Sorry Neil, I will read your review below but let me tellyou that a guide dog owner is using it in Ireland since last Monday and she is speking very highly of it. I read her posts on it every day on the Irish Guide Dogs Free List as I am a GDO, Irish and a member of the list.
Eleanor----- Original Message ----- From: "Neil Barnfather - TalkNav" <talks@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <talks-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2009 11:05 AM Subject: [talks-uk] Review of Kapten GPS Folk, For reference the Kapten GPS is not yet available in English, however, it has received rave reviews from users in France and Spain, so when Mike May and I who attended together, RNIB's Techshare in the East end of London the other week, saw that the RNIB had one of only two English speaking versions on their stand, we were able to convince them to let us out with it to test it. The test was done both at the docklands conference centre and around it, as well as on the Saturday immediately afterwards, when we spent the day together in London. It's important to remember that Kapten was never designed for blind people, and was instead meant for motor bike users. Here's what we thought. Here below is our review, remember this is the accumulated view of Mike May, Neil Barnfather and one other, who are all experienced GPS users, and have in their mind what blind people do and do not need by way of GPS. Feel free to ask follow up questions: The review: Review of Kapten GPS Saturday 19th September 2009 Overview: Three blind people and one sighted guide took Kapten for a spin and found the following: Benefits: Price, size, public transit mode, FM radio and MP3 player. Voice recognition in quiet environments. Weaknesses: No look around capability, poor GPS tracking ability, insufficient verbal prompting and incorrect route directions The Kapten GPS unit is at first glance notably simple in its design, a small and compact unit with well defined easy to identify buttons. A circular key pad towards the top of the unit, encompassing up, down, left, right and a centre key referred to as the `K` key. Below which is a row of three buttons, dedicated to the features MP3 player, GPS and FM Radio, below the centre GPS button is also a telephone key. On the left side of the unit near to the bottom, is the two mill head phone jack socket, and on the top right hand edge is the micro USB charger and data port. On the right hand side near to the top is the volume control. There is also a keypad lock switch which is recessed on the top of the unit towards the left hand side. Kapten comes complete with every wire and connector you could need, so there's no need to run out and buy anything else, which is a nice touch. Kapten has a built-in GPS receiver which is both good and bad. It is good because the unit is small and self contained. It is bad because the GPS receiver is outdated soon after the product is released. This may account for a lot of the poor tracking we experienced. Kapten has a built in compass but we were unable to get it to calibrate. Features: In addition to GPS, the Kapten has a built in FM Radio and MP3 player, together with the option to link up your blue tooth enabled handset to the device in order that you can receive and make calls through it. Note that your handset must also support this feature. When calculating a route, the Kapten GPS initially requires users to select a mode of transit for their journey, this selection can be either made by pressing the `K` key at the time of hearing the relevant choice, or by verbally indicating a selection when prompted at the end of the available list. The choices of transport include four possibilities; Pedestrian, Bicycle, Motorcycle and Car. When selecting any of these, users must then define where they wish to travel, the choices include; New address, favourites, last trips, contacts, k tags, Points of Interest, visits or public transport. Within each option there are a range of further choices to choose from. One immediate issue is the lack of possibility to enter a business's name or simply an area, for example; When opting to calculate a route to a `New Address` the Kapten asks for the city name, when choosing London, for example, the unit asks for the street name, which doesn't help unless you know the exact address of where you wish to go, like wise addresses without street names, for example, tower buildings such as Canary Wharf present issues here. The POI choices are confusing, as there are only a few obvious choices, such as Transport and Sports Activities, however restaurants and hotels appear nowhere to be found. The option for leisure and culture likewise is vague and uninformative as to what fits within it. This is where one of the biggest draw backs becomes obvious with the Kapten. There is no option to back up a step. If you enter the wrong sub-menu and listen to the list of options. You then have to go right back to the start of the menu structure Kapten's POI categorizations are confusing to navigate. The range of choices include: Transportation: Airport, Ferry embarkation platform, Railway station, Self service bike, public transportation, Public Service. Leisure and Culture: Tourist attraction, Amusement park, Casino, Cinema, Museum, theatre, zoo. Sports activities include the usual line up of stadiums, ice rinks, golf courses, swimming pools etc. Public Services: Embassy, town council, library, police station, exhibition centre, tourist office, hospital. Useful: Shopping centre, parking garage, rent a car facility, post office, camping ground, hotel or motel, pharmacy, ATM, vehicle repair facility, petrol, city centre. Note that