One of the first things I would say is that the 15 inch for
portability is going to be better for you. You will not get a speed
increase just because it's 17 inches. For the scanner I use a Canon
Canoscan LIDE 500F and it weighs less than 2 lb.. Readiris is the
scanning software that most use and it's about $79 if I'm not
mistaken. MS Word or Office for that matter isn't accessible but
alternatives would be Text Edit, Bean and Nisus Writer Pro for word
processing Tables for spread sheets. As far as the hard drive goes I
like the faster 7500 RPM drive but that's because I'm a geek and
because it's faster. I I have a bag that holds two laptops a scanner
and a Canon portable printer with all the cords that looks like two
standard laptop bags put together with wheels like your heavy duty
luggage would have. I can't think of the name but it cost around $119.
That's all I can answer for now but others will weigh in shortly I'm
sure. OH yeah the keyboard...I have Bluetooth ones for home use and
the Apple wired aluminum keyboard for travel along with a similulary
thin windows keyboard that's USB as well. I do this because I don't
want to worry about batteries on the road when it's critical. And for
training on the Mac using Windows the Bootcamp feature of Leopard is
the way to go and for fun you can run machines virtually for a side by
side comparison of your splendor of OS's. I have several Windows
machines from Vista to XP running multiple screen readers about 5 in
total. Also upgrade your RAM but don't do it through Apple because
they will charge you a small fortune. Go through a company like
crusial.com. I hope this helps you and if you would like to talk on
Skype or something then drop me a line off list and we can talk. I do
exactly what you want to do so I'm sure I can assist.
On Apr 27, 2008, at 8:38 PM, Jason Custer wrote:
Hello,
My name is Jason Custer. I am a teacher, instructing students in
adaptive
technology, as well as computer software. This means I teach jaws,
zoom
text. I will be getting a Macbook pro with the 17-inch screen, and
when I
feel my skills are up to par, I will be teaching osx with it. I will
also be
using it to teach windows vista with adaptive software. I have lots of
questions, and hope you can help me.
There are so many questions, I am struggling to make many choices. I
am a
software developer also, and want the best bang for my buck, but long
battery life is the most important thing to me. Here go the questions.
1. 5400 or 7200 rpm HD? Why?
2. Can anyone recommend a portable flatbed scanner compatible with
Mac? What
about The Canon Pixma MP610?
3. I need a good case that will hold the Mac, as well as a portable
flatbed
scanner. Also, I am totally blind, so I'd like something that can take
accidental bumps. Any recommendations?
4. Some students do not like to use a laptop keyboard, any
recommendations
for a portable keyboard Mac compatible? Bluetooth?
5. What OCR software for Mac is the best?
6. What video adapters if any come in the box?
7. How accessible is office for Mac? If not accessible, what
recommendations
do you have?
I guess that's a good enough start for now. Your help is appreciated.
Thank you,
Jason
