The Next Generation: A Review of Personal Digital Assistants, Part 2
By Denham, Jim; Leventhal, Jay; McComas, Heather; Access World, Vol. 6, No. 3Publication Date: May 2005
Article is the second in a two-part series on the accessibility of personal digital assistants (PDA), and provides a review of the PAC Mate from Freedom Scientific. The device is reviewed according to the following nine features and criteria: (1) physical description and available options, (2) documentation and online help, (3) general navigation, (4) available word-processing applications, (5) calendars and other planning applications, (6) taking notes, (7) e-mail, (8) browsing the web, and (9) third-party applications. The authors contend that the ability to utilize a refreshable Braille display and to access a variety of third party applications makes PAC Mate a useful device, but it does have some glaring problems. For example, the PDA lacks consistent support for contracted Braille, and is occasionally unstable. Many users, however, have reporting being very happy with the PAC Mate, though the BrailleNote PK did perform the best of all the PDAs reviewed in this series of articles in terms of overall accessibility.
Assistive Products Discussed: PAC MATE BNS
PAC MATE TNS
Published by: AFB Press (Website:http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=46)
American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) (Web Site: http://www.afb.org )
Link to text: http://afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw060305
