hey there, all you electronically-savvy fellow members! i need to get my semi-handicapped baby sis a voice-activation typing thingy and a notebook, or whatever to write on while reclining, so she doesn't have to sit at the desktop all day... what should i be looking at? what are the best ones and why? love and grateful in advance hugs, maia
Okay, this is from a somewhat dated perspective, but from a software standpoint, an ex-girlfriend of mine used to work as an assistant to a businesswoman who is a quadriplegic. This lady used the "Dragon Naturally Speaking" software to great effect. Unfortunately, I haven't been keeping up on hardware lately, so I can't help you there.
I also use Dragon Naturaly Speaking, and like it. Much of the same software is also included in Vista and Windows 7, although Naturally Speaking has more tools and features. Hardware-wise, I like a wireless stereo headset. Mine is a little uncomfortable after a few hours, especially in hot weather (the earpieces are heavily padded).
I'm happy with my baby Dell. Durable, to say the least; it tromped around Madagascar for a couple months with me, though it is a little slow. By talking to the sales rep online I got $100 off and free shipping, so that was nice. I have a computer-building friend who is a die hard Dell fan but he admits there isn't much difference between a Dell and an HP except the support (Dell has better support).
i'm a diehard dell user/buyer myself, and after checking out the alternatives, have pretty much decided on their mini-notebook as the best way to go...
Maia, I just picked up a refurbished Lenovo notebook from their outlet for a really great price. I have been super happy with the build quality and components. My only gripe is that the 'Fn' and 'Ctrl' keys should have been swapped (IMHO). They came in much cheaper than the Dells that I was looking at.
thanks! thankfully, she doesn't seem to want a laptop, since sitting on a sofa is also a problem, so i'll only be out the cost of the dragon program... thanks for all your help, everyone! you can lock the thread now, cog... hugs, m
