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(TechnAbility Exchange - Tom Dekker)
NoteTakers/Portable Information Systems
(Revised May 20, 1999)
Many blind people would not want to be without their "note taker" or portable information system. Though these systems cannot take the place of a regular laptop computer, they definitely have certain advantages.
The main advantage is that most notetakers don't have to boot up like a regular computer. Also, they're designed to resume from where they were when you last turned them off. This means that they can be used much like a pen or pencil, i.e. almost no delay time in getting ready to write something down. This sort of feature carries over into note taking situations in that the machines can be readily turned off during periods of inactivity, thus conserving power over very long periods of time.
The Companion Series of note takers is, in my humble opinion, the most intuitive and well-designed I've seen to date. The menus make total sense, and the help key provides completely comprehensive context-sensitive help. The Keynote Companion has a QWERTY keyboard, while Braille Companion has a braille keyboard. These products are manufactured by Pulse Data International of New Zealand. They are marketed in North America by Humanware, which offers good technical support and downloadable documantation on their web site.
The note takers most popular in North America are produced by Blazie Engineering. They include Braille 'n Speak and the QWERTY version, Type 'n Speak. Both of these come in versions that include a braille display as well as speech.
Artic Technologies produces several note takers, though these don't seem to be as widely used as the others.
All note takers come with accessories that allow for data transfer to regular computers. Some also have the capability of running a fairly wide range of specially written applications.
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© Copyright 1999
by Tom Dekker
Access Technology Consultant for the Blind and Reading Disabled
Houston, Texas, USA
Telephone: (281) 988-8982
Fax (pre-arranged only): (281) 530-1740
Email: tdekker@consultant.com
