[bookport] Re: Progress and the Book Port
- From: "David Tanner" <david-tanner@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 16:50:28 -0600
I would say stay away from a hard disk if at all possible, much more chance of
mechanical problems. Stick with memory cards. I am not opposed to flash
memory cards of any size, and I wish they wouldpush the limit on memory cards
as they possibly can while they are working on it. I saw a message the other
day that there is now a 12 gigabyte memory card already on the market for the
amazing low price of $7,200. Two years from now it will cost $150 and
everybody will be running out to the store to buy one. But, it would be nice
if APH would consider adding a slot for SD memory cards since they do seem to
be becoming much more popular.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, December 09, 2005 3:36 PM
Subject: [bookport] Re: Progress and the Book Port
: Bruce:
:
: While your post is of good intention and I won't take much time to
: belabor the points you make, I feel that you mischaracterize those of us
: who are less into "wish-lists" than are some others on the list.
:
: For example, I would not be opposed to having a HD in the Book Port --
: when one costs $10 and takes 5 ma to operate. Moreover, I think it may
: well be debatable whether APH should go the HD route with solid-state
: memory becoming ever cheaper.
:
: And I tend to feel that rampant featuritis is a bad thing from hard
: experience. The Blazie note-takers are a prime example. There are still
: a few bugs even in the latest firmware -- bugs which I would have
: ordered squashed at the cost of foregoing a few features *until* said
: bugs were squashed. How many times have we heard blind users of
: screen-reading software, note-takers and the like *pleading* with
: manufacturers to squash bugs rather than add features? How easily this
: can be done is a matter for another time and place.
:
: If a higher-powered processor can be put on board the Book Port that
: will allow more functionality for *the* *same* *price,* well and good.
: But until that time, I think it better to keep the primary purpose of
: the Book Port in mind. right in line with this is the work on handling
: 4-gig Flash cards. Also -- one hopes -- squashing that D+E+F bug. And it
: would be nice to have several levels of RESET so that one didn't zap the
: clock while resetting things unlesss absolutely necessary.
:
: So I'm not opposed to "progress". Rahter, I would like progress focused.
:
: Different strokes ...
:
: Mike
:
: On Fri, 9 Dec 2005, Bruce Toews wrote:
:
: > One of the recurring topics on this list is that of feature suggestions and
: > why they should or should not be implemented. People have very strong
: > viewpoints on this issue, and they tend to polarize users into two camps,
two
: > camps which rather vehemently oppose each other. One camp views the BP as a
: > complete solution as is, and feel very strongly that no changes should be
: > implemented, as making such changes would dilute the existing features, or
: > add new functionality that opposes the BP's original purpose. A classic
: > example of this is something I saw on a list for the Book Courier, in which
: > one person said that what makes the Book Courier so much better than the
Book
: > Port is the fact that it doesn't have a note-taking feature, as the Book
Port
: > does.
: >
: > The other camp, the camp to which I personally subscribe, feels that the
Book
: > Port is a great unit, and that great things can be made even greater, that
: > the truly great products continue to evolve. Anyone who saw the Braille 'n
: > Speak evolve before Blazie Engineering was swallowed up by Freedom
Scientific
: > will know what can be achieved through this sort of thinking. The
eveolution
: > of the computer, once thought of as only useful for crunching numbers, is
: > another. People in this second camp believe that the Book Port, too, can be
: > such an example.
: >
: > Over the course of its existence, the Braille 'n Speak became more
powerful,
: > more flexible, more versatile, and it did so while battery life increased
as
: > opposed to decreasing. It outgrew the limitations of just being a
notetaker,
: > while at the same time staying true to the needs of that original purpose.
: >
: > One of the arguments I hear again and again is that the Book Port is a book
: > reader, and it should not be anything else. This is the path taken by the
: > Book Courier, and there's nothing wrong with it. But APH has seen fit to
: > expand the usefulness of the unit. It has flown against the conventional
: > wisdom which says that, if you want a notetaker, you ahve to shell out
: > thousands of dollars to do it. This probably irritates some of the people
: > who have been in the business of either designing, selling, or procuring
the
: > multi-thousand-dollar notetakers, becasue the Book Port is available for a
: > few hundred dollars, and for it to seriously rival one of the "big boys"
: > would seriously challenge the conventional wisdom, and force those who
claim
: > that you need to fork over thousands for a decent notetaker to seriously
: > rethink those claims. It's not a lot of fun to find the book from which
: > you've been preaching for years to be totally discredited. The flat-earth
: > hold-outs are still struggling with it.
: > Another argument against increased functionality is that increased
: > functionality yields increased bugs. My only answer to this is: Nothing
: > ventured, nothing gained.
: >
: > Another argument suggests that the long life of batteries would be
: > compromised by increased functionality. I submit that my current cellphone
: > lasts twenty times longer than did my first on one battery charge, is much
: > more powerful, is smaller, and much faster. My Braille Lite M20 lasts at
: > least ten times longer on a charge than the first braille 'n speak, is only
: > slightly larger (and this because of the addition of the braille display),
is
: > much faster, and much more versatile and efficient. People seem to forget
: > that technology has come a long way since the original technology behind
the
: > Book Port was introduced: it's faster, it's cheaper, it's more efficient,
and
: > consumes less, not more, power.
: >
: > Finally, I suggest that if one likes things the way they are, one is not
: > obligated to turn in their unit. If you don't want the new progress, fine,
: > but why stop the rest of us? Is there insecurity among some because they
have
: > always felt at the forefront of technology, but now don't want to move on,
: > yet they still want to be at the forefront, so the best way of handling
that
: > insecurity is to stop the progress so they'll remain at the forefront
without
: > moving? I can relate to this. I wanted to stay with Dos. I wanted efforts
to
: > make Windows speak to be quelled so I could stay at the forefront of
: > technology without moving. Eventually, I grew up and moved on, and I'm glad
I
: > did.
: >
: > The basis for the Book Port is exciting. But I truly believe that, in the
: > future, if we can replace some 1990's technology and some 1990's thinking
: > with some 21st-century technology and thinking, the opportunity exists to
: > keep the Book Port what it once was: a device which does what it wasn't
: > thought could be done, affordably, and efficiently. It's a wonderful,
: > fabulous unit. But the talking MP3-players are whizzing past it, or at
least
: > preparing to. Others are innovating. The Book Courier is sticking to its
: > roots. The Book Port has the potential to take flight with the rest.
: >
: > Finally, whether or not any of this happens is not our decision,
ultimatelhy.
: > It's APH's. I honestly belive that these people know what they're doing;
they
: > know if an idea is doable; they know what's realistic and what's not; they
: > know what the Book Port can become and what it can't.
: > End of lecture. <GRIN>
: >
: > Brce
: >
: > --
: > Bruce Toews
: > E-mail and MSN/Windows Messenger: DogRiver@xxxxxxxx
: > Web Site (including info on my weekly commentaries): http://www.ogts.net
: > Info on the Best TV Show of All Time: http://www.cornergas.com
: >
: >
:
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