dear list member. i found this useful info. i believe these could be brought to india and only way finder access is not the solution. in this world of technology newer and newer things come and go.
Accessible GPS Comparison by Mike May Since, as the saying goes, "Not one size fits all", it is good that there are 7 accessible GPS systems now available to blind and visually impaired people. Sendero Group has established itself as the Rolls Royce of accessible GPS since its first product release in 2000. Mike May, Charles LaPierre, the Sendero team and its partners, have expanded Sendero GPS to three platforms. It is no longer a question _if a blind person should have GPS but a question of _which GPS to have. A primary consideration is the type of user interface, both for input and output. Is a keypad, Braille keyboard or QWERTY keyboard best. All the units have speech output and some can also have a Braille display. A Braille display increases the price considerably. What other applications does the user want besides GPS and does he or she already have an accessible PDA? If so, there is just one GPS for each of the PDAs and that makes the decision simple both in terms of convenience and affordability. The following bullets are meant to represent the distinguishing factors between products. There are certainly many benefits of each of the products not mentioned here. Other comparisons and product flyers are available to learn about all the features. These are some distinguishing highlights. Questions to ask yourself when evaluating the various accessible GPS products: Self, what keyboard do I prefer or can I get used to? 1. The QWERTY options are: VoiceNote QT or BrailleNote QT 2. The Braille keyboard options are: Voice Sense, Braille Sense, VoiceNote mPower BT, BrailleNote mPower BT and BrailleNote PK Self, would a Braille display be valuable to me and can I afford the additional cost? The options for a Braille display are: BrailleNote BT or QT and Braille Sense. Although an outboard display can be added to a mobile phone or Voice Sense, this defeats the purpose of a small portable device and is not recommended. Self, portability is important. What are the devices from smallest to largest and what are their distinguishing features? 1. Mobile Geo on a Windows Smart phone with keypad interface, (powered by Sendero GPS. 15 million points of interest, the smallest GPS device and completely self contained. Since you have the phone anyway, adding the GPS software adds no size, only cost to the equation. No monthly fees for the GPS. Geo has the full power of Sendero's comprehensive software with LookAround capabilities. It is the only GPS with vibration alerts in addition to speech output. 2. Wayfinder Access on a mobile phone with keypad interface. This is also small and self contained on a Symbian phone, mostly made by Nokia. The software however is not nearly as full featured nor automatic as Geo and there are fewer points of interest. Monthly data access fees apply. It has a visual map display and fast route calculation. 3. Trekker Breeze is a self contained easy to use unit with 9 keys. It does not provide automatic routing to commercial points of interest nor to specific addresses. All routes must be recorded manually by walking or driving the route and then retracing it. Under 2 million points of interest in North America. Uses a Sirf 3 GPS receiver. 1.1 pounds. 4. Voice Sense with Sense Navigation (powered by Sendero GPS) has a Braille style keyboard and speech output with a separate high sensitivity GPS receiver. 15 million points of interest in North America. It weighs only 0.7 pounds. 5. BrailleNote PK 1.1 pounds, has an 18 character Braille display and speech output and a Braille style keyboard. It runs the comprehensive Sendero GPS software and uses a separate high sensitivity GPS receiver. 15 million points of interest in North America. Definitely the smallest unit having a Braille display. 6. Trekker 3.0 is a two piece 1.7 pound unit with a 33 key user interface. Its software covers most GPS functions. It has less than 2 million points of interest in North America. 7. VoiceNote QT or BT with the comprehensive Sendero GPS software, maps and 15 million points of interest in North America. Weighs 2.8 pounds. 8. Braille Sense with Sense Navigation (powered by Sendero GPS, 15 million points of interest), weighs 2.4 pounds. 32 cell Braille display. 9. BrailleNote mPower BT or QT running the comprehensive Sendero GPS software with maps and 15 million points in North America. 32-cell Weighs 3.1 pounds. Comes with 18 or 32 cell displays. StreetTalk VIP for the Pac Mate from Freedom Scientific is slated to be available mid 2009. LoadStone is a free GPS program for Symbian phones. It does not have street maps, only points of interest but the price is right. The price equation depends on whether or not you already have or can benefit from an accessible PDA like the BrailleNote or Braille Sense products. Here are the accessible GPS list prices not including the PDA starting with the least expensive. Trekker Breeze, $895 Wayfinder Access, $1135 assuming $15 per month for data over 36 months. Includes a screen reader and GPS receiver but not the phone. Mobile Geo, $1250, includes a screen reader and GPS receiver but not a phone. Sendero GPS, $1595. BrailleNote or VoiceNote separate. Sense Navigation, $1595. Requires a Braille Sense or Voice Sense Trekker 3.0, $1695. Does not include the Maestro PDA To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
