[bookshare-discuss] Re: OT: Getting sucked dry for assistive technology and u...
- From: "Shelley L. Rhodes" <guidinggolden@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2009 22:36:10 -0400
Well Roger,
Even though Dragon is now something that most of us could afford Jay Say, to
make it talk to and work with Jaws isn't. prices I saw were $895 so until I
can get carpal tunnel labeled as a work related injury, sigh.
Smile.
But thought Dragon would be nice.
Kurzweil's upgrades are actually kind of inexpensive, for the product and you
can jump from any version, to the current one without batting an eye.
----- Original Message -----
From: Rogerbailey81@xxxxxxx
To: bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, October 08, 2009 7:50 PM
Subject: [bookshare-discuss] Re: OT: Getting sucked dry for assistive
technology and u...
Have they really come down that much? I remember when I first heard of Dragon
Naturally Speaking it was in about 1989 or not too long after that and I said
to myself that I wish I could afford that. The price was considerably more than
any amount of money I had ever had together at one time. Even though I wished I
had one at that time I really did not need it and still don't so I never looked
into it again. Now I understand that it works a whole lot better than it did
then and, apparently, the price is down to something I might be able to swing.
Alas, I still don't need it and I am quite used to typing. I don't think I will
be in any rush to go out and get it. By the way, I was watching the evening
news a little while ago and there was a commercial for a car with a navigation
system with voice recognition. The driver was having what amounted to a
conversation with his car. There was certainly not anything like that available
when I was driving and I still have never ridden as a passenger in a car that
could do that. The first thing that popped into my mind as I was listening to
the commercial was Star Trek.
"If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything.
" Malcolm X
The Militant: http://www.themilitant.com Pathfinder Press:
http://www.pathfinderpress.com
Granma International: http://granma.cu/ingles/index.html
_
table with 2 columns and 6 rows
Subj:
[bookshare-discuss] OT: Getting sucked dry for assistive technology and
upgrades (was Re: Re: Daily new book lists are now on web)
Date:
10/8/2009 4:56:41 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From:
cherryjam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Reply-to:
bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To:
bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent from the Internet
(Details)
table end
Traci (and all), this is one of my hot buttons, too. When I
first became disabled and couldn't use a keyboard, the price of
products that allowed me to use voice commands to control a
computer were $25,000. Upgrades? Thousands and thousands each time.
When it became 'popular' to use voice-driven systems in offices
for workers with carpal tunnel, lo and behold suddenly the same
software products tumbled and tumbled in price--they're now under
$200.
Yes, they have a bigger market. But from tens of thousands to
$200? I appreciate the drop, but who are they kidding? How about
all those disabled folks who put out $25,000 plus tens of
thousands more on upgrades - did they get refunds? I think not.
I see this kind of exploitation going on all the time in
assistive devices of all ilk for the blind and disabled, and it
really ticks me off. I understand the costs of engineering and
software development -- my husband was a chip designer originally
and I headed up an IT unit in a huge company. What I see going
on isn't, in my opinion at least, passing along development costs
to the consumer. It's bilking us, because we're a captive
market, for providing something that tries to help us help
ourselves to do everyday tasks that allows us to be
self-sufficient and are part of every-day life and ordinary for
everyone else.
Yep. Hot button for me! smile.
Judy s.
Traci Evans wrote:
> You are saying what I and a few of my friends have been screaming for
> years. Now these products are geared to make our lives easier. I can't
> think of the word I wanted to say so I settled for easier. When I had
> an active rehab case, my counsellor told me that gone are the days when
> obtaining an authorization for a computer could be considered
> frivolous. He said that all blind patrons needed a computer to be self
> sufficient and manage their daily lives.
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