Hi, Yes, I'm playing on words here for humor... Since a hardware question came up (and as I'm the one who usually works on hardware stuff), I'll take this time to answer some frequently asked questions on BN hardware:
1. What is the processor speed on the BrailleNote? It depends on model to model. The classic uses MIPS R4000 at 100 MHz, PK uses some variant of ARM processor at around 400 MHz, mPower uses X-Scale PXA270 at 416 MHz and Apex uses Freescale i.MX31 at 532 MHz. 2. What is the RAM capacity on the BrailleNote? Again depends on model. Classic has 16 MB, PK has 40 (although it has 64 MB), mPower has 64 MB and Apex has 256 MB. 3. What is the flash disk storage capacity? Classic has 8 or 16 MB (depending on hardware version), PK has 16 MB, mPower has 128 MB and Apex has 8 GB. 4. Are all four models used for different purposes? Not exactly. The main BrailleNote family is Classic, mPower and Apex, with the PK being a different branding and hardware style. Although Classic and mPower may look similar, the internal components and back side allows easy distinction. PK was marketed for professionals on the move, mPower for mainstream users and Apex targets ease of reading and powerful potential under new specifications. In terms of basic features, all four models share common set of keySoft features. 5. What USB devices can be used on the BrailleNote? mPower and Apex has two or three USB host ports, respectively. Some of the devices that can be used are flash drives, some hard drives, card readers, CD-ROM drives (not confirmed), keyboards, a modem (Apex), wireless adapter (mPower) and for charging USB devices provided that the device in question supports charging via USB (a good example being a cell phone). 6. What Bluetooth services does the BrailleNote support? Except Classic, all models have internal Bluetooth transceiver. The support of a Bluetooth service depends on model. As of 2010, the following are supported services: Serial Port Profile (ActiveSync, GPS receiver, remote braille display/synthesizer mode), Dial-Up Networking (modem via cell phone tethering), printer (except PK), headset (apex only) and Human Interface (keyboard). 7. What wireless protocol does BrailleNote support? Depending on card type and model, BrailleNote supports IEEE 802.11A/B/G (G is supported on mPower and Apex) with security via WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) and WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) Personal (PSK) with TKIP (Temperal Key integrity Protocol) for security layer. 8. What storage cards does BrailleNote support? All models support CompactFlash (either directly or indirectly); in addition, Classic and mPower supports PC cards and mPower and Apex supports SD (Secure Digital) cards with an important distinction: SDHC (High Capacity) cards works only with Apex. I guess I'll ask Alex or other "geeks" to post frequently sought software questions later (if he wants to)... Cheers, Joseph ___ 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
