Thanks for this post, I am a very strong believe in open-source and I bet even if its not very open there will be a group of blind folks that could take the kernel and a stock android and make a open-source verison.
God Bless, Christopher On Sun, Sep 12, 2010 at 6:01 PM, Alex Hall <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi all, > http://braillewizard.org > (You may have trouble opening that for a bit; I think their site is > down for now.) > I just saw this article via Twitter. Basically, a group is building a > braille pda (20 cells, braille keyboard) called the Braille Wizard. > However, a few very cool things make this device, set to launch > sometime next year, quite different from the offerings currently out > there: > 1. It runs Android, the same Android powering many phones. It is not > clear if the Wizard will run stock Android or a customized version, > and so I am not sure if it will accept any Android app or if it > requires specialized apps. Either way it sounds like it will be more > open than current notetakers, though that may not be the case if only > custom apps are accepted. > 2. It has 32gb of onboard flash storage, four times the highest > currently available (8gb on the BrailleNote Apex and Braille Sense > Plus). > 3. It has a built-in compass, gps receiver, and accelerometer. > 4. It has bluetooth and wifi, but also has a cellular radio (type > unspecified) so that you can sign a contract with a carrier supporting > the Wizard's cell radio type and be online anywhere. > > The article did not specify the size, except to say that it is the > size of half a sheet of paper and less than an inch thick. It will > have two usb ports, though it was not clear if those would support > storage devices, printers, keyboards, and other usb devices. Nothing > was mentioned about the processor, ram, wifi type, bluetooth version, > braille display manufacturer, or other technical specs. > > No price was mentioned, but the article made it sound like this device > would be offered at a relative cheap price. Remember that we are > talking about 20 cells of refreshable braille; a 12-cell Braille > Connect display is $2,000, and that is just a display and a mini > keyboard. > > I bring this up as a point of interest only. If it turns out that the > Wizard runs standard Android, it will be little different from the Pac > Mate in that, while you can run anything for the operating system, > accessibility is still hit-or-miss. Notetakers like the bn or bs > families, which are specialized for blind users from the ground up and > not just an accessible UI on top of a commercial base, are still the > preferred option for many people. It is true that devices like the > iPod, perhaps with a Braille Connect or other small display, may be > pushing out specialized notetakers, but I do not think we will see > that for some years. In the meantime, watch for the Wizard sometime > next year. If I find out more I will let you know. > > -- > Have a great day, > Alex (msg sent from GMail website) > [email protected]; http://www.facebook.com/mehgcap > > ___ > 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 > > ___ 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
