Laptop Computers and Electronic Notetakers for the Blind: A Comparison

Laptop Computers and Electronic Notetakers for the Blind: A Comparison

The Braille Monitor

April 2003

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Laptop Computers and

Electronic Notetakers for the Blind: A Comparison

by Curtis Chong

Curtis

Chong using a laptop.

From the Editor: Are

you struggling to decide between buying a laptop computer and an electronic

notetaker? Curtis Chong, who is now the director of field operations and access

technology at the Iowa Department for the Blind, has compiled a very useful

list of pros and cons for both of these electronic wonders. In his job Chong

is responsible for internal information technology, vocational rehabilitation,

independent living, and all programs dealing with access technology, including

the department's Project Assist program, which provides tutorials to run software

with specific versions of various screen-access software. Here is his distilled

wisdom and experience on this important subject:

Blind

people often need portable electronic devices to perform such tasks as notetaking,

dealing with e-mail, word processing, appointment management, and so forth.

Traditionally the solution has centered on off-the-shelf laptop computers equipped

with screen-access technology or specialized devices for the blind, often referred

to as notetakers or PDAs (personal data assistants). This document attempts

to provide a concise list of advantages and disadvantages for each class of

device to enable potential buyers to make a more informed decision.

Laptop Computers

Off-the-shelf laptop computers

running Windows function very much like desktop computers except that they are

smaller and more portable. Braille, talking, or magnification screen-access

technology can be added to this class of computer. As a rule refreshable Braille

displays are not built in, but portable displays can be obtained and connected.

Synthesized speech is generated through the laptop's sound card; an external

speech synthesizer can be attached if necessary.

Advantages

of Laptop Computers

* Laptops are fully functional

computers, able to run the same software as a desktop computer. In fact they

can replace a desktop computer.

*

Technical support for laptop computers is widely available and not restricted

to a vendor selling blindness products.

*

A typical laptop will have gigabytes of hard disk space and hundreds of megabytes

of random access memory--significantly more than a typical PDA for the blind.

*

Laptops can read and burn CDs.

*

If the user knows how to operate a desktop computer, little additional training

is required to use a laptop.

*When

using a laptop, it is much easier to exchange files with other people.

*Laptops

can more easily be connected to devices such as scanners or printers, and the

technical support required for such connections is not limited to a specialized

vendor selling products for the blind.

*With

appropriate software (e.g., ZoomText or MAGic), enlargement of information on

the display is possible.

Disadvantages

of Laptop Computers

*All of the components

to make a laptop usable by a blind person are generally not available from one

source. Typically the laptop is acquired from one dealer, and the access technology

comes from one or two companies, depending on whether a Braille display is involved.

*Laptops

have a relatively short battery life (typically five hours).

*It

takes minutes to boot up a laptop computer, thirty seconds if resuming function

from a sleep or hibernation mode.

*Laptops

are typically heavier and bulkier than PDAs for the blind.

*Laptops

do not provide direct Braille keyboard input--that is, a person who knows how

to enter Braille but who cannot type would not be able to use a laptop without

QWERTY keyboard training.

*Selecting

and then attaching a refreshable Braille display to a laptop requires some technical

knowledge and support from specialized vendors.

*It

is relatively difficult to use a connected refreshable Braille display with

no speech running--that is, laptops are harder to use by people who are deaf-blind.

Personal

Data Assistants for the Blind

These devices are often

referred to as "notetakers," although the actual note-taking function

is a relatively small fraction of what they can do. They are truly personal

data assistants. Devices which fall into this class include Braille 'n Speak,

Type 'n Speak, Braille Lite Millennium (or 2000), Type Lite, BrailleNote (and

VoiceNote), and PAC Mate. The Braille 'n Speak, Type 'n Speak, and VoiceNote

do not have refreshable Braille display capability. The PAC Mate currently being

shipped does not either, but plans have been announced to produce PAC Mates

with built-in refreshable Braille displays.

Advantages

of Personal Data Assistants for the Blind

*All accessibility is built

in. There is no screen access software to buy.

*Because

they are designed for the blind, it is much more likely that documentation and

training materials will be available in alternative formats.

*Start-up

time is very rapid. It takes seconds to get back into a file.

*Battery

life is much better than a laptop. Twenty-plus hours is typical.

*Typically

a PDA for the blind is smaller and more portable than a laptop.

*The

PDA for the blind and accompanying accessories can be purchased from a single

vendor.

*No

additional effort or technical knowledge is necessary to get the Braille display

to work when it is part of the unit.

*Generally

Braille displays can be used without speech running.

*Direct

Braille input is possible.

Disadvantages

of Personal Data Assistants for the Blind

*PDAs for the blind have

no visual display. Display magnification is simply not an option.

*When

using a PDA with direct Braille-input capability, one has to be concerned about

forward- and back-translation issues, if files are to be exchanged with sighted

classmates, friends, or co-workers. Though the promotional literature may make

this seem easy, in reality the user must have a minimal knowledge of the issues

involved with Braille grade translation.

*Formatting

material for visual use requires attention to details that a laptop user need

not worry about. This is especially true for PDAs for the blind with direct

Braille-input capability.

*PDAs

for the blind cannot read or create CDs.

*Sharing

files with classmates, friends, and co-workers is not as simple as it is when

using a laptop. In most cases files created in the format native to the PDA

are not easily read with mainstream technologies.

*PDAs

for the blind cannot run off-the-shelf applications which, on a laptop, have

a good chance of working with nonvisual access technology. They certainly cannot

run the full-function Microsoft or Corel Office suites.

*Technical

support must be supplied either by the vendor or by someone trained by the vendor.

PDAs for the blind are not well understood or supported outside of the blindness

field.

*PDAs

for the blind are not equivalent to laptop computers. They possess less storage

and processing power and are not designed to be the primary method for information

processing and exchange. While many laptops have more than 512 megabytes of

random access memory, even the largest PDA for the blind has only about 100

megabytes. A laptop can contain more than forty gigabytes of hard disk drive

storage capacity, whereas a PDA for the blind might today support a mini disk

drive with about five gigabytes.

So there you have it. No

one answer is right for everybody, and no single choice can meet anyone's every

need. Here, at least, are the issues that will help people make the most informed

decisions for themselves.

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