Site News Archives
Site News Archive
PAC Mate Gear Site News Archive
This page contains an archive of the site news for PAC
Mate Gear. This page is updated monthly. To obtain the latest site news please visit the
main page.
Please Note-- Some of these links may no longer work. This document is a historical overview
of PAC Mate Gear and the evolution of the PAC Mate.
Site News Archive
January 21, 2009
Some exciting News this month from Freedom Scientific! PAC Mate 6.2 Update has been posted to the Freedom Scientific Web Site. This update provides several enhancements to the contracted Braille input and provides some important printer fixes. Download and get more information
As Bookshare Subscribers probably know, earlier in January, Bookshare.org changed the way books are searched, downloaded, and formatted. Bookshare.org material is no longer distributed in the BKS format. Instead, books are compressed and encrypted using the popular ZIP format which can be opened on most computers. This means you can no longer use the Bookshare Unpack Utility to open Bookshare.org books onto your PAC Mate. In order to continue downloading and unzipping Bookshare.org books directly on your PAC Mate, you can download and use the free, third-party file-management utility called Total Commander. PAC Mate users and anyone else who would like to know more about how to download, install and use Total Commander to download and unzip books from Bookshare.org can go to
Bookshare support on the PAC Mate
for more details and step-by-step instructions.
August 4, 2008
Freedom Scientific posts PAC Mate Omni 6.1. Read more and download the update
June 29, 2008
Freedom Scientific posts their summer convention schedule in their latest NewsLetter. Read More and look for information on how to win Freedom Scientific products
May 13,2008
Today Freedom Scientific announced their Open Plan. This provides Humanware Notetaker owners to move to the open platform of the PAC Mate Omni. The
trade in prices are really good, $995.00 for a BX400 or QX400
Read More
If you live in Florida and would like to take advantage of this offer, please
E-mail me If you do not live in Florida, please locate a dealer
March 12, 2008
Today Freedom Scientific made available a free Maintenance Release for the PAC Mate Omni.
This maintenance update for the PAC Mate Omni BX and QX is an optional update that addresses
specific usability issues that were discovered after the initial
release of PAC Mate Omni. Installing this update will update your PAC Mate Omni from version6.0.285 to 6.0.1019 and requires you to perform a clean reset
which will delete all data including any additional applications you have installed.Installation of this update is not required and those who prefer may
wait for the release of PAC Mate Omni version 6.1 which is expected in the second quarter of2008. Version 6.1 will incorporate all of the changes included
in this maintenance release plus other improvements and enhancements.
More If you still haven't, you can
href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/products/fs/pacmate-omni-upgrade.asp">Register for your PAC Mate Omni upgrade
January 6, 2008
It's that time of year again! As PAC Mate Gear moves in to our fifth year of service, we
wanted to provide a chance for you to provide feedback. Please
href="http://www.pacmategear.com/PMGSurvey-Form.shtml">Fill out the PAC Mate Gear Survey
November 22, 2007
Today, Freedom Scientific made available an update for all PAC Mate BX and QX units. This
update improves the software that controls the battery. The update does not erase any files
and only takes 5 minutes to complete. Freedom Scientific recommends all users perform this
update to improve battery performance. For more information you may
href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_products/PACMate_BatteryDriverFirmwareUpdate.asp"> Read More
November 7, 2007
FSCast 11, features BrailleSoft. Don't forget to
give the public beta of JAWS 9.0 a go on your computer, especially if you're using Windows
Vista and Mobile Device Sync Center.
One of the many benefits of the PAC Mate™ accessible Pocket PC is that its uses can be
expanded with third-party, mainstream software right out of the box. Many users write
scripts to make other off-the-shelf applications accessible. Louis Bryant of
href="http://www.braillesoft.net">BrailleSoft
has gone a step further by developinggames and original utilities for PAC Mate.
Also in this issue Openbook 8.0 and Magic 11 are discussed. href="http://podcast.freedomscientific.com/FSCast/episodes/fscast011-october2007.mp3">Listen to Episode 11 of FSCast
August 2, 2007
July 2007 FSCast highlights PAC Mate OMNI. For the latest information scroll up to the top
of the page and read the information in our PAC Mate omni section. The Podcast is available
from the FSCast Subscription
page.
May 22, 2007
Play Scrabble on your PAC Mate. To get started, first download Scrabble from our
href="/doc/SoftwareDownloads">Software Downloads page href="/doc/CustomSCripts">Custom Scripts Page.
May 9, 2007
Today PAC Mate Gear learned of another source for printers that are compatible with PAC
Mates.
