Ottawa Canada Dear Miss Wings:
Sounds like you have an original BrailleNote, I'd call it an Original Classic. At some convenient time, telephone Humanware Customer Service at: 800 722-3393 and follow the prompts to reach customer service. Give them your unit's serial number, Windows CE version and KeySoft version and ask what the cost of upgrading it to say an Mpower BT 18 or if you could also upgrade the display to upgrade it to a Mpower BT or QT 32. Your unit is very aged and many of the features of KeySoft 7.5 like reading R. F. B. and D. books just won't work on it. Write down the prices or put them into a file on your BrailleNote and plead your case to your Vocational Rehab counselor or Tennessee Commission For The Blind counselor. You have a good, solid, BrailleNote, but it just doesn't have the capability of using the features of an Mpower Bt or QT 32. Yes, the unit with a brailler-style keyboard is a BT model and the 18 or 32 refers to the number of cells in the Braille display. The QT model has a typewriter-style keyboard. The Mpower has the following features at a glance: 18 or 32 cell Braille display, very quiet compared to the one you have now; One each of the following ports: 9-pin serial USB client SD CF PC/MCIA Two USB host ports One built-in FM stereo radio that uses the headphone cord as the antenna. Doesn't work worth a darn without a headset cord plugged into it, although the radio can be played over the unit's speaker even with headphones plugged in; 128 MB on-board non-volatile Flash RAM. If you run the unit's battery flat, you don't lose your files on the Flash disk. Can use a wired-in Ethernet or wireless WIFI B Internet connection. Has no parallel port. Built-in Blue Tooth and Infrared. Blue Tooth lets you say connect to a printer or Braille embosser with no physical cables to connect. Has a working range of about 30 feet. One-year limited manufacturer's parts and labor service depot warranty. An Mpower can read R. F. B. and D. Audio Plus books, and possibly the upcoming NLS digital talking books and magazines. Both these kinds of books require a User Authorization Key you get by contacting R. F. B. and D. or your local NLS library respectively. Nice Braille quick reference guide but the entire user guide is available on board the BrailleNote. Your version of Windows is elderly too. I forget if it is stable or not. Your Jaws is virtually antique! You should have not much trouble convincing your V. R. Counselor you require updates to your Jaws, operating system and probably your entire computer. The USB ports on the BrailleNote can use various USB devices, such as hard drives, USB Thumb Drives (also known as a USB Key), not sure about USB floppy drives and let you move files between your BrailleNote Mpower and PC. If you are a serious Braille user, you will find you live on the advance button for the display. A 32-cell display model will greatly speed your Braille reading. If you prefer typing on a typewriter-style keyboard rather than a Brailler-style keyboard, ask your counselor for a QT model instead of a BT model. Most people who know both kinds of keyboards well find they can type much faster on a QT keyboard. However, if you have any motor impairments in your fingers, hands wrists or arms, the BT keyboard may be better for you. Hope this helps and the best of luck in your college studies. We have great expectations of you, and trust we will see your name on the Dean's List. In general we're a friendly bunch on here, but the list can get busy and your college homework and course assignments should come first. Please provide us with your first name. Aliases and nicknames can cause confusion as to who is who on a list. Take care. Brian Brian K. Lingard email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype: ve3yiab2ji15 tel: +1 (613) 247-0665 New York NY Tel +1 (646) 797-2862 FAX +1 (613) 247-9998 -----Original Message----- From: MissWings [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, September 01, 2007 6:48 AM To: Brian Lingard; BrailleNote List Subject: Re: [Braillenote] RE: 2002 vintage BrailleNote BT 18 Hi Brian. My BrailleNote has the Braille writer style keyboard on it, and I think those are called BrailleNote BT. According to the information I get when I press an I chord from the main menu, the versions of software I have are KeySoft CE Version 4.01, build 1988, hardware revision e, at least I think it's an e. There's no number sign so I assume it's a letter. kernel version 3, dated November 18, 2002. The operating system is Windows CE version 2.12. Hope this helps. MissWings P.S. It doesn't have a card slot on the back, but the Pcmcia card slot on the side, as well as a nine pin serial port on the back and a parallel port, along with a modem jack. MissWings At 12:45 AM 9/1/2007, Brian Lingard wrote: >Ottawa Canada > >Dear Miss Wings and list: > >Welcome to the list. > >Try reading the information as to your unit's version of KeySoft and >Windows CE. > >Could be you are running Windows CE 2.2 and an aged version of KeySoft. > >Well if you have a Braille keyboard, you have a BT model and if it has >a typewriter-style keyboard, it is a QT model. > >Hope it meets your needs for reading your notes and such. > >Yes, there are still pc/mcia adapter shells available to put a CF card >into the pc/mcia card slot on the side of your unit. Radio Shack and >Circuit City sell them for often around $10 each. > >Your unit won't be able to use a wireless Internet card as your version >of KeySoft doesn't offer this feature. > >Not sure when your Braille display was last cleaned and inspected, but >if it has had a lot of use in its life, it is holding up amazingly well >for a machine that old. > >You probably have a CF card slot on the back of the unit, together with >both a serial and parallel port. > >You can get a price on what it would cost to upgrade your unit's >software, and also to transplant your display into an Mpower model from >Humanware customer service at: > >800 722-3393 in the USA and press 3 for customer service, I think >5 is for tech support then 1 for blindness products. > >As long as your unit works and meets your needs, that is the important >thing. > >I personally have a BrailleNote Mpower QT 32 with a 32-cell Braille >display, two USB host ports, one USB client port, one serial 9-pin >port, no parallel port, and a SD, CF and PC/Mcia card slot (one of >each) and I think 128 MB flash memory on board. > >The Mpower can use either a wireless Internet CF card or an Ethernet CF >card for Internet connectivity and of course has a built-in telephone >modem. > >You've got a good start in your BrailleNote Classic 18 and hopefully if >you save up, in time, you can upgrade it to a newer unit or at least >newer software. > >Take care. > >Brian >Brian K. Lingard >email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Skype: ve3yiab2ji15 >tel: +1 (613) 247-0665 >New York NY Tel +1 (646) 797-2862 >FAX +1 (613) 247-9998 > >No virus found in this outgoing message. >Checked by AVG Free Edition. >Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.13.1/981 - Release Date: >31/08/2007 6:13 AM > > > > >___ >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 > > > > >-- >No virus found in this incoming message. >Checked by AVG Free Edition. >Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.13.0/980 - Release Date: >8/30/2007 >6:05 PM -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.13.0/980 - Release Date: 8/30/2007 6:05 PM No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.13.1/981 - Release Date: 31/08/2007 6:13 AM No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.13.1/982 - Release Date: 31/08/2007 5:21 PM ___ 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
