Bryan, I'm curious, where you live, have the maps changed that much from 2007 to 2010 that it makes your current SenseNav unusable like you say? Don't get me wrong, I'm not disputing what you say and I'm not trying to come off like what you say isn't important. However in testing the 2010 maps and comparing them to the various cities I've traveled to or checked out in virtual mode, not much has changed other than some updated names for major roads. What has changed a lot is the POI data.
Regarding the SyncBraille, if it's out of warranty, with any hardware product, a standard $45 analysis charge is always charged. So we are not singling you out here with it. Regarding the firmware, I have personally been pushing for new updates for a long time. Whether you believe me or not is up to you, but I think that anyone who knows me will believe that I feel strongly that the Sense notetakers are very good and they need to stay up-to-date. If I had the rights and resources, I would have updated them myself. Many thanks. On 5/13/2010 11:05 AM, Bryan Duarte wrote: > I am with you on this issue sir. I bought a voice sense, sync Braille, > and the sense nave right when they were released. now I have had a voice > sense with no promised up grades, a sync Braille that no longer works > and to get it fixed they want to charge me 45 dollars a half hour to > diagnose the problem then parts and labor is separate, and a sense nav > that has maps from who knows how long ago with no information on when > and how much a new upgrade will cost. don’t get me wrong I love my voice > sense and the sync Braille when it worked was great. the sense nav was > awesome when the map was accurate but now that times have moved on and > the technology has not things are looking down on the distributors and > manufacturers. to me making new products when the old products you > currently have are not being maintained is a little backwards I think. I > use to use my voice sense a lot more when it was an all in one device > that was up to date on all systems. now that I have a firm ware that > could not even pretend to bat an eye at other note takers and a sense > nav that was awesome three years ago when it was somewhat accurate as to > what was around me, but now I have over 8 thousand dollars invested into > a refreshable Braille display that acts as a Braille paper weight, and a > GPS receiver that takes up space in my travel back pack just waiting to > come out and play some day in the future. > > > > Bryan Duarte Blind Ambitions > > > > *From:* erik burggraaf [mailto:[email protected]] > *Sent:* Thursday, May 13, 2010 6:36 AM > *To:* [email protected] > *Subject:* Re: [GWN] Tip1 for the new Sense notetaker firmware > > > > > > Again, it's the licensing, not the software that is at issue. > > What I'm reading is that braille note and mobile geo can physically > share map data on properly licensed and compatible devices, but > braille sense can't, which is a severe limitation. > > Don't forget that all these devices are built on the same > development kit, no matter what brand name you put on it. That > doesn't make them all equal, but it at least holds out the option to > have them compatible. An option which, based on what people are > saying here, braille note and mobile geo offer, but sensenav does not. > > Then we have the issue of the licensing for current maps. For > example, I've just found out that 2010 maps are only licensed to > mobile geo 2. That of course is so that I and others like me will > have to by msp4 and mgeo2 to get a current map, which we have the > option to do. But if the 2010 map were licensed to sensenav, then > one way or the other sensenav could use it. Taking care of this > licensing shouldn't require a firmware upgrade, but if it did, then > it could be done by a patch without requiring an entire firmware, > since they did that very thing for the braille note. If a fee had > to be charged for upgrading maps, well, so be it. Everyone has a > right to make money at what they do. Users who aren't greatly > effected by using old map data can buy a case of beer on the > weekend, where-as hard core travellers who need consistent accuracy > could go without for a weekend or two and get the upgrade. In fact, > I'm reasonably sure that any one who forked out 6 grand for a bsp, > and $1600 for sensenav are not going to quibble at a $60-$80 upgrade > fee for the map data for their high priced kit. Even sighted gps > users incur that cost, although most commercial gps are farely > disposable and so the cost is usually built into a whole new unit > and they don't realize they're paying for it. > > This doesn't seem like rocket science to me. Old map, increasingly > inaccurate, potential time, money and safety concern. Answer, give > the customer an option to pay for a new map when an update becomes > available. Then if you want to trundle around unfamiliar areas with > a three year old map on your $8000 gps, well you go on and giver, > but the rest of us can be getting on with the best possible > information, especially when you're like me and you need it for work > or school. > > best, > > Erik Burggraaf > Join me Wednesday, May 26th at CNIB Tech Aids fair in Toronto. I'll > be at the assistive computing booth from 2 to 4 in the afternoon and > circulating for the rest of the day. > http://www.erik-burggraaf.com > 888-255-5194 > > On 2010-05-12, at 5:18 AM, Keith Bucher wrote: > > > Erik, > > > > Sense Nav is a HIMS or Gw Micro product not a Sendero product. > > Sendero licenses it to GW Micro and HIMS. If you use Sense Nav, > > as of right now, you are stuck with the 2007 maps. The later maps > > are just for the Braillenote products from Humanware. > > > > > > Keith > > > > > > > > > > > > If you wish to unsubscribe from this list, visit: > > > > http://www.gwmicro.com/listserv > > > If you wish to unsubscribe from this list, visit: > > http://www.gwmicro.com/listserv -- Raul A. Gallegos GW Micro Technical Support And Product Specialist Voice 260-489-3671, Fax 260-489-2608 Web http://www.gwmicro.com If you wish to unsubscribe from this list, visit: http://www.gwmicro.com/listserv
