I am in San Clemente, in the republic of Southern California. I have a sleeping disorder and sleep only two or three hours a day. And since I am totally blind, my body clock is out of whack as well. So that is why my replies are at odd hours. I recognize that there are problems with voice recognition. Some equipment I have work quite well with voice recognition while some other equipment is as good as speaking a foreign language to a deaf mute. Still, I feel voice recognition for GPS is not that far off. Not only for my purpose but for drivers as well. No one wants to program a GPS while driving.
-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Dale Leavens Sent: Saturday, January 05, 2008 7:27 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Bulk] Re: [Bulk] Re: [BlindHandyMan] Wayfinder update link Jim, Out of curiosity, where are you located? I see that my message to you is stamped 6:32 a.m. It left here more like 9:32 a.m. I am not so sure that voice recognition is quite ready. I have my house phone number as "home" but my phone recognizes it about half of the time. I feel somewhat silly arguing with my damn phone in the Hospital parking lot as I leave work. It can be quicker to punch the stick a couple of times to get the number and dial it up. I am pretty sure WayFinder can do what I want and I am pleased about the small size. As it is I carry a computer bag with my notebook in it, a spare battery and power supply, usually some paperwork in the folder compartment, keys and sundry other things in the front pocket, already my mobile phone pouch is slung from the shoulder strap. My coat pockets are full of mitts and a ski band to protect my ears from the cold and a tissue or two to wipe away the dripping nose. There is a wallet and check book in the inside pocket and when not in use my cane has to go somewhere. The computer bag already weighs just around 15 pounds The Holux 240 GPS receiver truly is about the size of a match box or zippo lighter for those used to such smokers paraphernalia, very manageable. When traveling or on vacation I usually carry what I call my purse, a small bag suitable to carry my cane, passport, tickets and such, somehow it always seems to fill up. It is the portability and multi-use of the phone platform I like.If I am organized enough I can copy talking books and magazines onto memory cards which take up all most no room and slip into the phone and don't require additional equipment and less power supplies and chargers to carry around. What is wanted now is concurrent applications so I can monitor a bus trip for example while listening to a talking book. I think I will have to investigate bluetooth hearing of some sort. I don't think I want something in my ear but I probably need something stuck in the collar of my parka or something so I don't have to have the phone out in the open in the winter. Even if I can keep it in my left mitt where I can manipulate the menu buttons and joy stick that might be better. My best mitts are sheepskin lined with the fleece but telephone sound doesn't escape from that well unless the volume is really high. So, if anyone has experience of bluetooth listening without oblitterating environmental listening I would be very interested to hear about it. Thanks. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:DLeavens%40puc.net> Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. ----- Original Message ----- From: tunecollector To: [email protected] <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com> Sent: Saturday, January 05, 2008 9:48 AM Subject: RE: [Bulk] Re: [BlindHandyMan] Wayfinder update link Thanks Dale for this info. I am still sitting on the fence on whether to get Wayfinder or Trekker. At this time, neither has convinced that it is the solution. I guess I am waiting for a GPS that operates by coice recognition. Somehow, I think keying in the info is too cumbersome. Jim -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com> [mailto:[email protected] <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com> ] On Behalf Of Dale Leavens Sent: Saturday, January 05, 2008 6:32 AM To: [email protected] <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com> Subject: [Bulk] Re: [BlindHandyMan] Wayfinder update link Hi, Sorry I just can't remember your actual name just now. I bought WayFinder Access just before Christmas. Yesterday I figured out how to properly input a destination and I had it walk me to work and home again. While it knew the technical address for the hospital and even the new corporate name but the street address is a large area and WayFinder seemed to want to take me to the location of the old hospital several hundred yards distant. Further, it wants to take me on a zig-zag route and not the more direct one. Walking back from work it wants to take me a similar route. So far though it seems to be pretty accurate. The initial estimated distance seems to me to be a little short. When I first turn onto 6th street it tells me two hundred metres to my final turn. About two hundred metres later it again informs me of 200 metres to my next turn then reminds me at about a hundred metres, 50 metres, 25 metres then pretty well right on the intersection it tells me to turn here. It told me I had reached my destination about 3 metres short of my driveway, pretty good really. So far I haven't figured out how to lay down my own route and I would like to be able to lay down a preferred route in advance of a trip. I have a message into their assistance but so far no response. I find the documentation to be weak. There is a lot of general detail about what you can do but a little soft on just how to do it. I assume I can add points of interest or give names to addresses, the name of my hardware store or barber shop instead of a street address or to replace the names of businesses which have disappeared. The other thing is the cost of operation. While in Europe where GPRS is widely available and there are several operators offering it, here only Rogers/Fido have wide digital coverage and they charge a lot for packet data service. It is generally a bit better in the United States. This is one reason why Apple isn't releasing their IPhone here, another reason is that there is already a Canadian company with rights to the term IPhone for an IP phone device. I don't yet fully understand but it seems that WayFinder goes to the network to calculate a route every time and if you deviate off of the route it also goes back to the network to recalculate. I don't know why that can't be saved on the phone these new phones can hold GIGs of memory on card. Maybe it can, there is absolutely no reference to it in any of the documentation I have so far been able to access. I haven't yet really calculated the costings I think it was a bit over two bucks on my walk to work yesterday about a 15 minute walk. So far another problem is keying in an address. You have to turn on the GPS receiver first and make that connection when you open WayFinder. Then you can enter the address but the GPS receiver won't usually acquire satellite signal until you are outdoors when you can then initiate the find and route instructions. We haven't had 40 below yet but even at 20 below or warmer with a wind you don't want to be trying to thumb in any addresses. The receiver and the phone both seem to work fairly well in the breast pocket of my parka though. I haven't discovered though if there is a way to get the phone to repeat an instruction if you miss it for any reason. I'll try to keep you informed as I become more capable with the unit. I did try to subscribe to the WayFinder e-mail list but did not succeed, I'll try to find that link again, probably other users will be more helpful. If anyone has that subscription information I would be pleased to have it. Thanks. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:DLeavens%40puc.net> <mailto:DLeavens%40puc.net> Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. ----- Original Message ----- From: tunecollector To: [email protected] <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com> <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com> Sent: Friday, January 04, 2008 2:48 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Wayfinder update link The link below is to the Wayfinder site with an update on its package and pricing. http://www.wayfinder.com/?id=3784 <http://www.wayfinder.com/?id=3784> <http://www.wayfinder.com/?id=3784 <http://www.wayfinder.com/?id=3784> > <http://www.wayfinder.com/?id=3784&lang=en-US <http://www.wayfinder.com/?id=3784&lang=en-US> <http://www.wayfinder.com/?id=3784&lang=en-US <http://www.wayfinder.com/?id=3784&lang=en-US> > > &lang=en-US [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
