Hi Alex.
Thanks for the mountain of information you've provided over the
last 24 hours or so!
It's been sensational!
For those of us who are, too lazy, perhaps me! too busy!! haven't
the incredible astuteness and awareness, knowledge and expertise
of technology that you have thank you!!
Cheers.
Peter.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Alex Hall" <[email protected]
To: "Braillenote" <[email protected]
Date sent: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:31:17 -0500
Subject: [Braillenote] mPower to Apex comparison
Hi all,
FYI, here is a quick comparison between the mPower, 32 cell, and
the Apex.
Memory:
Apex has 8gb of internal storage, 64 times the capacity of the
128mb flash
disk in the mPower.
The keysoft system disk in the mPower is half the size of the one
in the
Apex.
RAM:
Apex has twice the ram; 128mb compared to 64mb.
Cards and Expansion:
The mPower has an SD slot, CF slot, and PCMCIA slot, whereas the
Apex has
just an SD/SDHC slot. This means that the Apex cannot accept CF
cards except
through a card reader. However, its huge flash disk renders many
cards
unnecessary.
Apex has 3 USB host ports, compared to the mPower's two, though I
do not yet
know about the power outputs of the Apex.
Braille:
The Apex comes witha 32 cell display, whereas the mPower can come
with a 32
or 18 cell display, or no display at all (the VoiceNote). There
is no 18
cell model of the Apex, likewise there is no VoiceNote version.
Speech:
As far as we know, both units run Keynote Gold or Eloquence, as
the mPower
has done since keysoft 7.0.
Wifi and Bluetooth:
The mPower has built in bluetooth (version 1.0) and supports the
use of type
B or type G wifi cards. The Apex has bluetooth 2.1 built in, as
well as B/G
wifi, eliminating the need for a wifi card (so the lack of a cf
slot is not
as big a problem since it is not needed for wifi).
Visual Display:
The Apex has built-in VGA, so you can plug it right into a
monitor or LCD
projector to show what you are doing. The mPower has this
option, but you
would need a compactflash/VGA adapter, of which I have only ever
found one,
and that was for $140.
Dial-up and Ethernet:
The Apex has no dial-up modem, though Humanware has indicated
that they will
have a USB dial-up modem available for purchase for those who
need dial-up.
The Apex does have built-in ethernet, once again eliminating the
need for a
compactflash adapter. The mPower does not have ethernet built in
(requiring
the adapter), but it does have a built-in dial-up modem.
Serial:
The Apex has done away with the serial port, relying on its mini
USB and
upgraded bluetooth instead. The mPower has built-in serial.
Software:
For now, both units have the same software features, even though
the latest
mPower upgrade is ks8.0 and the Apex will likely have ks8.1 or
9.0. Expect
an upgrade with new features sometime after the Apex is released.
Windows CE:
The Apex runs under Windows CE 6.0, compared to the mPower's CE
4.2. This
opens the door to many new features on the Apex, such as support
for Word
2007 or PDF documents. Such support is not present at the
moment, but the
platform is there, finally. The mPower, unless it is upgraded to
CE 6.0
(unlikely), cannot run such new features.
Screen Reader Supplementing:
The Apex has the usual Braille Terminal mode, which is finally
supported
through the mini USB port. It lacks the remote synthesizer
option found in
the mPower, though the mPower does not support remote synthesizer
or
terminal over USB.
Infrared:
The mPower has a built-in infra-red port, the Apex does not seem
to. This is
not a big loss for most people, but it may be for some. Keep in
mind that
the enhanced bluetooth and USB support should help to offset this
loss.
Size:
The Apex is as wide and almost as deep as the mPower (9.8x5.5),
but it is
only .78 inches tall, compared to the mPower's height of 1.2
inches.
Status Lights:
The mPower has nothing in the way of lights for indicators. The
Apex has 3:
a light for bluetooth, one for wifi, and one for charging/battery
status.
Scroll Wheel:
In addition to the usual keyboard (braille or qwerty), the Apex
includes a
"Scroll Wheel". Not much is known about this, except that it
allows for
faster navigation through documents and lists. The Wheel may not
be offered
on QT models, only BT.
Audio:
Both units include an internal microphone, a microphone jack,
speakers, and
a stereo headphone jack. The Apex, though, has two built-in
speakers,
compared to the mPower's mono speaker. The Apex's speakers are
just below
the backspace and enter keys on a bt (I am not sure where they
are on the
QT) and are about 2x3 centimeters (this according to Maurice
Slone). It is
not yet clear if the Apex's microphone jack is mono, like the one
on the
mPower, or stereo, but we know that both units' internal
microphones are
mono. The Apex will support the use of bluetooth audio devices,
whereas the
mPower cannot do this.
I think that is all I have for now. If you have questions or
find an
inaccuracy, let me know!
Have a great day,
Alex
New email address: [email protected]
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