[access-uk] Re: Portset.

  • From: "ari" <aridamoulakis@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 3 Dec 2007 12:05:57 +0200

Hi Steve,
Maybe over there, but here I think it's just a pen, it only costs R2500, a desktop computer costs more (at last the screen reader's cheaper, grin), but I'd like to know, I've heard it's somehow not like the propper Supernova, how is it cut down? If it is a desktop, sorry, but here they call it the Dolphin Mercury Pen, and they say you carry it from computer to computer whichever one you want to use.
Ari
----- Original Message ----- From: "Steve Nutt" <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, December 03, 2007 11:23 AM
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Portset.


Hi Ari,

Mercury is not a pen.  It is a full desktop computer, with a cut down
version of Supernova.

All the best

Steve

-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
ari
Sent: 03 December 2007 09:18
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Portset.

Hi Ray,
Yes, I agree that constructive is the way, but, for me some of these
adaptive technology company's prices are very high, in that, even some
governments and organisations don't want to pay for all the blind people
working there to have access to JAWS or other screen readers. At the
university where I was, for example, although we were more than 2, we only
had the 2 computers with JAWS, and I have met people on chat rooms who have
openly asked me, probably out of some sort of desperation, if I knew where
to get jaws cracks, because the place where they were employed, one was even
managed by a government, they were using the fourty-minute JAWS, and this
guy was a qualified person with a university degree, and in quite a good
job. Lucky that free options are becoming available like NVDA, and what's
good is this new cheap pen thing that Dolphin has brought out here, called
the Mercury or something, but I still haven't seen it. I do realise that the whole argument has the two parts, where the companies say they need to make
money, but for me $895 for a software program, plus everytime you pay for
upgrades is very expensive, especially if you're lucky enough to find a job
in a country that doesn't have laws to help disabled people.
Ari
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ray's Home" <rays-home@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2007 5:39 PM
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Portset.


Arri, I don't want to be negative.  Being critical certainly isn't the
same as 'negative'.  What I want is constructive, not istructive
criticism.

It is always bad to base discussions or politics around negatives and
anti stances alone.

From Ray
I can be contacted off-list at:
mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx


-----Original Message-----
ari

Yes Ray, it's really a pity there isn't just a list to which you could
subscribe which justs highlights all the negative things of AT and the
people in it, sort of having an absolute scream at the whole industry
in particularly. I love this list because the moderators are much more
relaxed then most of the dragons on the, dare I say this, American
lists, I suppose it's just their culture with the whole could-be-sued
thing, where do you draw the line at freedom of speech, some lists,
you try and criticise something you get a huge moderator thing
accusing you of some stupid thing called flaming, most of them are
unreasonable.
Ari
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ray's Home" <rays-home@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2007 4:11 PM
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Portset.


Think we can happily agree to disagree Wendy on the meanness, or
otherwise of 'the blind'.

Access Tech's affordability is something that greatly interests me
and
often vexes me too.  Trouble is that neither this list, nor Vi-gen
much likes the topic t=being raised at all;  some of the reasons
aren't hard to see, but your comment of wonderment at people
affording
it does want me to re-iterate the too often unstated fact that many
blind people don't actually pay for it, at least those in work, and
that is a big reason why prices are so high. Another is the
political
realities we live under as, given the smallish market then strictly
for profit organisations are going to charge whatever brings in the
return they think is due to them.  Interesting discussions on this
subject area can be read at Blind Confidential and Blind Access
Journal, which are American bloggs, but sometimes our own Will
Pierce
gets mentioned;  a bloke who seems to dwell in the intellectual
stratasphere more than the bloggosphere!

There are those earning a living and some a very respectable one at
that, who aren't gunna have things change if they have anything to
do
with it.  It's down to political economy really;  and that being so,
no one is proposing slapping a levy or obligation on the big
corporations to fund a proper budget for development,much less a
state
subsidy for it.  You don't have to be a raving socialist or lefty
either to see the sense of that solution; just out of step with
those
who have a stranglehold on our lives.

More interesting reading at:

http://www.blindaccessjournal.com/

http://blindconfidential.blogspot.com/

From Ray
I can be contacted off-list at:
mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx


-----Original Message-----
Wendy Sharpe


Ray

I think the price I paid was about right too.

I do realise that not wanting to pay the licence fee is a bit mean,
but TV sets are not cheap either, so I decided to go for the sound
only bargain.

I agree with you about the BBC, and what we would do without Radio 4
I
don't
know.  Years ago we used to pay a small radio licence fee, and I for
one wouldn't mind forking out a bit to the BBC for the privilege of
all their radio access, not just national, but regional and local
too.  Since going online I have been able to enjoy listening to BBC
radio when I have missed interesting programmes, and the work they do
on their website is fantastic.
I get loads of news and other information from them, and as far as I
am concerned they are second to none.

