If your hint suggests there will be an English SDK for the Sense products, do share more. We could help you petition HIMS to make it move from a possibility to a reality!
Joe "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing -----Original Message----- From: Joseph Lee [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2010 12:51 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [GWN] comments about future of braille Notetakers on Adelaide Radio Hi, I understand. But when we do take into account the possibilities of hacking a device, Android still wins due to its licensing scheme. But there is a cost to it: accessibility design considerations and consistancies in user interface and interaction. The execution environment would be slightly safe under Android since it uses process virtual machine (via Java) instead of native code under languages such as C++ and BASIC. Although native binary would run faster, the portability and protection offered by virtual machine would make the OS (Linux) a more secure one to use. In connection with Braille Sense family, we are dealing with fundamentals of Windows CE development, which the current trend is somewhat complicated to explain in words. However, a big summary (amongst engineers and consumer advocates) is that the consumer interface for Windows CE is losing market share, and that industrial stands at Windows CE is being questioned, with embedded Linux as the killer for Microsoft. Right now Windows Mobile 6.5.5 (Windows CE 5.2 kernel) is losing hold of OS choice for manufacturers and consumers, while IOS family is celebrating a milestone - a goal of certain share in standards for next generation devices (which I do own one but using a different OS). The huge "tip of the iceberg" came out last year with the advent of open-source platform, with their eventual goal of supporting mainstream apps and changing the perception of blind and visually impaired consumers on future of accessibility. This allows me to declare: The "real winner" of this notetaker industry will be determined before end of this year. Do not ask me here (since I have "secretive" info), as the revelation may surprise you. Just a hint: somebody in South Korea has developed a braille display exercise program for Korean Sense builds - using the Contents SDK. Cheers, Joseph -----Original Message----- From: Alex Hall [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2010 9:22 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [GWN] comments about future of braille Notetakers on Adelaide Radio Or it would be if they had half the accessibility of the iOS platform. Right now it is difficult to use an Android device if you are blind, with very little in the way of touch screen support and no special gestures to speak of for accessibility. You cannot type at all unless you have a physical keyboard on your device, and there is no braille display/input support, at least to my knowledge. On 8/12/10, Joseph Lee <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi, > Also, consider the progress of open source development and its impact on > blindness community - specifically students. The biggest "killer" for HIMS > (and others) is Android. > Cheers, > Joseph > > -----Original Message----- > From: Alex Hall [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2010 8:56 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [GWN] comments about future of braille Notetakers on Adelaide > Radio > > Just a thought/something to consider: if the iPod or iPad ever got an > on-screen braille keyboard, someone could make a screen overlay for it > so you could feel where the keys are, and then you have what amounts > to a mainstream voice-only notetaker. Use a braille display if you > want to, and you have the same thing you get with a Voice Sense. Apple > has done such a good job making the iTouch line accessible that I > could imagine many people in the future switching from a propriatary > device to a mainstream one like the iTouch with a braille keyboard. > > On 8/12/10, Joe Orozco <[email protected]> wrote: >> Man, I hope you're wrong about the death of the notetaker. True, there > are >> a lot of limitations, but there are so many benefits to a unit that boots > up >> quickly and is in one piece versus separate units. This is partly my beef >> with GPS solutions on the smart phones that require the phone, the > software >> and a separate bluetooth receiver even though the smart phones's internal >> GPS receiver and software work quite well on their own for sighted people. >> Me, I'm thinking the projection is more applicable to the Pac Mate that >> physically can no longer compete with HIMS and others. >> >> Joe >> >> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, >> some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: erik burggraaf [mailto:[email protected]] >> Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2010 11:24 AM >> To: [email protected] >> Subject: Re: [GWN] comments about future of braille Notetakers >> on Adelaide Radio >> >> Hum, Mr. Drummond isn't news on the death of the portable note >> taker. I kind'a hate to see it go, but It's just not >> economical in the current technology market. A lot of us have >> been saying that for years, even as we rejoice that people who >> need them still buy. >> >> What's interesting about this guy is, he's toting jaws and the >> focus 40 blue, which are about 5 years behind the technology >> curve, as the advent of the death of the note taker. Now >> whether you're a fan of freedom scientific or not, and you all >> know I come firmly down on the side of not, You have to admit >> that window-eyes, mobile speak, talks, humanware devices like >> the braille connect, and alva devices like the bc640 have been >> around a whole lot longer than the focus 40 blue, and do a far >> better job on the portability and compatibility fronts than >> jaws and focus. >> >> Did you also notice that the north american scanner manufacture >> was pointedly not mentioned by name, and that the model of the >> optelec scanner was conspicuously left out, but jaws and the >> focus 40 blue were mentioned repeatedly? Would any one in the >> class like to tell me who has exclusivity on freedom scientific >> products in Australia? >> >> I could be making too much of it, But I guarantee you that is >> how the top brass of the freedom scientific distributer in >> Canada would have handled that interview, and I don't have >> anything against the guy personally. That's just the way it is >> with FS and the people who work for them. >> >> Have fun, >> >> Erik Burggraaf >> Check out my first ever podcast tutorial, Learn braille using >> the braille box. >> Visit http://www.erik-burggraaf.com and click podcasts to read >> more and subscribe. >> >> On 2010-08-11, at 9:32 PM, peter greco wrote: >> >>> I interviewed Rob Drummond from Quantum Technology in >> Australia and he made some interesting comments about the >> future of braille notetakers. >>> You can hear these comments go to, >>> www.rphadelaide.org.au/Webcast.html >>> Rob's on the program Focal Point about 10 or 12 minutes in. >>> Peter >>> >>> 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 >> >> If you wish to unsubscribe from this list, visit: >> >> http://www.gwmicro.com/listserv >> >> > > > -- > Have a great day, > Alex (msg sent from GMail website) > [email protected]; http://www.facebook.com/mehgcap > > 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 > > -- Have a great day, Alex (msg sent from GMail website) [email protected]; http://www.facebook.com/mehgcap 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 If you wish to unsubscribe from this list, visit: http://www.gwmicro.com/listserv
