Hi Jonathan, Congratulations on the release of the Braillenote and Voicenote mPower. I am very excited about the release of these new products, and I am already very much wanting to purchase a Voicenote mPower in the not-too-distant future. Audio streaming, greater Internet access, the faster processor and the digital support all sound very exciting to me, not to mention a vast improvement in the ability to download email <Grin Thanks so much for providing us with information about this new product line. Cheers, David
> ----- Original Message ----- >From: "Jonathan Mosen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED] >To: <[email protected]>, <[email protected] >Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2005 09:06:49 +1200 >Subject: [Braillenote] HumanWare Announces BrailleNote mPower >HUMANWARE ANNOUNCES BRAILLENOTE MPOWOWER, THE NEXT GENERATION INFORMATION >MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR THE BLIND >HumanWare, the world leader in information technology for the blind and >visually impaired, is proud to announce BrailleNote mPower and VoiceNote >mPower, the next generation of the BrailleNote family of products. >Shipping immediately, BrailleNote mPower is available in 18 and 32 cell >versions, with Braille or QWERTY keyboards. VoiceNote mPower is also >available with a Braille or QWERTY keyboard. With state-of-the-art >connectivity, BrailleNote mPower provides the functionality and ease of use >required by today's blind students, professionals, and anyone who needs to >access information anywhere with efficiency. >Key new features include: >* expanded on-board storage >* USB host and client >* great quality stereo sound >* streaming media >* audio recorder >* built-in Bluetooth >* and a fast Intel X-scale processor. >Expanded On board Storage. The previous generation of BrailleNote offered >16 megabytes of user storage by default, expandable to 48 MB. BrailleNote >mPower allows you to take more information and entertainment with you >without even needing a storage card, thanks to its 128 MB flash disk. >Because your data is precious, our disk on chip technology means that your >data is preserved, even if the battery goes completely flat. >SD Card Support. >Secure Digital cards are becoming increasingly popular, and BrailleNote >mPower is the first information management tool for the blind to offer >built-in support for them. About the size of a postage stamp, these tiny >cards can store up to a couple of gigabytes of information. SD cards are >ideal for taking your media on the go. With the SD card slot, compact flash >slot, and PCMCIA slot, BrailleNote mPower offers you the ability easily to >carry well over 10 gigabytes of storage on cards alone. >USB. BrailleNote mPower features two USB host ports. Connect printers, >embossers, keyboards and storage media to BrailleNote mPower for maximum >power and convenience. A separate minnie USB client port makes connecting >to your PC with Microsoft ActiveSync a snap. >Great Quality Stereo Audio. How does this sound? If you're an audiofile, >you'll love the clean, high quality stereo audio you get when you connect a >set of headphones to BrailleNote mPower. Whether it's mp3, Windows Media or >wave files, on your flash disk, across a network or over the web, >BrailleNote mPower provides a superior listening experience. >Streaming Media. Listen to the world! BrailleNote mPower offers you access >to thousands of Internet radio stations with its enhanced Media Player. Its >support for mp3 and Windows Media streaming means you can listen to Internet >radio anywhere you have an Internet connection. The new "create favourite >from link" feature in KeyWeb makes it easy for you to quickly assemble a >collection of your favourite Internet radio stations, and surf between them. >Braille-note mPower's streaming media capability includes full support for >ACB Radio. >The new Media Player not only allows you to adjust the volume of the media >separately from the speech anywhere in KeySoft, but you can also pause and >resume the playing of audio anywhere, without the need to switch back into >the Media Player application. >Audio Recording. Use the microphone built into BrailleNote mPower, or the >external microphone of your choice, to record voice memos. You have full >control over the quality of your recordings, and the ability to set your >recording levels from within the Media Centre. Just press the handy record >button on the side of BrailleNote mPower, and the virtual tape is rolling. >Replay your last recording from anywhere in KeySoft with a single key press. >It's ideal for recording a phone number or appointment and then easily >playing it back later when you need to enter the data into KeySoft. >Built-in Bluetooth. Use a printer, a cell phone as a modem, an external >keyboard and more with our completely integrated Bluetooth technology. No >need to consume a valuable card slot for this important feature, Bluetooth >is with you wherever you go. >Fast Intel X-scale processor. With the fast processor in BrailleNote >mPower, documents load faster, BrailleNote GPS routes are plotted quicker, >and performance all round is snappy. >BrailleNote mPower includes an updated version of HumanWare's award-winning >KeySoft suite of applications, now at version 6.2. >Quick Summary of connectivity. BrailleNote mPower includes: SD card slot, >two USB host ports, one USB client port, serial port, infra-red port, >compact flash slot, external microphone jack, headphone jack, PCMCIA slot, >56k dial-up modem, Bluetooth transceiver. Wireless and Ethernet are >supported through optional cards sold separately. >BrailleNote mPower and VoiceNote mPower will be available for hands-on >demonstrations at the national conventions of the American Council of the >Blind, and the National Federation of the Blind during the first week of >July. It will also be demonstrated at Sight Village in the UK in mid-July. >Frequently Asked Questions. >Q. Does BrailleNote mPower replace any existing products? A. Yes, >BrailleNote mPower replaces the BrailleNote BT, BrailleNote QT, VoiceNote >BT, and VoiceNote QT. BrailleNote PK continues to be sold and developed as >our ultra-portable solution. >Q. I just purchased one of the products BrailleNote mPower replaces. Can >you do anything for me? A. Yes. Products will be updated occasionally, and >sadly, there will always be those who purchase just before this happens. >However, your existing product is not obsolete (see the next question). If >you've purchased one of the older products in the last three months, IE on >or after 1 April 2005, we have a very competitive upgrade package for you. >Contact HumanWare for details. >Q. So does this mean that if I want new versions of KeySoft, I have to buy >BrailleNote mPower? A. Not at all. We're sure you'll like BrailleNote >mPower. It's hardware means that there's so much more we can offer you with >this product. However, KeySoft will be updated for the existing product for >the foreseeable future. Because of hardware limitations however, we cannot >offer all features of new KeySoft versions on the older product. >Q. Is there anything special you can do for existing BrailleNote users who >want a BrailleNote mPower? A. There certainly is. The HumanWare way is to >make sure you have a clear upgrade path to keep your technology current. >BrailleNote mPower is a brand new product. However, there is one important >part of your existing BrailleNote we can use, your Braille display. We will >be offering a Braille display transplant service. Send us your old >BrailleNote, and we'll take the Braille display out of it and transplant it >into a brand spanking new BrailleNote mPower. This service will be >available from 1 October 2005. We will offer further details, including >pricing, shortly. >Q. If I get my Braille display transplanted into a BrailleNote mPower, what >about my SMA? A. Your SMA will carry over, so you will be entitled to >KeySoft for BrailleNote mPower. >Q. I note that there is no parallel port on BrailleNote mPower, but I have a >parallel printer that works with my existing BrailleNote. What can I do? A. >You can purchase a USB to parallel converter, which will allow you to use >printers and embossers that require a parallel port. >Q. I'm curious, what does the m in mPower stand for? A. Mobile. >BrailleNote mPower gives you true mobile power. But obviously, it is a tool >that is empowering blind people to succeed in all walks of life. >For more information on BrailleNote or VoiceNote mPower, shipping >immediately, please contact your nearest HumanWare office or visit us on the >web at http://www.humanware.com. >___ >To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank message to >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >To view the list archives or change your preferences, visit >http://list.pulsedata.com/mailman/listinfo/braillenote
