Antonio: I beg to differ. It *is* *still* jhust a PDA. What makes it expensive is its braille display. And while I agree with you that in some ways, Blazie products were more versatile, this versatility came at the price of lack of standard interfaces and standard OS. It is unfair to compare the Blazie note-takers with their dedicated OS (somewhat akin to Cp/M, incidentally) with devices such as the BS Plus and the Braille Note. For example, you keep harping on all the stuff that was available for the Blazie devices as external programs. But have you considered that the Blazie devices did not have a software synthesizer? The early Blazie devices used a dedicated synth chip and the later ones used a DoubleTalk chip. No Eloquence. AS you add software synthesizers, you add complexity and the need for increased processor power. This is why the VR Stream only has Samantha and Tom for American voices; the others take too much processor power.
Bottom line: There ain't no free lunch! Mike ----- Original Message ----- From: "Antonio M. Guimaraes" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 9:03 PM Subject: Re: [GWN] Improvement: support for foreign languages Mike, It's not featuritis. It's a $6000 machine that does the trick, but could do much better, like the 10 year old blazie machines with the $100 second language upgrade. If this is the version of eloquence we get, I ask is that all we get? If Hims and GW can't further develop the Braille sense, book sense, and other products, it's time to grow. I like the people we deal with over there, but it's still a $6000 machine, costing times the price you pay for a good and expensive computer. It's not just a PDA anymore. Antonio Guimaraes If an infinite number of rednecks riding in an infinite number of pickup trucks fire an infinite number of shotgun rounds at an infinite number of highway signs, they will eventually produce all the world's great literary works in Braille. Shop online and support the NFB of RI at no additional cost to you. http://www.givebackamerica.com/charity.php?b=169 Givebackamerica.org, America's Online Charity Shopping Mall ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Freeman" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2009 11:44 PM Subject: Re: [GWN] Improvement: support for foreign languages > Frankly, if the synth doesn't support foreign languages (and I suspect > the version of Eloquence in the Sense products is English only), I > doubt > it ultimately makes much sense to support foreign languages. The > Blazie > products did not unless you purchased additional software with them > enabled. > > AS I keep saying here, remember that we're essentially dealing with a > PDA. > > I'd rather that some of the outstanding bugs be squashed rather than > GW > Micro and HIMS engaging in rampant featuritis! > > Mike > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Antonio M. Guimaraes" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2009 6:44 PM > Subject: [GWN] Improvement: support for foreign languages > > > Foreign languages. > > > > Students in the United States are required to take foreign languages > in > high school, and college. Many go on to advanced study of a foreign > language, and many others were born in other countries. Blazie > Engineering developed foreign language support for over 10 languages, > which increased Braille 'n Speak, and Braille Lite use. Likewise, > Freedom Scientific has support for foreign languages. > > > > I would like to strongly suggest that foreign languages be supported > in > the braille sense product. This would m-power the user of the Sense to > pursue, or continue to develop their foreign language skills. I, for > one, would love to see support for Portuguese, Spanish, French, > Italian. > Other languages could include German, Russian, Ucranian, Polish, > Japonese, and so on. > > > Antonio Guimaraes > > If an infinite number of rednecks riding in an infinite number of > pickup trucks fire an infinite number of shotgun rounds at an infinite > number of highway signs, they will eventually produce all the world's > great literary works in Braille. > > Shop online and support the NFB of RI at no additional cost to you. > http://www.givebackamerica.com/charity.php?b=169 > Givebackamerica.org, America's Online Charity Shopping Mall >
