Hi Joseph and All, Joseph, I do agree with you that BS and VS users need to keep a clear perspective on what these devices are and are not. They are a PDA, not a laptop or desktop computer. They are meant to be used on the go. Think of it as your travel suitcase for information. You can't fit everything in there, just as you can't fit your entire wardrobe and other items in your suitcase when you travel. Yes, I am well aware that for some people they just can't afford a note taker and a computer or laptop along with the screen reading software. This is why it is important to assess all of your needs before buying any product. If you have a need to create seriously formatted documents, or manage complex databases, then a note taker might not be what you need at that time. For about the same money you can spend on a note taker, you can buy a netbook and screen reading software. I am not trying to convince people that the BS and VS are not worth while devices. I love my VS for what it is, and have recommended it to many other people. However, I have recommended other devices after assessing a person's needs. Keep in mind that the more features that get packed into a device will raise the price. Annette
________________________________ From: Joseph Lee [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 1:08 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [GWN] Braille Sense and its limits Hi folks, Nice to see a steady flow of suggestions about Braille sense. Some of them included foreign language support, word count and so forth. Although they were good ones, one needs to consider if it is worth it to put it on a device that has technical limits. Not that I am saying that BS family has outward limits, but in terms of specs and OS, it does have limits. First, as mike said, Braille Sense is a PDA. In other words, Braille Sense is meant to be PC companion, not a PC replacement (although I've seen some people mistaken it for such). In other words, not all things that can be done on a computer cannot be done under Braille Sense. For instance, not all websites that a Windows XP machine can handle cannot be navigated using Braille Sense. On the hardware side, the line between PC and PDA is becoming less differentiated - at least when BS is concerned. Braille Sense has one of the good processors for mobile devices, as well as sufficient memory to run applications and store useful data. But in terms of software side, it is not. Braille Sense runs under Windows CE - not regular Wihndows, folks. Windows CE is a completely different OS architecture than Windows NT family. Thus, it has limits, such as 32 MB of virtual memory and 32 process limit (this is the reason why BS would only allow seven programs maximum). As for virtual memory, I need solid evidence of things such as browser crashing or other slow downs before explaining what exactly it is and its limits (if demands requires me to, but right now I am going through summer school in college). Also, as I have stressed on another list, writing code for embedded devices such as Braille Sense carries different requirements. One needs to be careful about memory usage, processor architecture and so forth. Just because we imagine things in our heads and pray that it will appear out of nowhere does not mean that it will happen soon - one needs to plan, compose, debug, recompile and release the software (if stable enough) numerous times before a suggestion or feature request will work properly. Also, it seems that the manual is wrong about type of USB port. Braille Sense does NOT have USB OTG (On-the-go) technology at all. All it has are one USB host and one USB client, that's all. If it had OTG port, theoretically Braille Sense can work with two USB client devices at once - one on BS's own uSB host port, another one on the USB client port with a dedicated adapter. As to what USB OTG standard is, I'll compose the article in question when there is enough demand. For those who have seen me on other lists, you would know what OTG is and my article style... Cheers, Joseph P.S. Alex, do you agree with me on this one?
