Hi, I both sell and use the Elba. I also do a lot of the tech support and training on the Elba for Sighted Electronics. There is a listserv set up for the Elba and all the firmware updates plus the sych tools and manuals are available for download. As for the battery life, the Elba should give you around 12-14 hours of operating time. It takes around 3.5 hours to charge. The Elba uses Eloquence for speech. We also now have support for wifi wireless internet. As for access to the operating system and interface, you can have complete access if you like. We do password this access so that people don't get into trouble if they are just interested in a notetaker, however we make this available if you request it. We have had a couple of users who have completely rewritten the interface on there Elba. Let me know if you have other questions. Tommy -----Original Message----- From: blinux-list-admin@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:blinux-list-admin@xxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Luke Yelavich Sent: Monday, July 21, 2003 8:07 AM To: blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx Subject: Papermeier Braillex ELBA note taker Hi all I am wondering whether anybody has had experience with this note taker, as I am thinking of getting a braille note taker in the future. At the moment it is a decision between the Braille Note, and the Braillex ELBA note takers. A few pros and cons I have found so far below. Braille Note pros: * Interface is easy to use. * Keynote speech is clear and responsive. * Well supported by the manufacturer. Cons: * Connectivity is there, I.E via PCMCIA/CompactFlash, but unless the drivers for hardware are present on the unit, the hardware won't work, and there is no way of making it work. * Based on Windows CE (A personal dislike). * Can't access main operating system from within main interface. Braillex ELBA Pros: * The most popular methods of connectivity have been included. * Runs on Linux. * Access to command shell is possible. Cons: * Possibility that the interface software is not open source. * Possibility that Linux kernel can't be updated with newer drivers, eg for PCMCIA/USB hardware. * Shorter battery life. * No direct evidence of product support from manufacturer's website, I.E mailing list, etc. * No software downloads available anywhere that I have seen. So if anybody has had experience with the Braillex ELBA series in particular, I am interested in hearing your opinion. I like the sound of this unit, but if it is not readily supported, I am not sure if I want to bother with it. Thanks Luke _______________________________________________ Blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list _______________________________________________ Blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list