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?
