Hi Alex, I find the BS EASIER TO USE THAN THE BN. I have both because I bought aDemo Bn to take places because I really did not want to carry my BS Classic with me. The BN Clcssic I have has a lot of short cuts but I can usually figure out what to do with my BS Classic. It does lock up sometimes with email but a reset works and I have never lost anything. It usually goes to the storage box. Settings are easy to restore if you lose them by going to the Options Menu. I do not know about Battery Life because I always leave my unit plugged in. I would love to see Digital Talking Books supported. I love the speech and I always write things in Ascii if I am going to send them to someone. I also would much rather write emails in Braille. I do not like the Computg so didn't get into email until I got this unit. My husband now says I am an email junkie. This unit has opened up a whole new world for me with email and the Internet. I find it easier to send things to people and store record. I have a Braille Lite and got a Versabraille many years after they came out. My BS Classic was the first new device I have ever had besides my Perkins Brailler which I got in 1960. I also find this list helpful because I am not a techie person. Colleen Roth
----- Original Message ----- From: Alex Hall <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Date: 2009/06/19 22:18:12 Subject: Re: [GWN] BSP: OPINIONS NEEDED > > > Thank you. I know all my questions were negative, but that is > the point; I hear all the praise about the unit on reviews and > podcasts, but never anything bad, as one would expect. I wanted > the "dark side", if such a thing exists for the BSP, FROM THE > actual, real-life user before I go about making the switch. I > have used a bn since 2002, so moving to a new unit is a huge > deal, plus, of course, it costs a lot. I am not worried about > getting used to the intercace, since I also have used Windows > since 200 or so, but it seems like some things would be more > annothing, like having to tab a whole bunch of times just to get > to, say, the OKAY BUTTON. > > Have a great day, > Alex > > > ----- Original Message ----- > >From: Joe Giovanelli <[email protected] > >To: [email protected] > >Date sent: Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:15:37 com0800 > >Subject: Re: [GWN] BSP: OPINIONS NEEDED > > >Hi, Alex, > > >There's no way I can reply to all of your questions. > > >I don't think this unit supports video files. > > > >It does play MP 3, Daisy, Wav and some others. > > >It reads HTML PERFECTLY WELL. > > >It handles forms found on the Internet very well. There is no, > separate forms mode. You are just presented with the edit box. > > >The keyboard on the Braille Sense is the best keyboard I have > seen, and that includes your Braille Note. I have heard about > only problem with the keyboard from only one person. I've logged > lots of hours on the unit and it works as well as the day I got > it. > > >The battery is easy to change. > > >I have not timed how long the battery will last under varying > conditions. I usually get a day's work from the unit. > > >There definitely are translation problems from ASCII TO Braille > and vice versa and the errors are not consststent. If I want to > have a document look good, I use ASCII VIA A USB KEYBOARD. > > >All your questions are negative. This unit has some definite > good qualities. The word processor works well. It does what the > manual says it does. Formatting is not complete. There isn't a > shortcut key for centering. > > >There is a hot key for tabbing forward but you do need a > combination key for shift-tab. > > >Forget about printing unless you happen to have a printer which > supports PCL 3; IT MUST BE HP COMPATIBLE. The serial port > cannot be used for a printer connection. This printing thing is > my biggest gripe about this unit. > > >We don't see too many releases. We won't see a release just for > bug fixes. A release will fix these, but it will also contain > major feature additions. > > > >I'm writing this in Braille; the e-mail will first be translated > into Ascii, so you may see a couple of translation errors. > > >I should say that the wireless LAN WORKS VERY WELL. I have never > had a drop-out. > > >In general, data is not lost during a reset unless it has not > been saved. All settings will be lost but if these are backed up > properly, they are easily restored. > > >I'll let others answer your other questions. I hope this was > helpful. > > >Joe G. > > > > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: Alex Hall <[email protected] > >To: [email protected] > >Date: Friday, Jun 19, 2009 13:44:36 > >Subject: [GWN] BSP: OPINIONS NEEDED > > > > >ar Hi all, > >ar For those of you using the Braille Sense Plus, I would like to > >ar ask you a small favor: could you respond with all the bad things > >ar (missing features, bugs, data corruption, and so on) that you > >ar have found with your unit? I am closer now to being able to get > >ar one of these to replace my BN, BUT I want to know the "real > >ar story" behind the BSP's operation in daily life before I > proceed. > >ar Note that I am a student going into either software design or > web > >ar programming, I am not sure which yet, with two years of school > >ar remaining. I know the technical specs, but no one in my state > >ar has one that I can look at and use first-hand; I have only your > >ar responses and the reviews and podcasts around the Internet to > >ar guide me. I would like to know the following, and sorry it is > >ar such a long list, but then again, it is a lot of money. > >ar 1. How annoying constantly pressing the tab and shift-tab key > >ar combos gets? > >ar 2. How often can you do things with a shortcut key to avoid > >ar tabbing five times? > >ar 3. What can the wordprocessor not handle? > >ar 4. What problems do you find when browsing the Internet? > >ar 5. How often does the unit lock up, resulting in a reset and > >ar therefore a loss of data? > >ar 6. What problems still exist with the email program, even after > >ar the firmware updates? > >ar 7. What external device compatibility issues, if any, have you > >ar found? > >ar 8. Can Bluetooth do object exchange, and is it stable? > >ar 9. Can you browse networks? > >ar 10. How is printing as far as formatting, printer support, font > >ar changes, retaining page setup (such as centered lines, line > >ar spacing, etc)? > >ar 11. How is the Braille display after months of use? > >ar 12. Is Wifi stable, or does it often drop connections, connect > >ar to networks it cannot actually see, you get the idea? > >ar 13. Can it take SDHC CARDS? > >ar 14. Does the DSL JACK ALWAYS WORK PROPERLY? > >ar 15. How is battery, with and without wifi, bluetooth, and so > on? > >ar 16. Can you turn on and off speech and braille independently? > >ar 17. If you came from a BN, HOW IS THE Braille display > scrolling? > >ar 18. How does it handle translation to and from grade 2? > >ar 19. Can one use computer braille languages other than English? > >ar 20. How does the LCD DISPLAY WORK IN REAL-LIFE APPLICATIONS? It > >ar is a good concept, but is it easy to display what you want, to > >ar turn it off, and so on? > >ar 21. How easy is it to buy and install a new battery? > >ar 22. If you are a student, what problems have you found in > >ar classes, such as unsupported files, trouble with emails, and the > >ar like? > >ar 23. For GWM STAFF: ANY PLANS TO INCORPORATE Nemeth, UEB, OR > >ar other useful codes? > >ar 24. What media file size cannot be played? If you play a 150mb > >ar DVS MOVIE, FOR EXAMPLE, WILL IT WORK / WILL THE SYSTEM BOG DOWN > >ar any? > >ar 25. How does the unit react to high heat and/or humidity? Cold? > >ar 26. How are new lines represented? On the BN, THEY CAN BE A ONE > >ar or two cell intentation on the display, or an ed sign followed > by > >ar a people. I always set it to indent one cell, since there is no > other > >ar reason for the display to ever indent in text, so any indent is > a > >ar new line and it feels more like a Brailled document and makes > >ar more sense, to me at least. > >ar 27. Is there a limit to the number attachments in an email? The > >ar BN WILL NOT SEND MORE THAN 7, I believe. > >ar 28. Technical: what Javascript does the unit support? For > >ar example, the BN SUPPORTS ONLOAD, ONUNLOAD, AND ONCLICK, BUT NOT > >ar onchange, onfocus, onkeypress, and the rest. > >ar 29. How is filling out fields on the BSP? > >ar 30. Have you run into issues where keys would stick or in any > >ar other way not work? > >ar 31. What version of JS DOES THE BROWSER HAVE? Will it support > >ar dhtml (the innerHTML METHOD ON OBJECTS)? > >ar 32. Overall, how do you like your unit for what you do with it? > >ar Please tell me anything you do not like about the unit, even if > I > >ar did not cover it? > >ar You can reply off-list to avoid Raul's or Jeremy's wrath (JK > >ar guys). Thanks in advance for any responses. > > >ar Have a great day, > >ar Alex
