Hi The thing is now you can or I think you can get much smaller battery powered displays now can't you. That even connect wirelessly. So you could even carry 1 of them in the bag that you would use for the netbook.
Mainstream technology is getting smaller and more powerful than the specialist alternatives so really it's not so viable now too just go with the blind friendly note taking devices any more. The market has really opened up now and I would strongly suggest trying these mainstream devices before you outright say no to them. -----Original Message----- From: Ray [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 04 June 2009 10:46 To: 'GW Info' Subject: RE: The Voice Sense is it worth it? Bryan, we had a conversation very much like this some months ago. Before the arrival of Netbooks it wasn't quite so clear cut for many as it is now as the size of these sub-laptops means they're quite easy to carry around and have a respectable battery life in many instances. So, for speech access the price difference will make many come down in favour of a netbook. Where Braille output is needed I think the choice is a bit less straight forward as many do not like having a separate Braille display attached to the machine. I know though that it is the Voice Sense you are considering rather than the Braille Sense. For me at least Braille input on a more compact keyboard is nice to have, even if it does come at a price and your decision might be influenced if you saw a Voice Sense second hand. While I can use the keyboard on something like the Samsung NC10 I still wish it was more like a conventional qeurty keyboard and had a rake rather than all the keys being level. Afraid though that as most people are two finger typists then that matters not at all to the majority who by Netbooks. Ray. Ray Darren Harris wrote: hi, personally i'd stick to the mainstream route every time. at least with a normal laptop or netbook the moment something goes wrong with it, it's not that difficult to get it sent off to be sorted out if it comes to that. with specialest devices quite honestly when they go wrong it's nothing but hastle. also there's no restrictions with mainstream devices like there is with specialest devices. my honest opinion is to save your money and get a laptop or netbook personally. they will run faster, can do more, and have far more storage space. -----Original Message----- From: Bryan Peterson [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 04 June 2009 04:53 To: GW Info Subject: The Voice Sense is it worth it? Hi all, I've been going back and forth with myself for a while about whether I should post this. I've read all I could find on the GW Micro site about the Voice Sense and listened to all the demos I could find. Although I can't deny that it's an extremely intriguing piece of technology I still have the question of whether or not it's worth trying to save up for if someone already has a laptop. Now right off the bat I can see quite a few major pros. As portable as they are, carrying a laptop around with you even in a carrying case can get quite cumbersome sometimes, especially if you have a limited amount of space to work with. Then of course if the laptop goes on the blink you have a backup device with most if not all of the same functions and features, which you can use while the laptop is being repaired. Even so though I can't help wondering if it's really worth the price. Last I heard it was upwards of 2000 dollars, and it would probably be hard if not impossible to offer a payment plan for the Voice Sense like what's available for Window-Eyes. I suppose what I really ought to do is find an agency somewhere that'll send me a unit to evaluate and see if it might be worth trying to save up for. But I'm curious about any opinions from folks who have or have used these machines, if they are indeed worth having along with a laptop or regular computer. I'd appreciate any insights you can give me. This has intrigued me ever since I switched from FS to GW Micro. I never particularly cared for the FS Notetakers, and while I do own a BrailleNote it's not one of the newer models with wireless capability, and anyway I really don't like the synthesizer they used for its voice. So I'm tryin to learn as much as I possibly can about the Voice Sense to see if I might not benefit from owning one. Gabba gabba hey! If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original sender only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and your message is related to GW Micro, then please consider sending your message to [email protected] so the entire list will receive it. All GW-Info messages are archived at http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo, and can be searched through and sorted using the search form at the bottom of the page. If you wish to unsubscribe from this list, send a message to [email protected] and include leave gw-info in the body of the message. No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.339 / Virus Database: 270.12.52/2152 - Release Date: 06/03/09 18:00:00 No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.339 / Virus Database: 270.12.52/2152 - Release Date: 06/04/09 05:53:00 If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original sender only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and your message is related to GW Micro, then please consider sending your message to [email protected] so the entire list will receive it. All GW-Info messages are archived at http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo, and can be searched through and sorted using the search form at the bottom of the page. If you wish to unsubscribe from this list, send a message to [email protected] and include leave gw-info in the body of the message. If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original sender only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and your message is related to GW Micro, then please consider sending your message to [email protected] so the entire list will receive it. All GW-Info messages are archived at http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo, and can be searched through and sorted using the search form at the bottom of the page. If you wish to unsubscribe from this list, send a message to [email protected] and include leave gw-info in the body of the message. No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.339 / Virus Database: 270.12.52/2152 - Release Date: 06/04/09 05:53:00 No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.339 / Virus Database: 270.12.52/2152 - Release Date: 06/04/09 05:53:00 If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original sender only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and your message is related to GW Micro, then please consider sending your message to [email protected] so the entire list will receive it. All GW-Info messages are archived at http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo, and can be searched through and sorted using the search form at the bottom of the page. If you wish to unsubscribe from this list, send a message to [email protected] and include leave gw-info in the body of the message.