- For information on purchasing printers compatible with the Freedom Scientific PAC Mate,
please contact the following:
(printers are listed below the contact information) - The Printer Connection
Huntsville AL - Brenda Rich, Extension 3029
- Toll Free, 800 982 3138
- Toll, 256 880 9991
- Email: Brend at
theprinterconnection.com
- Web Site: href="http://www.theprinterconnection.com">www.theprinterconnection.com
Note-- This does not represent an Endorsement by www.pacmategear.com. This is provided
mearly as a convenience to our readers. PAC Mate Gear is not in anyway Affiliated with The
Printer Connection.
April 27, 2008
Freedom Scientific released the second update to JAWS 8.0. This update provides much better
support for all versions of Windows Vista. The release also boasts numerous bug fixes and
enhancements for office 2003/2007, PAC Mate remote, Internet Explorer 7.0 and Windows XP.
href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_products/software_jaws80fea.asp">Learn More
March 29, 2007
FSCast Episode 4 March 2007 is now available.
This month, we talk about the PAC Mate™ accessible Pocket PC and Focus braille displays. Ron
Miller, whose voice will be familiar to users of the PAC Mate
audio tutorial, joins us to talk about these products. He demonstrates the forthcomingStreetTalk™ 2.0 GPS solution, as well as our ScanTalker™ accessible
barcode scanner for PAC Mate.
March 26, 2007
Today Freedom Scientific Announced that FSReader for PAC Mate Now Plays RFB&D Audio+ Books.
Users will need to download the 1.1 release of FSReader and will need to contact RFB&D to
purchase a UAK key.
href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_news/PressRoom/en/2007/FSReader-for-PACMate-and-RF BD-3-21-07.asp">Read More
March 7, 2007
Grant Hardy has contributed MSN Scripts for BX users. These Scripts make it easier to
communicate in grade 2 braille. Note-- These scripts are for the BX models only
href="http://www.pacmategear.com/files/scripts/BX-MSN-Scripts.zip">Download the Binaries
March 2, 2007
Day light savings time patch available for windows mobile 2003. This patch will allow your
windows mobile 2003 device to adjust to the new dates for DST.
href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_support/BulletinView.cfm?QC=1174">Read more and download the patch
The Send us a message form on the contact us page is currently
unavailable. They will be back online soon. For now, if you need to contact us use the below
e-mail addresses:
- PacmateListModerator@pacmategear.com- for any issues related to the PAC Mate, StreetTalk
or the PMScripting lists.
- pturnage@pacmategear.com- Use this address for any other issues with the web site or
specific content.
February 28, 2007
Today PAC Mate Gear received two contributions from David Engebretson. The first found on
our Software Downloads page, is an application that
will toggle the read only status of a file on the PAC Mate. The second found on our
href="/doc/CustomSCripts">Custom Scripts
that fixes the issue of Pocket JAWS not reading the status line.
January 4, 2007
Sit down with Yahtzee Visit our Software downloads page for
more games and other useful software applications.
December 22, 2006
Today Freedom Scientific launched FSCast. The
first episode of this podcast has a segment at the end all about PAC Mate Gear. Check it out
and let us know what you think.
href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/FSCast/default.asp">Subscribe to FSCast
September 15, 2006
Today Freedom Scientific made a Multilingual QX updated keyboard driver and Humanware trade
in program available. Read below for details.
href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/PACMATE-HQ/PACMate_Multi_lang_Keybd_Driver.asp">Get details and download the QX multilingual keyboard driver
Trade in any proprietary HumanWare notetaker and get the features you want today
with Freedom Scientific’s PAC Mate.
Freedom Scientific’s Open Plan, announced today, will help blind users of VoiceNote,BrailleNote, mPower,
and BrailleNote PK notetakers upgrade to an open platform that uses the familiar Windowsinterface and runs mainstream applications.
September 1, 2006
Freedom Scientific’s open platform approach to hardware and software has brought over
another major voice in
the field of access technology for the blind.Jonathan Mosen, previously of HumanWare, is the new Vice President of Blindness Hardware
Product Management at Freedom Scientific’s Blind/Low Vision Group.
August 12, 2006
Today BrailleSoft made available Blackjack for the PAC Mate. You can get more information
from The BrailleSoft Home Page This
software was made possible by the free basic interpreter
href="http://www.basic4ppc.com/">Basic4PPC
for people to develop new and exciting applications for the PAC Mate. This and more are
available from our Software Downloads Page
August 1, 2006
Freedom Scientific Release PAC Mate version 4.1. This feature packed release offers several
new enhancements. The update is available for all those running 4.0. For more information,
More.