the Kapten didn't even know of the existence of the ExCel conference centre despite it being there for years and us sitting outside it! As previously stated, the biggest problem is that unless you know where to look and the exact name of the type of POI, as defined by Kapten, you have little chance of finding it without listening to the entire menu at a very slow speed and without being able to speed up the speech. During the evaluation period which covered about 3 hours over the 17th and 18th of September, and an additional 4 hours of walking around London on the 19th, we had great trouble getting the Kapten to identify when we went off route. We could walk the opposite direction for several hundred yards and Kapten would keep saying to continue ahead in spite of the fact that our target turn was now behind us. On the 10 or so times we tried this we could not get Kapten to identify that we had gone off route and get it to recalculate or to alert us that we were off route. GPS coverage was good at 5 to 7 satellites according to the unit. This happened in a wide open area in the Docklands and also near Hyde Park. When moving around London, we had to find a very open location to gather an initial signal lock, which took well over ten minutes. When navigating in pedestrian mode we noted a significant additional problem as the Kapten GPS offers very little audible feedback either confirming you're on route or indeed off it. Every 300 or so yards the unit would repeat the current latest instruction with a reduced measurement to the next turn. On several occasions, we found the Kapten GPS to be confused as to what actual street we were on, giving instructions to turn onto the street we were in fact on at the time, and at other times informing us to turn onto streets which ran parallel with our current route, technically therefore impossible. Kapten is meant to be used with a headset microphone. There is a microphone in the midst of the cord which you push to talk. The voice recognition was quite good in medium to quiet locations. On noisy streets, the recognition was poor and the ability to hear the earphone was nearly impossible. Although the recognition was generally good, it was still a slow process to verbally prompt the unit with the relevant information in order to set an address or point of interest, much slower than could be achieved with a keypad or keyboard. This being said, there's little point in being able to plot a route based on voice input, if navigating your route makes little to no sense, is easily misleading and is apparently unaware when you deviate from it. Note: a speaker is provided with Kapten but the built-in microphone is not as reliable as the wired microphone. It can be unsafe for a blind person to wear headphones when walking. Another significant draw back to the Kapten GPS was the lack of vicinity mode or look about function. Without these features, users are unable to adequately understand their environment and location choices. This missing Look Around feature is one of Kapten's major drawbacks for a person who is blind or visually impaired, not a capability that a product designed for the sighted would require. All accessible GPS products designed for blind users have some sort of look around capability. Another major weakness, Kapten does not possess the ability to hear the current location. It will announce the distance and direction to your next turn in a route but it will not announce the name of the street your on or the one you are crossing. Kapten offers no definite turn instruction. Whilst informing us to turn onto x street, there was no mention as to whether it meant now or in a mile. Conclusion: Whilst the low price and small size of Kapten makes it attractive, Kapten offers none of the features that blind and low vision users have come to know and require from their GPS devices such as a look around mode and reassurance of streets and directions along a route. Kapten's voice prompts are clear during configuration, if not a little tedious and slow, but those who wish to be guided through the choices, may enjoy this simple user interface in the beginning but perhaps not after the novelty wears off. We have heard so many comments about how well Kapten works, we were quite astounded at its poor tracking and lack of correct instructions. We kept thinking there must be something we were doing wrong but we were all experienced GPS and technology users. We could only surmise that Kapten assumes the user can see landmarks and signs to augment its minimal amount of verbal announcements. Without access to visual information in one's environment, Kapten is best used as an MP3 player and FM radio and not as a reliable GPS guidance product. ---Neil Barnfather TalkNav TalkNav is a Nuance Accessibility software reseller and authorized distributor of Wayfinder products, with product activation codes delivered direct to your mailbox, why not try TalkNav today? www.talknav.com www.wayfinderaccess.com Telephone from the UK: 0844 412 1062 Telephone outside the UK: +44 161 277 7997 -----Original Message----- From: talks-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:talks-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Matt Brown Sent: 26 September 2009 20:41 To: talks-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [talks-uk] Re: Any more news? Blindcooltech is a podcast service, www.blindcooltech.com. Matt -------------------------------------------------- From: "Eleanor Burke" <eleanorburke@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2009 8:27 PM To: <talks-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: [talks-uk] Re: FW: Re: FW: Re: Any more news...
