"Seems to be", as you said, is really all we have to go on. It does have a
lot of wonderful-sounding features, but none of us (except perhaps for some
beta testers that may be on the list) have actually seen one. I'm sure
there will be bugs that will have to be worked out, but it sounds like
Humanware has been listening to people's feedback, like they said they
would.
I wonder if the Apexes are being shipped from Canada, and if there will be a
huge backlog of shipping like there was for the BrailleNotes. I know
shipping starts December 1. I wonder if they have a bunch of units ready to
ship, or if they'll build them as people order them, or just how it will
work. And in the event that Humanware calls me from Canada and recommends
an upgrade instead of the battery change and servicing I originally sent my
unit in for, I wonder if they'd transfer my stuff from my mPower to an Apex,
or would I have to work from a backup. Hmmmm, so many things to wonder
about as I ponder this new product and what we're hearing about it.
Peggy
http://kernsac.livejournal.com
http://facebook.com/kernsac
----- Original Message -----
From: "Alex Hall" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 4:06 PM
Subject: [Braillenote] concerns about Apex, and their responses
Hi all,
Below I will summarize concerns about the Apex and possible solutions, if
possible. Hopefully this will explain some things about the Apex that
people may be wondering about.
1. Lack of Compactflash card support
First of all, remember that the Apex has three USB ports, not two like the
mPower has. Therefore, you can use a card reader in one port and still
have two free. It is a hassle to carry a reader, but it is a solution.
Next, keep in mind that the Apex has 8gb of storage on its flash disk, so
even if you have a 4 or 8gb cf card, you can move the entire thing onto
your flash disk and not have to worry about the card at all.
2. Backups
It is important to think about backing up your flash disk. The mPower has
just 120mb of storage to worry about, so you can fit several backups on a
small card. The Apex has 8gb to back up, so you must use a much larger
capacity card or thumb drive for backups.
3. Wifi cards
Keep in mind that, if you have a wifi card with your mPower, you will not
need it with an Apex. You can hold onto it, but we are not sure if the
Apex will include the drivers for such cards. Likewise for the
compactflash VGA adapter, if anyone happens to have one; the Apex has
built-in VGA, so that adapter is no longer required.
4. Bluetooth Audio
Remember that the Apex will support bluetooth headsets and speakers, so
you do not need special ones like the bluetooth headsets with audio
bluetooth dongles. Also, the Apex supports two bluetooth connections at
once, so you can use your bluetooth gps receiver and your bluetooth audio
at the same time.
5. Dial-up, serial, and Infra-red
There is no longer a built-in dial-up modem in the Apex, so you must
purchase a usb modem if you need dial-up access. It is the same with
infra-red: there does not seem to be an infra-red port in the Apex, so if
you rely on this for anything (internet through a phone, ActiveSync, and
so on) you will need to switch to a new connection, such as bluetooth or
USB. Finally, it is the same case with the serial port; there is no
longer one, so it would be a good idea to switch to bluetooth or USB.
6. Lack of Options
If you buy an mPower, you are only offered two choices: bt32, or qt32.
There is no VoiceNote option, and no 18-cell option.
All these are just possible issues you may run into when upgrading from an
mPower to an Apex. I have not said much in the way of good points since
(A) that is not the purpose of this email and (B) I would go on and on
about how great the Apex seems to be.
Have a great day,
Alex
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