Dear Kim, I honestly didn't see your message as "bashing" the BrailleNote, or Humanware. I was one who expounded on the issue of lock ups, simply because I perceived this to be a considerable concern of yours. I only meant to reassure you that it wasn't a strictly mPower issue, not to run the issue into the ground, and I apologize for the misunderstanding.
I believe the point most of us had when responding to you wasn't that the BN is the best thing since slice bread, but rather that a few post to this list created more alarm than was warranted. Yes, the BrailleNote has issues, all computer-related devices do, and yes, Humanware has stated that these issues are being looked into. I see this phenomenon on mailing lists all the time. For example, I am on the Book Port list, and, based on the posts of two beta-testers who reported slight bugs with the newest firmware, an individual posted that he wouldn't be buying a BookPort because it was unstable. This is absolutely not true. The same holds true for this list. People like to post their problems with their BrailleNotes, to see what HW has to say, and to see if any other users have experienced the same problems. This is all fine and good, until a new, unsuspecting person subscribes to the list, reads a few posts, and makes a snap decision that, not only is the BrailleNote a problem machine, but that the manufacturer is unconcerned with the feelings of the consumer and unresponsive to complaints. By the way, Kim, I am not saying this is what you did, just that it has happened and continues to happen. Having been on this list for almost two years, I can state that both are categorically not true. I am not so much leaping to the defense of HW--I think Jonathan did a fine job of that--but trying to shed more light on a somewhat murky situation. Because of upheavals such as this, I have started sending my questions about problems with my BN to Dean or Jonathan, mainly because I don't want some new poor soul to read my public post and assume the worst. I hope this clears things up, at least a little, and that you understand that not all of us here are BN zealots, we just want people to have more information than might be contained in the posts of the list members. Sarah ----- Original Message ----- From: Kim <[EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [email protected] Date: Wed, 2 Nov 2005 09:30:51 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Braillenote] re: some observations Hi everyone, It seems as though the motivation for posting my observations was badly misunderstood. I did not intend to start a Braille Note against every other notetaker or pc war, nor do I expect perfection in any device. I realize that all computers have the potential to lock up, and I know that any type of notetaker is not a replacement for a pc. I would not use it as such. Many people on this list are not happy at all, with any less than glowing observations that are offered about the Braille Note, becoming very defensive, and even daring anyone else to come up with a better solution as a notetaker. My intention was not to bash the Braille Note, in favour of another device. I simply wanted to share my thoughts, based on what the list had to say. Jonathan was the only person who was not stuck on the locking up issue, offering me his opinion on other aspects of my post. I hope that I have clarified my reasons for giving you my thoughts about the Braille note. Sincerely, Kim