I know someone in Ireland using it extensively for the past week. She is a guide dog owner. Maybe if you could give me info about blindtech or whatever she might write a review of it. Eleanor----- Original Message ----- From: "Matt Brown" <matthew_brown@xxxxxxx>To: <talks-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2009 6:46 PM Subject: [talks-uk] Re: FW: Re: FW: Re: Any more news...I don't think this will provide points of interest feedback, but perhaps it does, we'll have to wait for someone to post a blindness perspective review on blindcooltech or somewhere like that. Matt -------------------------------------------------- From: "Pauline Lawler" <paulinelawler14@xxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2009 6:26 PM To: <talks-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: [talks-uk] Re: FW: Re: FW: Re: Any more news...Here's a link for the Captain. Sounds promising. www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhlM5pdUBAM- ---- Original Message ----- From: "Matt Brown" <matthew_brown@xxxxxxx>To: <talks-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Friday, September 25, 2009 9:29 PM Subject: [talks-uk] Re: FW: Re: FW: Re: Any more news...Hi, if you have links to this software that so many of us are going out
and buying I'd sure apreciate them because I just Googled that and nada! Matt -------------------------------------------------- From: "Darren Harris" <darren_g_harris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Friday, September 25, 2009 8:39 PM To: <talks-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: [talks-uk] Re: FW: Re: FW: Re: Any more news...It can be used by blind people? Can you give me more information on this? -----Original Message----- From: talks-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:talks-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Eleanor Burke Sent: 25 September 2009 20:35 To: talks-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [talks-uk] Re: FW: Re: FW: Re: Any more news... Very well said. I now hear a lot of talk on another list about something called Kaptin, which is produced for sighted people but can be used by visually impaired. Now I wonder what will happen there too as it is cheaper than Wayfinder Access and I know many blind peole are going out and purchasing this even as I write!!! Eleanor----- Original Message ----- From: "DurDevil" <durdevil@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>To: "Talks-Uk Email group" <talks-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Friday, September 25, 2009 8:06 PM Subject: [talks-uk] FW: Re: FW: Re: Any more news... I'm not demanding it to come down massively and agree it is a brilliant product but i think that now they have done the breakthrough programming they could consider a reduction as it would result in a huge jump in sales. Of course there will be alot of people who expect it for free but they would not be the majority, this is a independence giving program so should be paid for and most people who own Talks or mobile speak would probably jump at owning it if it was priced more reasonably like Talks/mobilespebk/WFA and that has got to be a large amount of people around the world. also if they supported more phones sales would increase which would help offset the reduction in price (and it must work on more phones as text scout does, Even Steve said they are being too cautious), they have done all this excellent hard work making a amazing program but if its too far out of the reach of the majority who would most likely buy it then there is danger that someone else will beat them to the mass market which would be a real shame after all the work they have done. -original message- Subject: [talks-uk] Re: FW: Re: Any more news... From: "Barbara Wilson" <barkingbabs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Date: 25/09/2009 6:30 pm This is an old argument isn't it? Personally I would buy it if it were cheaper, but I am not demanding they bring the price down for many reasons, most of which have been reiterated on this list numerous times. It's a matter of judgement for each individual whether their use would justify the price. If you don't like the price, don't buy it. If you think you will get the use out of it, then save up or buy it on a credit card. And let's face it, even if the price were lowered many blind people would still not buy it as I am afraid many today still expect to be given things for free. Find me on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/barkingbabs Barbara Wilson M: 07917710779 T: 02887784046 E: barkingbabs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx IM: creativeeyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Skype: creativeeyes----- Original Message ----- From: "DurDevil" <durdevil@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>To: "Talks-Uk Email group" <talks-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Friday, September 25, 2009 6:26 PM Subject: [talks-uk] FW: Re: Any more news... The money has to be in mass sales - there are hundreds and thousands of visually impaired people and even people with other challenges making printed material inaccessable. But pricing it like it is limits it to people such as a business person who travels alot etc - that is not the big sales area for this surely? -original message- Subject: [talks-uk] Re: Any more news... From: "Saqib" <Saqib500@xxxxxxxxxxx> Date: 25/09/2009 6:07 pm Hi Neil. I can understand you thinking that K-Reader is well worth the price as you travel around alot independently and a tool of this nature is a great assistance to your daily tasks and needs. For me £300 would be the thresh hold before I would consider such a purchase. I'm constantly intouch with sighted people through out the day so I wouldn't be eager to pay the £650 for the product when there are a set of eyes around to borrow most parts of the day. Now I'm not suggesting for one minute that the price isn't right. I'm just making the point that everyone has their own evaluation on the product according to their circumstances. Someone else on this list may well be in a position where sighted help isn't always an option and they would gladly pay for the application. Perhaps I would if I was living alone. -------------------------------------------------- From: "Neil Barnfather - TalkNav" <talks@xxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Friday, September 25, 2009 5:47 PM To: <talks-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: [talks-uk] Re: Any more news...Darren, KNFB Mobile Reader is I'm afraid well worth the price, I don't want toget into a shouting match about this, but when you consider the cost of Kertzvil standard PC software and a scanner, verse that of a phone which can go with you anywhere and read odd shaped products it's well worth every penny. ---Neil Barnfather TalkNav TalkNav is a Nuance Accessibility software reseller and authorized distributor of Wayfinder products, with product activation codes delivered direct to your mailbox, why not try TalkNav today? www.talknav.com www.wayfinderaccess.com Telephone from the UK: 0844 412 1062 Telephone outside the UK: +44 161 277 7997 -----Original Message----- From: talks-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:talks-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Darren Harris Sent: 25 September 2009 16:17 To: talks-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [talks-uk] Re: Any more news... Lol with 3 letters gone are they going to reduce the price as well to make it worth buying? -----Original Message----- From: talks-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:talks-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jackie Cairns Sent: 25 September 2009 16:16 To: talks-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [talks-uk] Re: Any more news... Hi Neil K-Reader is now known officially as the software that used to be called K-NFB Reader, least that's my understanding. Jackie Cairns Braille Specialist Email: jackie.cairns@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Sight and Sound Technology Ltd Welton House North Wing Summerhouse Road Moulton Park Northampton NN3 6WD Tel: 01604 798024 Mob: 07887 883815 www.sightandsound.co.uk -----Original Message----- From: talks-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:talks-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Neil Barnfather - TalkNav Sent: 25 September 2009 14:07 To: talks-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [talks-uk] Re: Any more news... Jackie, Do you mean K Reader or KNFB Reader, they are two different products? ---Neil Barnfather TalkNav TalkNav is a Nuance Accessibility software reseller and authorized distributor of Wayfinder products, with product activation codes delivered direct to your mailbox, why not try TalkNav today? www.talknav.com www.wayfinderaccess.com Telephone from the UK: 0844 412 1062 Telephone outside the UK: +44 161 277 7997 -----Original Message----- From: talks-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:talks-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jackie Cairns Sent: 25 September 2009 13:39 To: talks-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [talks-uk] Re: Any more news... Hi Steve I now have the K-Reader on my N86, and will run it alongside my work N82 at the weekend for a comparison. I love the N86's chunky feel, and the buttons are so much more tactile all round than the N82. Often, customers struggle with the Talks/Menu button on the N82, and the soft key positions. They shouldn't experience the same issues with the N86 as the buttons are so nicely spaced out. I've tried the FM transmitter, and this works a treat if you keep the phone fairly close to the radio or system you are putting it through. I'm looking forward to spending more time with it and the N82 this weekend. Jackie Cairns Braille Specialist Email: jackie.cairns@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Sight and Sound Technology Ltd Welton House North Wing Summerhouse Road Moulton Park Northampton NN3 6WD Tel: 01604 798024 Mob: 07887 883815 www.sightandsound.co.uk -----Original Message----- From: talks-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:talks-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Steve Nutt Sent: 25 September 2009 11:48 To: talks-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [talks-uk] Re: Any more news... Hi Jackie, The processor is faster in the N86 than either phone, the camera is obviously better, and if you have tried KNFB Reader on it, you would see that it is miles faster than the N82. It is a little heavy in my view, but the butoons on it are just as nice as the N82, if not a bit wider. An all-round good phone, and the battery life is even better than the N82 in my experience. The N79 is pretty good, but it doesn't have the 8MP camera which helpsKNFB, and KNFB won't let you run it on the N79, I think they are just being paranoid and will have to do something soon, because TextScout is excellent on it. All the best Steve -----Original Message----- From: talks-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:talks-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jackie Cairns Sent: Friday 25 September 2009 11:45 To: talks-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [talks-uk] Re: Any more news... Hi Steve So you've got the N86? What do you love about it, and how do you think it compares to the N82 and N79? Really interested in what you have to say. Jackie Cairns Braille Specialist Email: jackie.cairns@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Sight and Sound Technology Ltd Welton House North Wing Summerhouse Road Moulton Park Northampton NN3 6WD Tel: 01604 798024 Mob: 07887 883815 www.sightandsound.co.uk -----Original Message----- From: talks-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:talks-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Steve Nutt Sent: 25 September 2009 11:20 To: talks-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [talks-uk] Re: Any more news... Hi Matt, No news yet. But I love my N86. All the best Steve -----Original Message----- From: talks-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:talks-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Matt Brown Sent: Friday 25 September 2009 11:08 To: talks-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [talks-uk] Any more news... Hi, is there any more news about N97 and Talks? I'm getting to a pointwhere I really have to make a decision, N86 or N97! I don't want to be lumbered with an N97 if speech is months and months away if it comes at all, but of the 2 handsets it has the feature set I'm looking for! Apart from the 8 MP camera the N86 doesn't look a whole lot more powerful than the N82 in reality, whereas the N97 is massivo! Matt __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 4169 (20090619) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com
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