Dear list,
The Notetaker Comparison sheet which Michele
sent was mostly correct, but there are some
things which are incorrect and which some of
them are missing.
Before we get into that, there are some
precautions:
* Richard's print is valid. The original
specs will not tell you everything. It is
meant to be a Braille Sense's point of view
on BrailleNote and PAC Mate.
* Due to concerns, may I request that if you
are replying to this message, PLEASE DO IT
OFF LIST PRIVATELY!! Thanks for your
considerations.
Now, onto the text:
Few notes to consider:
1. Contrary to the sheet, the Record button
is actually enabled by default.
2. Also contrarry to the sheet, PAC Mate has
MSN Messenger built in.
3. Actually, PAC Mate has its own DAISY
reader that can be downloaded from Freedom
Scientific's website. You must purchase the
full version.
4. They did not mention that in fact HIMS is
planning on releasing an SDK for Braille
Sense. This means that Braille Sense and PAC
Mate can run 3rd party programs, whereas
BrailleNote cannot (Braille Sense can run
programs which are written with its own
dedicated SDK.)
5. Also, PAC Mate's USB port is not Mini B
connector. Rather, it is Mini AB connector.
It is called USB ON-THEG (OTG; where
depending on which cord is connected, a
device can act as a host or a client device).
A detailed specs in terms of operating
system, processor and other things can be
found below:
Braille Sense;
BrailleNote BT32;
PAC Mate BX440
Processor:
Intel X-Scale PXA255
Intel X-Scale PXA272
Intel X-Scale 400 MHz (possibly PXA255)
Processor speed:
400 MHz
416 MHz
400 MHz
Operating System:
WindowsCE.net(Windows CE 4.1 to be exact)
Windows CE 4.2
Windows Mobile 2003 (powered by Windows CE
4.2)
Modular upgrade and/or braille display
upgrade:
No
Yes *
Yes *2
* You can upgrade from 18 cell to 32 cell.
*2 PAC Mate can use either 20 or 40 cell
display with its base unit.
QWERTY keyboard version availible:
No
Yes
Yes
Voice engine used:
Eloquence
KeyNote Gold and Eloquence
Eloquence
Visual display output:
Yes with built-in screen
Yes with a CF VGA card or via serial,
Bluetooth or InfraRed
Yes; either through ActiveSync Remote Display
Control or via CF VGA card
Upgrade method:
Via CF card or online (where the upgrade file
is downloaded and executed automatically)
Via SD card (the card must be between 64 and
512 MB in size)
Via CF card
Operating System upgradability:
Yes
Yes
Yes *
* requires new hardware since existing
hardware cannot support Windows CE 5.0
technology
Braille navigation control:
Yes with the arrows on either side of the
display (these are called scroll buttons)
Yes with the front thumb keys
Yes with the NAV row buttons
FM Radio:
No
Yes
No
Function keys for quick execution of certain
commands:
Yes (it is located to the either side of the
spacebar. there are four of them)
No *
Yes (the eight function keys are just above
the braille keyboard)
* instead, it has task switching shortcut
keys.
One-handed Mode:
No
Yes
Yes
Battery type:
Lithium Ion (replaceable; that is, it can be
replaced by end user)
Lithium Ion
Lithium Polymer
IMAPBLED (Internet Mail Access Protocol)
email account support:
No
No
Yes
Dedicated cursor cross for arrow simulation:
No
No
Yes
Ability to use a group of keys to quickly
move by line, sentence, or paragraph:
No
Yes using previous and next thumb keys
Yes with whiz wheels
These are the detailed specs that the
comparison has failed to mention. And these
are the specs that I know of.
Cheers,
Joseph
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