Hello there,
Yusuf
The question maybe more about what do we want from the equipment package we have to carry each day. I want it to be light, run for ever on one set of power cells, be reprogrammable and it must replace most of the other electronic devices I carry. Not untypically, an mp3 player, cell phone, mini disc recorder with mic, braille note pk and gps. And on really bad days add a lap top and portable scanner to that lot. For me the pK is as yet the most versatile option for note takers but it was its ability to run the GPS that really made the decision for us. We may well have stayed with the competition if it had fielded a credible GPs alternative in real time.
I don't think the PK is any bulkier than the trekker. It seems to run longer on batteries than the trekker and seems a little more robust in terms of software reliability. I am not a good person to quiz on complexity as I prefer things to be either totally simple or totally complex. So I would want a talking GPS that operated like a simple visual GPS or I want something that will give me everything. The areas for development with the PK version in the UK remain the POI database which is significantly out of date and the absence of a postal code look up. You can work around these but they are a bit of a pain. I wish also that the PK builders had used a more standard type power connector, maybe something like a nokia connector so that we could use the disposable emergency power cells you can get for phones. Or of course they could supply a custom version of the same type of unit. I've had PK run out of juice at a couple of inconvenient moments. The blue logger comes with a spare battery and the charger base can charge this battery along with the main unit. An inspired accessory if ever there was one.
Now what we really want is a 40 gig hard drive built in to the pk so it can then have a serious media player that behaves like an IPOD and can manage books from audible, daisy etc. come on guys one gig flash cards will go the way of floppy discs soon.
-----Original Message----- From: gps-talkusers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:gps-talkusers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of yusuf Sent: 17 April 2005 20:59 To: GPS-talks Subject: [gps-talkusers] what do we really want from GPS?
Hi all, this is a topic I've been thinking about for quite a while and wanted to se what other people thought. Let me start by clarifying what I mean. I don't mean in terms of what the GPS actually does. I for one am quite happy with what Trekker can do. What I am refering to is the way GPS systems for the blind seem to be becoming more complex. Let me try and explain. When I bought my trekker in September of 2003 I bought it in order to use it when I was out and about. for the weekly shopping trip, for when I wanted to go and hang out with mates at the pub, to go to the cinema, you get the idea. for these occasions I don't want a device that can write notes, input diary entries, play Mp3s and on and on, I simply want a satellite navigation system that is small and easy to carry. I suppose my worry is that the more complex the functionality becomes the more likely it is to be larger and more things to go wrong. I don't think trekker is getting larger and didn't the Braille Note recently get smaller? But I don't know about anyone else all I want from my GPS is accurate information on where I am, what streets are coming up, nearby POIs, the ability to input my own ones, creation of various kinds of routes using various start and end points, pedestrian and vehicular modes, all the various information options like number of satellites in view, a mode for non mapped areas and oh yes up to date POIs. In terms of the Trekker it makes sense for the visuaide to make the rest of the functionality of the Ipaq accessible because otherwise youve got a PDA that you can hardly use. But I never wanted to use the PDA in the first place. Certainly when I upgrade to Maestro it will be nice to have that access but the main purpose for me will still be as a mobility aid. When I go shopping, or to the pub, or the cinema, or a restaurant etc thats all its needed for. Am I completely crazy? Or am I on to something here. Yusuf
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