Not All Windows CE Devices are Equal
An Editorial by Pulse Data HumanWare President, Jim Halliday

Three years ago, when Pulse Data first introduced the BrailleNote, I wrote an article on why we had chosen Windows CE as an operating system. In that article, I stressed several critical elements of any true PDA which Windows CE enables. For example, CE enables programmers to create an appropriate user interface; it has the ability to sync data with mainstream applications; it has instant on/off capability and extended battery life due to low overheads; it can incorporate mainstream hardware, such as memory cards, network cards, modems, etc., and it has the ability to capitalize on mainstream utilities like Active Sync and HyperTerminal. Now, others are following our technological leadership as they begin to incorporate Windows CE in their own devices. With competition comes the question, "Whose Windows CE-based device is best?"

Happily, as I refer back to my original article of three years ago, I find that the BrailleNote has consistently capitalized on the many advantages that Windows CE offers, while the latest competition has totally ignored one of the most important benefits of the CE environment, that being the opportunity to design an appropriate user interface. By failing to capitalize on this essential advantage of Windows CE, our competition has been forced to select one of the many user interfaces designed for sighted people thus requiring yet another screen reader. If we were talking about mainstream computing, then such a solution might make sense, but with Windows CE we are talking about a Personal Data Assistant (PDA), not a mainstream computer. Don't be fooled into thinking that MS Windows and Pocket PC have the same user interface let alone the same power. PDA user interfaces vary greatly from those of mainstream computers so traditional "access" rationale is not relevant here. Beware of being forced to learn a whole new screen reader that has no transferability to the mainstream. It is essential that prospective users understand that PDAs are about personal productivity and synchronizing data with mainstream applications. They have nothing to do with "accessing" mainstream computers.

User Interface
Personal productivity and efficiency are all about user interface. Windows CE enables developers to create the best possible user interface that meets a user's unique needs. BrailleNote has a brilliantly intuitive and efficient user interface designed specifically for blind users through years of user feedback. The competition has NOT taken advantage of this Windows CE strength, but rather chosen an existing PDA user interface designed for sighted people. As a result, this inherently unfriendly (visual) user interface requires the addition of a whole new screen reader that has no transferability to mainstream computing. It merely adds needless complexity.

Direct Access versus Screen Access
Today's mainstream computers have integrated an intuitive user interface designed to give sighted people Direct Access to their applications. Historically, blind people have been forced to jump through an extra hoop known as a Screen Reader which enables them to access the Graphical (Visual) User Interface which in turn controls the Direct Access. Even today, this sort of indirect access remains the best way for blind users to access mainstream computers.

Mainstream Computers versus PDAs
Let's be honest. A PDA is NOT a mainstream computer and anyone who tries to tell you that it is should have more respect for your intelligence. PDAs come in different shapes and sizes from a variety of manufacturers, i.e., Microsoft, Palm, Sony, Handspring, HP, Casio, NEC, Motorola, Pulse Data and many others. Some of these use Windows CE, some use Palm OS, and others use their own operating systems. Each brand has its own user interface and users choose the one that is most intuitive and efficient for them. There is no standard user interface with PDAs as there is in mainstream computing where 90% of the computers in the world use Windows. The user interface is a personal choice and operating systems like Windows CE make this difference and benefit possible. That's why it's a Personal Data Assistant. PDAs are about personal productivity. They are NOT about being forced to jump through additional hoops before one can be productive.

The Ability to Sync
Aside from the user interface, the other important aspect of a PDA, regardless of its operating system, is its ability to sync with basic Windows applications like Word and Outlook. But the ability only to convert an MS Word file to a more limited Pocket Word file misses the real point of file conversion for a blind user. BrailleNote's ability, at the user's option, to instantly convert MS Word files into Grade II Braille files running in KeyWord and visa versa has been one of BrailleNote's most appreciated capabilities. This is a perfect example of how Windows CE, when used to its fullest, can provide an appropriate user interface AND truly meaningful mainstream compatibility. As BrailleNote adds other utilities, such as KeySync which synchronizes data from various BrailleNote applications with MS Outlook, we see further confirmation that people who are blind can have the best of both worlds, Direct Access AND meaningful compatibility.

Applications: Quality versus Quantity
Imagine the gastronomic joys of sitting down with a directly accessible menu in a quality restaurant that specializes in your favorite foods prepared and served to your sublime satisfaction with your specific needs and tastes in mind versus standing in a queue in a cafeteria where the menu, which is not directly accessible to you, offers a huge selection of food options none of which are prepared with your unique tastes or needs in mind, that you must put on a tray and carry through a crowded dining hall until you find an empty table where you can finally sit down to eat your less-than-satisfactory meal. Both of these examples provide you with food. The first example has fewer options but ALL of the choices meet your needs and desires. The second example has more choices, but FEW IF ANY of those choices truly meet your needs or desires. Are you a quality person or a quantity person?

True Off-the-shelf Applications versus So-called "Off-the-shelf" Applications
Accessing off-the-shelf applications is something necessary in mainstream computing because 90% of the people in the computing world are using those applications and if blind people want to compete in mainstream jobs they must access mainstream or off-the-shelf applications. PDAs, on the other hand, are designed to enhance personal productivity. The closest PDAs come to a standard is that they all sync with certain MS Office applications, otherwise there is no standard. Therefore, the traditional reason for adding the complexity of a screen reader to the process of computing disappears. In fact, every true PDA provides a personalized environment that allows for the kind of Direct Access most appropriate for the user.

More is Not Always Better… It's Just More!
More complexity, more decisions, more confusion, more distraction… more is not always what we want. Personal productivity is about focus, not distraction. The hype may sound good when you hear that you can access a spreadsheet, but accessing spreadsheets on PDA is like carrying an elephant on a bicycle. The concept is fascinating, but it's not very practical if you are the one doing the pedaling.

PDAs are Personal - Computers are for the Masses
It is absolutely essential that customers realize that computers are about accessing the mainstream and that PDAs are about personal productivity that enables easy and efficient data exchange with the mainstream on a portable basis. Both of these resources are necessary but both have different purposes and therefore require different user interfaces. Until the competition understands the true meaning of a PDA and starts developing its own user interface and related applications, it will have ignored the fundamental advantages of Windows CE and be stuck with a non-standard screen reader accessing non-standard visual applications on a stripped down operating system that is incapable of functioning as a mainstream computer. Meanwhile, the BrailleNote continues to add applications with Direct Access such as browsers, MP-3 players, data-synchronizing utilities, wireless access, high-speed network connections, GPS, multiple languages, and much, much more. While the competition has been making promises for three years, Pulse Data International has provided a constant string of new developments, applications, utilities, and capabilities as they have pursued their dream of creating the ideal PDA for people who are blind.

Stability versus Fragility
Do you want a truly stable PDA (Personal Data Assistant) that has been expanding its capabilities for three successful years by giving you personal productivity software designed specifically for your needs, or do you want an unproven "PDA" (Partial Direct Access) that gives you an all new screen access approach to so-called "off-the-shelf" software none of which was designed with you in mind? Keep in mind that a script-dependent screen reading approach is inherently fragile, especially in its early stages of development.

30-day Moneyback Guarantee
If you still aren't sure what's best for you, purchase a BrailleNote or VoiceNote and try it out. If it doesn't work for you then return it in good condition within 30 days for a full refund. You have nothing to lose by giving a BrailleNote or a VoiceNote a test drive. We believe that once you have experienced the simplicity and personal power that comes from using a tried and true PDA, you will wonder why you waited so long to get one.