[Reader-users] Let's get some discussion going

Sat Jan 26 12:26:12 CST 2008

will there be a post, (i.e. a transcript of the meeting), posted on this 
list?

Keith
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "James Gashel" <jim at knfbreader.com>
To: "'Kurzweil National Federation of the Blind Reader user list'" 
<reader-users at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2008 10:54 AM
Subject: Re: [Reader-users] Let's get some discussion going

> Hi Laura:
>
> If you are interested in checking out the knfbREADER Mobile, I promise you
> that we are not going to lead you astray.
>
> Developing this product has been far more difficult than just shoving
> software into a cell phone.  The phone we are using has the unique camera
> and technical specifications needed to function as a high quality Reader. 
> I
> don't want to imply that everything will work exactly the same as or 
> always
> as good as our first portable reader.  In some instances our new Reader
> actually out performs our first Reader, but in some other conditions it 
> may
> not.  My personal experience is that the two are within about a five 
> percent
> range of one another on the performance scale, provided you learn to use 
> and
> maintain them correctly.  The techniques for taking good pictures are not
> the same, but the results certainly can be.
>
> Please stand by for our announcement coming up on Monday and then feel 
> free
> to check it out from there.
>
>
>
> Thanks, J. G.
> *************
> James Gashel
> Vice President of Business Development
> K-NFB Reading Technology, Inc.
> telephone (443) 854-0854
> toll free (866) 836-9988
> fax (781) 263-9999
> jim at knfbreader.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: reader-users-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:reader-users-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of tribble
> Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2008 9:35 AM
> To: Kurzweil National Federation of the Blind Reader user list
> Subject: Re: [Reader-users] Let's get some discussion going
>
> Hi James -- I do hope the A/B units will continue to be supported as I and
> many others have invested a lot of money in it -- but as for whether it is 
> a
>
> good idea to go mobile, I think it is great as a pocket sized unit would 
> be
> so much easier to carry around, and the hardware is out there that can
> support such a thing -- most all phones now have cameras and processors, 
> so
> putting the software on it seems like a natural evolution. I am reminded
> though of the use CodeFactory made of the phone cameras to write software 
> to
>
> identifier color and lighting for blind users.  The software only costed
> something like $30 but I thought it was a really creative use of the 
> camera,
>
> which many blind phone customers thought they would never need to use.
> however, I bought the color recognizer and frankly it didn't work worth a
> hoot -- I mean, you had to recalibrate it every time your surroundings
> changed or it would give ridiculous results, and if a blind person needs 
> to
> depend on knowing when lighting changes in order to use the recognizer, it
> turned out to be a loser.  But I must say it was a nice try. In the end I
> did go and buy the color test from APH for their ridiculously high price,
> which differs in that it has its own light source and doesn't depend on --
> and in fact can't work when there is -- ambient light.  They have a 
> cheaper
> model for a third the price, but I opted for the color test as I tried the
> other one at convention on some clothes I brought along and it didn't 
> work.
> I have been happy with the color test.
>
> But back to the reader, if there are similar gotchas for the knfb stuff
> being put on a mobile phone, then I would be leary of sinking money into 
> it.
>
> Otherwise, if it indeed would work as well as the original units, I might
> scrape into my budget yet again and consider getting one -- maybe after it
> has been out a while.  (I'm still reeling from an unexpected veterinarian
> bill for my little dog who got away and tangled with a fast moving car...)
> Is there a projected price tag on the mobile reader?
> Cheers!
> --le
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "James Jolley" <james.jolley at homecall.co.uk>
> To: "Kurzweil National Federation of the Blind Reader user list"
> <reader-users at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2008 6:28 AM
> Subject: [Reader-users] Let's get some discussion going
>
>
> Hi folks,
>
> I got to thinking about this after the news regarding the mobile
> product line. What do people think to perhaps buying it as a secondary
> machine if they could afford it? For me, thinking on what Jim said,
> the A and B units surely would continue to have updates as the PDA in
> both of them is fast for what we're doing. After all, it doesn't take
> 600 MHZ or so of processing to do OCR, indeed I remember doing it on
> open book years ago with a 486 DX33. In honesty, do people think that
> the unit is small enough as it is? Getting these things onto mobiles
> is all well and good but as you know, aiming and holding a mobile
> phone straight is difficult for some. My only worry about all this
> miniaturization is that we may forget that these are reading machines
> first and foremost.
>
> What do people think?
>
> Best
>
> -James-
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