise
>> are
>> its responsibility. This is especially true because Freedom promotes the
>> PAC
>> Mate by saying it works with Word and other programs it has not created.
>>
>> "It also advertises the PAC Mate as a machine that can support
>> many off-the-shelf programs and devices. Freedom Scientific recommends a
>> Web
>> site called <www.pacmategear.com> as the place to find and order
>> up-to-date
>> information about programs and devices that run on the PAC Mate--that is,
>> until a problem develops. Then <www.pacmategear.com> is strictly
>> unofficial.
>> It seems to me that Freedom cannot expect to have it both ways; either it
>> advertises that the site carries programs and equipment that are
>> compatible
>> with the PAC Mate and Freedom supports and will trouble-shoot them, or
>> the
>> company should not try to expand the attractiveness of its product by
>> nominally affiliating itself with programs and hardware it disavows when
>> trouble strikes.
>>
>> "Another ongoing issue is the fact that Freedom announced its
>> intent to release a global positioning system (GPS) program for the PAC
>> Mate
>> over a year ago and began accepting orders and payment for it. When
>> pressed
>> to divulge what is going on with the GPS, which is still not available,
>> Freedom just says that it is waiting for Destonator, the publisher of the
>> software platform for the GPS system, to make the software changes
>> necessary
>> to run on the PAC Mate. The cynic in me suspects that Freedom announced
>> the
>> GPS system in June of 2004 knowing that it would not be ready for months
>> but
>> eager to stay competitive with the BrailleNote, which already had a
>> functioning GPS system. All software producers exhibit unconstructive
>> optimism about when new products will be available, but accepting orders
>> and
>> billing for the programs months or years ahead of delivery strikes me as
>> unfair. My advice to potential notetaker users is to be sure that the
>> products and features they find attractive and plan to order really are
>> already available or will be so in the very near future."
>>
>> There you have the thoughts and experiences of several
>> BrailleNote and PAC Mate users. When all is said and done, a number of
>> notetaking devices are on the market. Cost will usually be a factor in
>> deciding which one to purchase because many of these devices cost several
>> thousand dollars. Potential buyers must consider how they intend to use
>> the
>> notetaker in order to determine which features are necessities and which
>> are
>> just added bonuses. Visiting the Web sites of companies that build or
>> sell
>> notetaking devices can provide lots of information, like specs, prices,
>> and
>> features of different machines, but talking with current users is always
>> a
>> great way to get sensible, useful information about the various models
>> currently on the market. Remember also that the staff of the
>> International
>> Braille and Technology Center of the Jernigan Institute answer questions
>> about notetakers every day. Their expertise and assistance are never more
>> than a phone call or email away.
>>
>> In short, no electronic notetaker is right for everyone. If
>> you
>> are considering buying one of these little marvels, take the time to work
>> with each device you are considering. Think about how you will use the
>> notetaker, and try using each to undertake the tasks you are likely to
>> ask
>> your notetaker to perform. You will not avoid all the headaches in this
>> way,
>> but you will certainly cut down on them.
>>
>> (back <http://www.nfb.org/bm/bm05/bm0507/bm050709.htm> ) (next
>> <http://www.nfb.org/bm/bm05/bm0507/bm050711.htm> ) (contents
>> <http://www.nfb.org/bm/bm05/bm0507/bm0507tc.htm> )
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
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