Your reference to the well-known stinginess of the blind is the only
point where I would take issue with you.  I think it is often more a
question of lack of funds than actually being stingy.  I was lucky
enough to
have
worked
full time for over 40 years, so I managed to build up a bit of
company
pension as well as the one from the state.  This means that if I
want
to buy
a new PC, talking product, etc, I don't have to worry about the cost
half so much as I would if I had never found a job and had to live on
benefits.
Given the appalling statistics regarding employment of blind people,
it's a wonder to me that products specially designed for us sell as
well as they do.

Wendy

-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Ray's Home
Sent: 02 December 2007 13:16
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Portset.

Wendy, and anyone interested, what you paid is more or less what I
think it would be worth new if a large number of people were to buy
into this sort of stand-alone piece of equipment, so good on you
that
you found it at the right price.

Afraid though that I've always been of the mind that what the Beeb
does suits me admirably, though I know in this world of mass
dumned-down culture - which the Beeb isn't slow to cater to - its a
case of knowing the price but not the value of such a valuable asset
as the Beeb is.  Unpopular I know, but given the mass hatred of the
licence fee, and then couple that with the well known stinginess of
the blind, and you have a sure formula for shreaks of can't pay,
won't
pay!

I'm oh so glad I've been able to enjoy a variety and quality that
would be denied me if I'd been born almost anywhere else.  I could
quite honestly see me going no TV at all if commercial offerings
were
all that were on offer.

A happy to be unpopular,

From Ray
I can be contacted off-list at:
mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx


-----Original Message-----
Wendy Sharpe


Ray

I would certainly never have bought one at full price, and the only
thing I lack is a DVD player, but I have now sussed out how to play
DVD's on the PC using Power DVD.

I have always thought that Portset's prices were way over the top.
The
media centre does also have the facility to record programmes, but
there is no way to transfer recordings from its internal disk or
whatever it uses to another hard drive, on the PC for example.

Frankly, I was seriously thinking about giving up TV altogether when
we finally switch over, as I refuse to have a TV and pay a licence
for something I can't see.  I'm a mean person, I know, but there is
nobody
else
here who wants to watch telly.

I got my media centre for £300, which I thought was a bargain, and
it
is a
very nice piece of kit, but the original price is far too high, and
even with competition from anything else which can talk, Portset
never
seem
to
drop their prices.

Wendy

-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Ray's Home
Sent: 02 December 2007 12:51
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Portset.

Sorry, but I don't feel obliged to be overly-polite on this one.
The
price ranging up to near a thousand quid has to be one of the
all-time
rip-offs, even considering the realities of access tech.  I really
don't know why anyone with a PC would even consider it, and that by
definition, is pretty well everyone on a list such as this one.

You can hardly blame the guy for wanting to hold on to the miche
market he had with the original teletext reciever, but times have
moved on since then, I'm glad to say.

Still, as I've said to the original enquirer off-list, I can hardly
criticise you if you really want to spend money in this way, but
frankly, many wouldn't.

Cheers,

From Ray
I can be contacted off-list at:
mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx


-----Original Message-----
Gordon Keen


Strange, safari went straight to it and I've just browsed through
the
models available.
World wide weirdness!
Cheers
G
From glorious Devon, England.

On 2 Dec 2007, at 12:26, David W Wood wrote:

Hi Gordon - this link gives:

This page is not available

David



-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Gordon Keen
Sent: 02 December 2007 12:16
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: Gordon Keen
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Portset.

Hi
For alternatives check out:
http://www.tvhelp.org.uk/audes/equipment.index.html
Hopefully competition will force down prices in the not too distant
future.

Cheers
G
From glorious Devon, England.

On 2 Dec 2007, at 11:03, Jackie Cairns wrote:



My only comment, and please feel free to jump on me if you want
folks (though not literally) (smile), is that it's a rip-off for
£620 or whatever it costs.  I know it speaks, but £620 for that?
Phew!

I loved their Talking Teletext unit when I had mine, but that was
when there wasn't so much information available elsewhere.  Certain
Freeview boxes, while they don't provide speech navigation, do offer
Audio Description, and there are also lots of DAISY players on the
market to tap into.  I just think it's well OTT.

Jackie

----- Original Message -----
From: sue morgan <mailto:sue@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2007 12:35 AM
Subject: [access-uk] Portset.

Hi list.

I've been reading about the Portset Accessible Freeview Receiver and
I'm quite interested in it.  I'm wondering if anyone
on
this
list has one, or knows anything about them.  I've listened to the
audio demo on the Portset website and it seems very accessible.

Any feedback would be grate as I'd love to have an accessible
freeview receiver.

Sue.
e-mail sue@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
mobile 07968825286
msn sue@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
skype suemorgan1006


Gordon Keen
gordonkeen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx


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