Jim, The next time I need to purchase a note taker, I too will be looking for a battery which I can change myself, user upgradeable firmware, and a general ability for me to customize the unit to my needs. Let me also add that I will be looking for a unit which takes full advantage of commercial off the shelf technology. The compact flash card, for example, gives the BN a lot of storage function, at a price competitive with the mainstream computer market. Imagine a future notetaker, bull of the commercial off the shelf components. It would be easier to service and maintain. And it might be lower in cost with all of the functions we need. Even the Braille display , one of the most expensive items which a blind person can purchase,has dropped in price over the years due to, in part, the use of commercially available components.
To illustrate, this was done in the scanner and OCR and reading machine for the blind market, raising the quality and lowering the cost. Recall that the first reading machines were extremely expensive and packed with proprietary hardware and software. And now a blind person can set up a reading machine with a $100 scanner from Best Buy or walmart, and K 1000 or Open Book which are at much lower prices than the first OCR software for the blind. Some blind users have even had success with Textbridge, at a much lower price than K 1000 or Open Book. Next time around, I will be looking for a notetaker having high functionality, more user maintainability, and a lower price. As I consider my next notetaker purchase, I will also be considering a small laptop having a screen reader and a detachable Braille display. Yes the laptop is bigger, however it might be the way to get the portible functionability which I need, particularly on the job . The Braillenote an excellent machine, has actually raised my expectations as to what a notetaker could do. Hopefully, as I ware the Braillenote out through constant use, and when I must put my BN on the "used car lot", there will be a shiny new BN that meets my raised expectations. Sincerely, Jerry Weinger ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim Ruby" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "'Braillenote List'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2004 6:48 PM Subject: RE: [Braillenote] It's Going From Bad To Worse! I hate to beat a dead horse, but I think the customer should have the ability to flash the bn up to the current firmware. Everything else has the ability now, what makes the bn so different. Just like changing the battery. I don't understand why this was not thought of in the design specially the second design of the bn with the new motherboards. For those who just don't to or can not do it then pdi can always offer that as a service. I'm glad I have my bn, but now that I know more of its hardware limitations I probably would not do it again. That does not mean I am putting down the product, it just means I feel a bit let down about what I have to pay for when it comes time to burn firmware or change a battery. I'm not sure what I will do when I have to cross that bridge and I hope it is a long way off. What is the status on the developer kit? I would love to see the bn get some new features like messaging and other features. Even some games would be nice to pass the time. Jim Ruby On-Line Access Technology Trainer [EMAIL PROTECTED] Blind Sea http://www.blindsea.com (651) 385-0702 -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of John Gunn Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2004 5:52 AM To: Braillenote List Subject: Re: [Braillenote] It's Going From Bad To Worse! Hello Jonathan: Well I would be a little surprised that PDI would charge the customer for the upgrade since it should have been burned in before the unit went out, just my thoughts. ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Braillenote List" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2004 9:37 PM Subject: Re: [Braillenote] It's Going From Bad To Worse! > > > > > Hi John. It's possible that some units at about this time were shipped just > before we started adding the KeySoft 5 ROM upgrade to them. Anyone who does > want KeySoft 5 burned into ROM can contact their local PDI office and > get a > price on that, and we'll be glad to help. > Jonathan Mosen > BrailleNote Product Marketing Manager > Pulse Data International Ltd > > DDI: +64-3-373-6192 > Fax: +64-3-384 4933 > Mobile: +64-21 466 736 > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Internet: www.pulsedata.com > > > ___ > To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank message to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To view the list archives or change your preferences, visit > http://list.pulsedata.com/mailman/listinfo/braillenote > > ___ To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To view the list archives or change your preferences, visit http://list.pulsedata.com/mailman/listinfo/braillenote ___ To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To view the list archives or change your preferences, visit http://list.pulsedata.com/mailman/listinfo/braillenote
