[Reader-users] i dont get it

Wed Feb 20 14:11:17 CST 2008

Dear Carl,

Who said the the R and D was already done.
The development of the software for the new reader is different than that of 
the Reader Classic.
The Platform is different and the software has been streamlined and up 
graded to work quicker with less RAM to drive it.
It is a new animal, not just a re-packaged one.
The software will allow for you to take a picture from the side or at an 
angle unlike the Classic that was more alignment dependent.
As a engineer, I can tell you that it was not as simple as some of you all 
think and R and D cost are high and give no guarantee that it will all work 
the way you want.
The biggest thing working against the Blind is that we are a small 
population with very special needs.  The Blind are only about 1/300 th. of 
our population of 300 million.
If we could sell one to each and every citizen in the Country, the price 
would be less than a dinner out at McDonald's.
The more units you can sell the more you can reduce the unit price.
Placing this software into a common cell phone and adding features that will 
be attractive to the General Public , will make it something that other will 
want and use.
Adding  the feature to let it photograph and translate text in foreign 
languages could be a feature that the General Public could very much want 
and use, especially for those traveling abroad.  This would sell to a wider 
population, worldwide and therefore, reduce the unit price because of 
greater demand.
Hopefully, They will develop software that will be installable into other 
high end cell phones and make it something that will be more flexible, much 
the way JAWS is in that it will work in almost any computer.

David Evans, NFBF
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Karl Smith" <karl at axistech.net>
To: "'Kurzweil National Federation of the Blind Readerss user list'" 
<reader-users at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 8:29 AM
Subject: Re: [Reader-users] i dont get it

> The fact is that you are getting a $1,000.00 credit for your original unit
> towards the new reader.  This is  a very good offer and one which is 
> unusual
> in the industry.  This all has to do with the changes in the market as 
> PDAs
> are giving way to cell phones.  The choice is stop making the reader or 
> try
> to migrate to technology which can continue the development and 
> improvement
> of the reader.
>
> Karl
>
>
>
> ____________________
>
> Karl Smith
> Access Technology Specialist
> Axis
> 4304 South El Camino St.
> Taylorsville, Utah 84119
>
> Phone:  866-824-7885
> Fax:    866-824-7885
> E-mail: karl at axistech.net
>
> No one will ever go broke underestimating the intelligence of the human
> race.
>
>   - H. L. Menkin
> -----Original Message-----
> From: reader-users-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:reader-users-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Vidya
> Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 10:49 PM
> To: Kurzweil National Federation of the Blind Reader user list
> Subject: Re: [Reader-users] i dont get it
>
> NFB at least should pressurize Ray Kurzweil to give a cheaper upgrade to
> KNFB mobile software to its initial buyers.
> Why are the same people expected to pay twice for the R&D?
> Or does NFB get some commission on each sale?
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Keith and Tracy" <hear2c at mchsi.com>
> To: "Kurzweil National Federation of the Blind Reader user list"
> <reader-users at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 9:06 AM
> Subject: Re: [Reader-users] i dont get it
>
>
>>I think one of the reasons they are jumping to a cell phoone is that the
>>PDA
>> is no longer available from Fuji, which, I guess, is the maker of the
>> version KNFB used originally.  As for the hardware being tapped out, I
>> think
>> it's a bit too much for consumers to chew.  I'm sure there is some way to
>> update the hardware wireing/chipsets or something to allow for expansion
>> of
>> the software.
>>
>> Another thing is that I think people were complainng on how bulky the
>> classic reader is.  I personally don't think it's that bad, but whatever.
>>
>> Keith
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net>
>> To: "Kurzweil National Federation of the Blind Reader user list"
>> <reader-users at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 7:36 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Reader-users] i dont get it
>>
>>
>>> This is not my experience.  Some people can get someone else to buy
>>> access
>>> equipment, and some people can't.  My employer bought the braille 
>>> display
>>> I have at work.  I bought the one I have at home.  I bought my KNFB
>>> reader.  Plenty of other people I know also bought their readers
>>> themselves, getting the money together one way or another.
>>>
>>> But I'm with the guy who started this tread.  How can a cell phone be
>>> better stronger faster than a PDA?  The PDA's not that old.  It doesn't
>>> make sense to me.
>>> Tracy
>>>
>>>
>>>> I think it is a good deal easier for americans to obtain equipment.
>>>> There access for employers and so on is a good deal better than here
>>>> in the UK. If your blind over there you get braille displays just
>>>> because you sort of want them. Over here we have to justify, justify,
>>>> justify etc.
>>>>
>>>> Best
>>>>
>>>> -James-
>>>> On 4 Feb 2008, at 12:33, Keith and Tracy wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I think you are mistaken about the  funding aspect.  The deaf has
>>>>> closed
>>>>> captioning on TV shows and movies, which is madated by the feds.
>>>>> The tv and
>>>>> movie studeios have lobbyists up the wazoo, telling congress that
>>>>> they don't
>>>>> want to fund Descriptive video for shoes and movies.  If you are
>>>>> talking
>>>>> aobut Lion's clubs, even Iraq has Lion's clubs.
>>>>>
>>>>> Keith
>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>> From: "william lomas" <lomaswilliam at googlemail.com>
>>>>> To: "Kurzweil National Federation of the Blind Reader user list"
>>>>> <reader-users at nfbnet.org>
>>>>> Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 1:28 AM
>>>>> Subject: [Reader-users] i dont get it
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> hi all
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> how have they maxed out the hardware of that PDA for the classic
>>>>>> it is ten times faster than an average mobile phone is much much much
>>>>>> faster, and no one is going to fund you buying a phone to have OCR on
>>>>>> it if you want it for a job
>>>>>> you guys are all blinded by technology it hillarious
>>>>>> so what it is a mboile phone? big deal, 90 percent of us here already
>>>>>> own them
>>>>>> you'll ahve to buy a new phone? oh it ok as you US guys get
>>>>>> everything
>>>>>> phones, funding for this, funding for that, we get nothing here in
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> UK
>>>>>> i feel so sorry for those people who brought the classic for example,
>>>>>> were told it would work in their langauge i.e to read spanish french
>>>>>> german, and are now told thanks for your money but we are scrweing
>>>>>> you
>>>>>> over, buy out new product now to get what you should have had int he
>>>>>> old one it pathetic
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> Reader-users mailing list
>>>>>> Reader-users at nfbnet.org
>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/reader-users
>>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>
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