Hi there from Saskatoon Canada. I have had a Pac Mate for nearly two years and although it took some getting accustomed to, I like it just fine. As usual with our adaptive devices, the manual for the Pac Mate doesn't tell you the "how tos" of a few things but talking to other users often solves that problem. I've heard, but that's about all, that there is a successor to the Pac Mate I believe called the OMNI. Does anyone know anything about that device? Herb Essenburg -----Original Message----- From: blazie-support-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:blazie-support-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Chase Crispin Sent: March 24, 2008 11:25 AM To: blazie-support@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [blazie-support] Re: getting a braille lite 18 and braille lite2000 repaired Hi, The Braille Plus causts $1395, which is cheaper than the pacmate. No, the Braille Plus runs on Linux, but you don't have to know the command line. LevelStar and APH have added there own interface, that gives you instructions on how to do things, and it all is menu driven. Before I knew the Icon and Braille Plus ran Linux, I thought I was running a super fast version of windows Mobile. Another advantage is that with the Braille Plus, all of the programs that are loaded on it are made for it. With the pacmate, there are those built-in games and the picture viewer which don't work with JAWS at all, and Freedom Scientific has to leave them on there, because that is Microsoft's law. Yes, the cell phone will be a GSM protocol phone. If you really want to decide on a Pacmate or a Icon/Braille Plus, do you want to carry something around that is bigger than your Braille Lite, or something the size of your hand? I really like both devices, so I can't tell you which would be better for you-the Pacmate or Icon/Braille Plus though I use the Braille Plus so much, that it is rare for me to have my computer on. I don't own a pacmate, but have used one several times over the last few years. Chase Crispin Administrator and moderator of the Blind Mobile Tech (BMT) blog, and soon to be website! Blog: http://blindmobiletech.blogspot.com/ APH training video feed: http://www.youtube.com/Braille+/ e-mail: chase.crispin@xxxxxxxxx -----Original Message----- From: blazie-support-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:blazie-support-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Lamar Upshaw Sent: Monday, March 24, 2008 12:05 PM To: blazie-support@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [blazie-support] Re: getting a braille lite 18 and braille lite2000 repared Well, right now, the problem is cost. I can't afford to buy the expensive equipment, being i'm a single parent dad of 3 children. *smile* Even as a home maker, I have so much use for a braille notetaker/portable device: for everything from keeping track of my kids' doctor appointments, and special events and activities, to entertainment such as reading books from web braille. But, state agencies all say that raising my children is not a viable occupation, therefore i'm not permitted to have adaptive equipment until i am in school with a full load and my kids are all in the child care system for roughly 14 hours a day. lol *smile* About how much does the braille plus cost? is it based on the windows mobile operating system like the pac-mate? Is the cel modual for GSM sim cards for T-mobile and AT&T wireless? With All Respect, Upshaw, Lamar T ----- Original Message ----- From: "chase crispin" <chase.crispin@xxxxxxxxx> To: <blazie-support@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Friday, January 02, 1970 12:32 PM Subject: [blazie-support] Re: getting a braille lite 18 and braille lite2000 repared The pacmate really is great, but in a day or 2, the Icon will have support for books from audible, and the National Library Service. The Icon is half the size of a Braille Lite, and about 1/3 thinner. Also, Blue Tooth and USB display support is coming soon. If you don't want to have to braille with your thumbs or text, you should look into a Braille Plus, sold by the American Printing House for the Blind. It is absolutely identical to the Icon, but it has a Braille Keyboard on it. Levelstar and APH collaborate, so both companies are helping with the development. I am typing this email on the Braille Plus. Another advantage of the Icon and Braille Plus over the Pacmate is that they are cheaper, and with the Icon or Braille Plus, the Wireless and the Blue Tooth are built in. There will be docking stations soon, RFB&d support soon, and a cell phone mojewel also. If you are interested, you should visit the Levelstar website at: www.levelstar.com Or the APH page at: www.aph.org/tech If you have more questions about the product, you should subscribe to the Icon Discuss list, by sending a blank email to: icon-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx And put the word subscribe in the subject line. There is also the Tech list for development questions, a beta list, and a announcement list. If you want the subscriptions for those lists, let me know. HTH, Chase On Sun, 23 Mar 2008 22:20:37 -0700, wrote: >Hi. I don't mind the PAC Mate. However you might also want to look into >getting an Icon from Level Star. I like the fact that the PAC Mate has >a > >Braille Display, and both the PAC Mate and Icon let you install >off-the-shelf apps so you can freely run whatever you want. HTH. > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Raul A. Gallegos" <raul@xxxxxxxxxxxx> >To: <blazie-support@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> >Sent: Sunday, March 23, 2008 11:19 AM >Subject: [blazie-support] Re: getting a braille lite 18 and braille >lite > >2000 repared > > >>You can get the battery fixed from any local Batteries Plus as those >>are >> >>standard batteries. As for the advance bar, I don't know what to tell >>you. >> >>A friend of mine recently tried asking Freedom what the charge was to >>look at his BLT 40 which has some managed cells on it and they >>informed him he >>was better off with a so-called PACMate which is mostly crap in my >>opinion, plus they would charge him $250 just to look at it, plus $50 >>per >>cell. Quite obviously they will do the work, at the cost of today's >>prices >>despite it being an older device. >> >>Go figure. >> >>Lamar Upshaw wrote: >>>Hi. I heard that freedom scientific no longer supports the braille >>>lite >>> >>>18 or 2000. Are there any companies that still repare them? I am >>>looking to get the battery replaced in mine, and get the advance bar >>>fixed, because it keeps collapsing. I've had to get that repared >>>twice with freedom scientific before, but for what ever reason, my >>>advance bar always does that. I have a light touch, so I know it's >>>not because i'm too hard on it. lol. >>>I also have a friend who's still using a braille lite, and she also >>>needs >>>repares, but we both heard it's not done any more. Can someone shed >>>some >>>light on this for us? >>> >>>With All Respect, >>>Upshaw, Lamar T >>> >> >> >>-- >>Raul A. Gallegos .. http://www.asmodean.net >> >> >> >>-- >>Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. >>Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.486 / Virus Database: >>269.17.13/1210 - Release Date: 1/5/2008 11:46 AM >> >> >