Dear Andy, Joseph and all you Braille Listers, I want to state at the outset that I love my BrailleNote. Not only is it a marvelous piece of equipment but it has actually made my life livable since being wheelchair bound over a year and a half ago. A very good friend of almost 60 years, a fellow-wrestler, sent me the BrailleNote as a gift for which I will always be indebted and eternally grateful because I couldn't possibly have afforded it on a fixed income. What I can't believe or understand is Humanware's unforgivable decision in producing a wonderful computer with an unconscionable situation with the battery replacement. In my opinion this is the worst feature by far of the BrailleNote and Humanware has to be aware of this unfortunate problem and has chosen not to address it. I am certainly not a connoisseur of electronic equipment, I am definitely of piano tuning and rebuilding, performing and composing music, and wrestling, but not electronic equipment, however, I do know what a battery is, what it's supposed to do and how to replace it, but not on the BrailleNote!! Why!?, because Humanware has chosen to make it impossible for a blind user to accomplish this normally simple task with a penalty, to boot, if you try. I still can't believe that Humanware has the gall to charge such a steep price for a portable computer and then tack on other exorbitant expenses including the sending and receiving of the battery, the cost of the replacement which is certainly excessive, and, the expiable length of time before it is returned. I dread to think of the next time I am compelled to send my BrailleNote Classic to Humanware (updated to 6.11 build 26), because the last and only time I sent it in, about a year ago, there was only one problem with it but it was returned to me with two, an unfortunate occasion that has apparently occurred to quite a number of you people judging by what I've read on the List, (my "previous" thumb key still doesn't function at also). What really drove me to express my views on this subject was discovering that W. G. Micro has the changing-the-battery-yourself feature on their BrailleSense which infuriates me no end, the fact that I can't do a simple installation on a more expensive competitive P D A. Think about it: Wouldn't it be terrific to be able to finally change your battery in your cherished BrailleNote which you can already do in just about every piece of equipment you own whenever you need to without having to send it away or worry that it'll go flat? What a relief that would be. It is such an obvious and essential feature to have on our BrailleNote that I hesitate and am somewhat embarrassed as to the reason, my brain has dredged up, why Humanware has imposed this unnecessary burden on us. I'd better not continue on this "thread", a word much-used on the List. My hope is that Humanware will seriously consider putting "battery replacement" at the top of the "update" list, instead of those that some of us probably will never use anyway, and not at the bottom as it so wrongly has for years. However, as is usually the case my little voice in the wilderness will fall on deaf ears and we'll go on never to falter except when it's necessary to replace the BATTERY. Just remember, we can perform any task that the BrailleNote possesses but absolutely nothing, zero, without the BATTERY. That's important!, isn't it? Eugene Manfrini A K A Eugenio
___ Replies to this message will go directly to the sender. If your reply would be useful to the list, please send a copy to the list as well. To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To view the list archives or change your preferences, visit http://list.humanware.com/mailman/listinfo/braillenote
