[bksvol-discuss] Re: PackMate?
- From: "Kaitlyn Hill" <Kaitlyn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 17 Aug 2005 19:29:11 -0700
Hello Sharon,
I will have to read this publication.
Kasondra,
I have never found using a laptop. Actually in my years of computing I have
use laptops much more than desktop computers. I like the feel and the
smaller size of a laptop keyboard.
It's looking like more and more except for battery life that a light weight
laptop may serve me better in the long run. Right now I have a Dell 9100
laptop which I just love. It is wireless so I can use it anywhere in the
house but it is almost 10 lbs so not that kind you would want to be taking
on the bus to read while traveling:)
-----Original Message-----
From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Sharon Jackson
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 4:59 AM
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: PackMate?
If you want other opinions about the various notetakers, I would try the
Accessworld journal from American Foundation for the Blind.
Sharon
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sarah Van Oosterwijck" <curiousentity@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2005 11:23 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: PackMate?
> Which option to use always depends on what you want to do. If you don't
> care about having a braille display I would certainly go with the
> sub-compact laptop, because they can do more than any notetaker and are
> cheeper than anything but a Voice Note classic. The number one reason to
> consider a nottaker instead of a laptop would be battery life. Any
> notetaker will get at least 25 hours of battery life. I think I heard the
> PackMate gets even more, whereas a laptop will only give you a few ours.
> The other problem they might cause you is annoyance do to the lack of
> keys. Screen readers use so many hotkeys that a laptop keyboard just can't
> provide them all, and I have found the alternatives used for laptop layout
> to be kind of annoying.
>
> The PackMate can do a lot of things, but they can have some of the
> keyboard issues that laptops have. If you get one you should get one with
> a qwerty keyboard because the key combinations necessary on the braille
> model can get ridiculous and hard to remember. You can run some Pocket PC
> software, but only if someone has created scripts for it, so don't expect
> to use software just out of the box. If you want a very small and feature
> packed device with a display it is probably a very good option for you,
> but be prepared for bugginess because even it's fans say it isn't the most
> stable product on the market.
>
> If you really want a braille display at the lowest price possible, then I
> would check out the Braille Sense notetaker sold by GW-Micro. It is just
> under 5,000 dollars instead of over 6,000 for a model with a 32 cell
> display. It also has a built in DAISY player that can use both text and
> audio. That and it's price are what might make it a better option than
> the braille note. It's stability and simplicity may also be of interest
> to you.
>
> The braille note M-Power is much easier to learn and use than the
> PackMate and it is designed as it is to make it a stable product. At this
> point who knows just how stable it is, though. It also has more features
> than the Braille Sense. The word processor is far more advanced and it
> can download and unpack bookshare files. It is supposed to have a DAISY
> player in the future, but I wasn't given any possible dates for that so
> who knows when. Reading braille files is quite nice, though. I like the
> arrangement of the front thumb keys to advance the display. I find it
> more ergonomic than the other notetakers available.
>
> These are just some general things to think about. For actual feature
> comparisons it would be best to investigate each option thoroughly by
> looking at their respective web sites. I also know there are a few more
> things out there, but I don't know much about them if they aren't as
> strenuously marketed.
>
> Sarah Van Oosterwijck
> Assistive Technology Trainer
> http://home.earthlink.net/~netentity
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Kaitlyn Hill" <Kaitlyn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2005 7:15 PM
> Subject: [bksvol-discuss] PackMate?
>
>
>> Hi Barbra and all,
>>
>> <<FSEDIT on the PackMate tends to screw up the format and of the document
>> and Pocket Word on the PackMate will work only with files 100KB or
>> smaller.>>
>>
>> So are there many PackMate users out there? I have been kind of poking
>> around trying to decide on a transportable reader for digital files. I
>> have
>> not heard a lot of good things about the PackMate for the money. The
>> Bookcurrier I listened to the voice available and not real excited about
>> it.
>> I am also considering getting a subcompact notebook. I am seeing some out
>> there between 2 and 3 lbs. My thought on the notebook would be I could
>> run
>> standard software, Word, K1000, etc.
>>
>> Thoughts?
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> [mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Barbara J
>> Wagreich
>> Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2005 1:34 PM
>> To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Cc: Barbara J Wagreich
>> Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Guidelines for prep of books for
>> submission?
>>
>> Hi Listers:
>>
>> Thanks for the feedback! I appreciate it.
>>
>> Some additional questions:
>>
>> 1) should the print page number be on the same line as the form feed or
>> on a separate line?
>>
>> 2) What should I do about hyphenated words? This usually happens if the
>> last workd on an ink-print page is split between the current page and
>> the
>> next page? Will the Bookshare stripper program fix this or should I fix
>> the hyphenated words (join them together) before I submit the book?
>>
>> 3) The present book I'm doing is in text mode because it's easier for me
>> to edit it in text mode. The parahraps are not indented but there is a
>> blank line between each paragraph. will the braille translation program
>> be able to identify the paragraphs?
>>
>> 4) I'm wondering wht formats could be edited on a Braillenote (Keysoft
>> 6.11) without spoiling the format (meaning when I transfer the edited
>> files back to the PC, the format wof the book will not be affected).
>> FSEDIT on the PacMate tends to screw up the format and of the document
>> and
>> Pocket Word on the PacMate will work only with files 100KB or smaller.
>>
>> 5) Are there any written guidelines? if so, where would I find them?
>>
>> Thanks for your feedback on these questions!
>>
>> Barbara Wagreich
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
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>>
>
>
>
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