Lightspeed

I want to know if anyone has purchased the Lightspeed and what their impression is after working with it and using it.  I'm in the market for a new writer.  I posted a similar message on the old forum as well at the risk of being redundant!

 Thanks for your input!  Also, what are the colors like?  They sound so cool!  Has anyone seen them all?!

Ann :)

Ann, I posted this on the old forum re the LightSpeed:

Date: July 21, 2007 05:46 PM
Author: Greta Duckett (ilovedigitalcat2@hotmail.com)
Subject: I love this writer!

Hi, Everyone

I wrote on a Lightspeed today at our state's convention. The Stenovations rep, Carmen Santone, brought a pre-production model. There is a picture of it here: www.stenovations.com. This writer is AMAZING!! Also, in the July 2007 JCR, Candis Bradshaw wrote an article about new writers, and this one is in there. Read that for more information.

The keys are hard plastic keys like you're used to, but they don't have an up-and-down motion. You simply press on the keys. At first, it seems weird when the keys don't move, but I got used to it in just a couple minutes. There is no number "bar," but individual number keys. You can set the number keys to register numbers without stroking the letter key underneath it. You can also set the key over the asterisk to be a 5 (eliminating that two-finger thing where you stroke your five and the number bar at the same time) and your key over the D to be a 0 (same principle.) You set the touch through a program. Each key is displayed, you click on the key, and then set the sensitivity. There is even a cool spedometer-looking thing in the program, but I'm not sure what it does!

The writer uses a removable SD memory card for note storage. There is no paper and no screen. It connects to the computer by a USB cable, and when connected, the writer gets its power from the computer. There is a battery in the writer, and it can be charged with a charger. The charger is like a cell phone charger. There is also an indication light for your battery power. You wouldn't want to use this writer without your computer because there is no readback capability.

The writer sits on a tripod with a rectangular top whch the writer attaches to. It was sturdy and did not bounce. The writer itself is 1.5 pounds!!!

I loaded my dictionary onto Carmen's computer so I could translate and sat down and wrote for about 30 minutes on it. It is AMAZING!! At first, you try to push the keys down, but they don't go down. I had some trouble getting used to the number keys. It only took a couple of minutes, and I was writing away. Carmen did a presentation to the group about the writer, and I wrote what he said. Okay, I didn't get all of it. Carmen is from the northeast and he's a bullet!! Also, I was writing to a huge screen that everyone could see.

After that, we began our software breakout sessions, and I returned to my writer. It felt like I was pushing those keys down a foot!

If you're going to Dallas, go by the Stenovations booth and try out the writer. They're going to have several set up for people to try.

Greta

I dont' have my writer yet.  I was waiting for a red one, and now I'm waiting for them to update the "firmware," or the software used to set the sensors on the keys.  A friend of mine got the FIRST one!  She has sent me several updates.  She likes it a lot, but she's had a little trouble setting the keys.  I hope the software update will fix that.  I have found Stenovations to be amazing in the updating of software, and when there is a problem, they will fix it quickly and get the fix out to the customer. 

Greta, I know the reasons for the delay, but I'm still bouncing around here like a kid waiting for Christmas!  I startled my daughter with a squeal of frustrated excitement the other day.  She just shakes her head at me . . .

[dying to get my LightSpeed]

A couple of things I've learned since I wrote that review:

If you don't like the writer, you can return it, pay a restocking fee, and get the rest of your money back.  Not sure what the fee is. Maybe 15%?
When Stenovations comes out with the next generation of LightSpeed writers (which I hear will have a screen), you can trade in your old LightSpeed and get credit for the full purchase price towards the new machine.
You can purchase the tripod for the writer, or you can put the writer in your lap.  They are recommending the iLap http://www.raindesigninc.com/ilap.html for this.  If you have the writer on the tripod, they are recommending situating it fairly low. 

From Steve Stogel on another board:  They are working on "key stacking algorithms" for the writer.(like when I stack my -G w/ TO in "running to" and it comes up "run together") where the machine will check to see if the G was hit before the TO, even though they were virtually the same stroke...if the G was hit ever so slightly before the TO, it will just ignore the stack and make it two strokes - G/TO), a feature that allows you to rest your hands on the keys for a certain amount of time (user selectable) and it will just ignore the stroke (so, while waiting for an answer, you can just rest your hands on the keys and it will ignore that "stroke" when you start writing again).   Woo-hoo!  I really need this.

An SD card reader doesn't come with it. They are fairly cheap.  I found some at Tiger Direct:  http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?Recs=10&Nav=|c:942|&Sort=4

Greta [doing the same dance as Brenda!]

Greta,

Writing this message again, feeling very annoyed at this VRF for timing us out.  THIS IS NOT A BANK!!  ENOUGH WITH THE SILLY TIME-OUTS!!  If you start a message and then step away from the computer for a few minutes and come back to finish writing it and click "post," you have to sign in again and OF COURSE the message you were writing disappears.

Anyway, don't want to write it again but let me ask you which card reader did you decide to buy.  grrrr.  i wrote a lot last time and can't bear to write it again.

Marge 

I didn't buy any of those on the page.  I have a reader which I've had for a while.  There are lots of choices there.  The one with the USB hub looks good to me.  I would say to get an all-in-one reader so you can read any kind of card, even ones for other items you may have.  There are a number of different memory cards. 

Many computers have SD card slots in them already.  Look around on yours and see if you have a slot about 1 1/2 inches wide. 

 There's also a new SD card that has a USB adapter built into it.  See this link:  http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Catalog(1096)-SanDisk_Ultra_II_SD_Plus_Cards.aspx

I copied this picture from Lillian's Public Gallery.

Johnny Jackson and Mark Kislingbury with the LightSpeed.

Edited:  If you can't see the picture click here:  http://picasaweb.google.com/freilercourtreporting/2007ConventionDallas2/photo#5098001459884944594

Very interesting.  Does anyone know what he thought about it?? 

This just makes me even more excited and less patient and I'm really annoying my daughter with my squeals now!  *bounce*bounce*squeeeee*

Mine was sent DHL yesterday!!!  I hope to have tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!

Greta,

Let us know how you like it, how long it's taken you to get used to it, etc.

Sounds exciting.

I haven't heard what reporter programs it works with.  Does it only work with Stenovations right now or is it compatible with other software at this point?

Also, I haven't seen a price.  What is the price range for this writer?

Thanks in advance,

It works with all the software.  You use the Baron protocol to set your writer.  The price is right at $2,000.  The tripod and charger are extra.  The tripod and base for the writer is $99.95 and the charger is $25. 

I just got my DHL notice that it has been delivered.  I'm running home at lunch to get it!

Greta Duckett

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