I'm getting a notetaker for college very soon, and this news
concerns me. Does the Sense also have good braille translation
and Word support (particularly Word 2007)? I can live without the
games--I don't have a problem running IF on a laptop. I may want
to switch over, but the problem is I've never used a Sense so I
do not know if it's a good plan. Any ideas?
----- Original Message -----
From: Sabahattin Gucukoglu <[email protected]
To: [email protected]
Date sent: Tue, 15 Mar 2011 09:17:08 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Re: [Braillenote] Sorry, but, for now, the bn is doomed
On 15 Mar 2011, at 01:14, Alex Hall wrote:
I just listened to the announcement by HIMS of the new features
for their Sense notetakers (firmware version 6, due out in a few
weeks). Here is why I think that, unless hw does some major
catch-up very quickly, the bn will not last as a viable
notetaker:
1. The Sense will now support both Google Talk and MSN. In
addition, Google Talk can be used not just for text, but for
sharing files and voice chatting.
2. The wordprocessor can be used to open unprotected PDF files,
which can be read and/or saved as text files for editing later.
3. There are now several games on the Sense. While they are
geared toward younger students, I can see them as a platform for
more games in the future, games that do not rely on typing full
commands and reading lengthy descriptions like the z-code games
do.
4. Here is the proverbial final nail: those interested may
contact HIMS about the SDK for the Sense products. That's right,
you heard me: want to write programs for the Sense notetakers?
Contact HIMS. No, I have no idea if it costs money, what you
get, or anything, but the point is that it can be done.
Due to the above, I am really having trouble finding reasons for
the Apex to remain, well, the Apex of the braille notetaking
world.
I concur with the general sentiment that the Apex isn't, but as
long as we have QT input, excellent braille translation
(including UK where I am), great hardware, terrific user
interface and company loyalty (whether or not created by strong
upgrade penalties in the wallet), we are ultimately at
HumanWare's mercy, and they know it. I should know better than
to have stuck with them all these years, hoping that one or other
of hardware upgrades or bugfix releases would put right all that
was wrong, but that's how it stands, and HumanWare isn't exactly
close to bankruptcy. Nor, I think, will they ever be - large
contracts, students, schools are held spellbound, unawares.
To the specifics of the feature list, I'll gladly take PDF
support and Google Talk's voicechat features, which I already
have on my PacMate through OctroTalk. Still, I do use KeyChat
and I'm a strong Interactive Fiction fan (although there's quite
a bit not to like about the Games application, it is at least
usable in the general case). Remember also, the Z-machine is
used mostly for Interactive Fiction, but there's nothing to stop
you from building any kind of text-based game with it; there's
even a basic interpreter written for it. And, yes, an SDK is
absolutely essential, and if Hims wins, well, perhaps HW will
have to look out for the vanishing trail as many users migrate
specifically for features developed by third parties. But not
just yet.
Cheers,
Sabahattin
___
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
