I would say that it does make sense except that HIMS has managed to stay in the game, even putting out the first braille notetaker with integrated compass and gps receiver, all while offering free upgrades. Their notetakers also cost less, at least the last time I checked they did. When you charge more for the hardware, then charge $200 per upgrade (and you can't skip upgrades either), I fail to see the justification if another company can offer more features for free.
On 7/28/11, Chris Nusbaum <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Alex, > > I agree with you! Now, if you talked to an HW exec, like Jiles > Pepin or any of those people, they'd probably justify their > unreasonable charges this way, which, in perspective, I > understand: it's the economic rule of supply and demand. If > there is less supply and more demand, the prices will go down. > If there's more supply and less demand, then the prices will go > down. The blind market (as many companies call it) is a very > small market, because blind people are in the minority of the > population, both in the US and throughout the world. There must > also be special accomodations made for this market to buy a > technological product. So, the companies have to make their > money somehow, and it's, as one of my friends puts it, "a small > blind world." Plus, as mainstream technology has become more > accessible through screen readers, refreshable Braille displays > that sync to a computer or smartphone, among other things, the > demand for a specialized notetaker has gone down in the small > blind market that's out there (in other words, the small has > gotten smaller,) so the price needs to go up on the upgrades and > accessories. I'm not saying I agree with HW's charges, but I > think it can be justified. Does this make any sense? > > Chris > > "A loss of sight, never a loss of vision!" (Camp Abilities motto) > > The I C.A.N. Foundation helps visually impaired youth in > Maryland have the ability to confidently say "I can!" How? Click > on this link to learn more and to contribute: > www.icanfoundation.info or like us on Facebook at I C.A.N. > Foundation. > > > > Sent from my BrailleNote > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Alex Hall <[email protected] > To: Sabahattin > Gucukoglu<[email protected] > Date sent: Wed, 27 Jul 2011 12:03:10 -0400 > Subject: Re: [Braillenote] Yes, But ... > > I agree. The only way Humanware can save the bn family is to do > three things: > > 1. Stop charging $200 per upgrade. I could almost buy an entire > iPod > for one upgrade, and an iPad for three. When an entire OS > (Microsoft > Windows) does not cost that much, and when Mac upgrades are $30, > I > fail to see how a $200 upgrade can be justified? The newer > upgrades > don't even offer significant features that users have been asking > for, > and the free upgrade for the apex that was supposed to deliver > Word > 2007 compatibility failed to do so. Yes, I am glad to be able to > open > documents with complex formatting, but this upgrade was supposed > to > support Word 2007 and it does not. I just hope that said support > does > not arrive in the next paid upgrade, since Humanware stated that > 2007 > support would be free. > > 2. Offer a FREE SDK. HIMS offers their sdk for the Sense line > for > free, meaning that anyone who writes a program for the Sense does > not > have to charge much, if anything, for it to recover the initial > cost > of the sdk. HIMS also has a history of offering free upgrades, > so I am > afraid that if Humanware ever does offer an sdk, it will not be > free > and could, in fact, cost a great deal of money. > > 3. Stop charging so much for add-ons, and offer more of them. > Who is > going to pay $200 for a dictionary? No one, unless you are on a > bn, > apparently. $200 seems like $190 too much, in my opinion. What > about > other programs, like an expansion to Keyplus or a more robust > chat > program, or even a twitter client? Many users will not use these, > so > offering them as cheap installers could be the way to go. > > On 7/27/11, Sabahattin Gucukoglu <[email protected]> > wrote: > It's all very well harping on about how great braille notetakers > are because > they do braille, and I agree emphatically, but what about the > very real > problem that they are crippled by their software suites? > > Honestly, HumanWare are going down the same path as Freedom > Scientific, only > they're doing it with reasonably decent hardware. > > BTW, the Apex is with me here in my laptop case, but the laptop > (MacBook Air > 11 inch) is getting all the use. Even Frotz works well enough > that I can > avoid the Games application on the BN. The only thing the BN is > good for > now is the dictionary and text editor. It has, as I predicted, > no media > files to play and no Internet connection, but I've loaded up an > SD card with > documents and games, so maybe when I'm travelling a bit lighter. > > 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 > > > > > -- > 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 > > -- 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