June 21, 2006
- A few major items of interest from Freedom Scientific
- Enter to Win a QX400
or BX400 at the NFB or ACB conventions
- Freedom
Scientific NFB and ACB convention details made available
- JAWS 7.10
released- Free upgrade to JAWS 7.0 users and those using PAC Mate Remote
April 11, 2006
The PAC Mate Training Group begins offering training services. To get information on getting
these services please access our PAC Mate Training page
March 29, 2006
Freedom Scientific released PAC Mate Firmware 4.0. New features include, more than one
FSEdit open at a time, better scientific calculator, and much much more.
href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_downloads/DL_PACmate_40_Update.asp">Learn More
March9, 2006
The Freedom
Scientific Monthly Newsletter contains information on the upcoming PAC Mate 4.0 as well
as JAWS 7.1 releases. This issue also provides readers a chance to get more information on
Freedom Scientific's CSUN Schedule.
February 25, 2006
PAC Mate Gear wants your comments on our new high contrast version
of the site. Eventually the color scheme will be available from all pages. Please
href="/doc/ContactUs">contact us
a high contrast version of the site that meets the needs for the majority of our users.
February 4, 2006
Brian Hartgen is the first to submit an Audio Review here on PAC Mate Gear. His review is on
FSReader and can be found in our Audio Section
January 12, 2006
Freedom Scientific to show the upcoming PAC Mate 4.0 Release. At this year's ATIA
conference. For more information visit the ATIA Web Site
November 30, 2005
PAC Mate was the topic of some issues on the technology show Main Menu. Pay close attention
to the shows from July 13 July 20 and August 17. Also don't miss the mentions of PAC Mate
Gear during the presentations.
href="http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&am p;PAGE_id=19">Learn More
November 19, 2005
A link to a PAC Mate review was contributed by a PAC Mate user and is here for your
enjoyment. Pleas watch for a place for reviews in the near future. For now enjoy.
href="http://www.vibug.org/vbg0805.m3u">Listen to the review
November 18, 2005
In Version 3.0 Freedom Scientific introduced PAC Mate Remote. In our latest user story the
author describes how the new feature can be helpful in two situations. Access this story and
the other stories in our user stories section
October 16, 2005
The freedom I have acquired with the pacmate, a user story has been posted in our
href="/doc/UserStories">User Stories
changed the life of a college student.
October 15, 2005
JAWS 7.0 has been released by Freedom Scientific. This release bosts support for the Firefox
web browser, stability fixes for the most commonly used programs, FSClipboard, and other
enhancements when using your PAC Mate in combination with JAWS. Authorized users can
download a copy of JAWS 7.0 and users who wish to give this a try who are not authorized can
download the release and use it with their PAC Mates in PAC Mate Remote Desktop.
href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_products/software_jaws70fea.asp">Learn More
August 20, 2005
Not sure what pieces you need to build a complete GPS solution for your PAC Mate? Freedom
Scientific now provides a bundal that contains all the proper hardware and software to get
you going with GPS. To access the information from their online store
href="https://www.freedomscientific.com/fresci/showdetl.cfm?&DID=9&User_ID=239364&am p;st=8257&st2=-77689646&st3=-64768094&Product_ID=454&CATID=43">Learn More
July 1, 2005
With the release of StreetTalk, the PAC Mate Gear Team is expanding the User Community to
include a mailing list for everything StreetTalk. This list will specifically deal with
StreetTalk's installation and operation. Other topics could include installation and
operation of destinator, GPS hardware, and much much more. For more information on the
mailing lists offered to our user community visit our User
Community page
June 30, 2005
Streettalk the GPS Solution is available from Freedom Scientific. If you are going to the
NFB or ACB conventions there is a special price for a bundle.
href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_news/PressRoom/en/2005/nr_StreetTalk-FSReader-6-30 -2005.asp">Read the press release
June 28, 2005
Today Freedom Scientific released PAC Mate version 3.0. To read about new features or to
download the Update
href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_downloads/DL_PACmate_30_Update.asp">Visit the 3.0 Update Page
June 23, 2005
Some exciting news was released today by Freedom Scientific. The much awaited PAC Mate
Firmware Update 3.0 will be released no later than July 1, 2005. This release will follow
the release of JAWS 6.2. This is a free update to any person running 6.0 or 6.1. You can
read more on the
href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_products/software_jaws620fea.asp
">JAWS 6.2 release
a PAC Mate at both the NFB and ACB conventions. To preregister and get more information
href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_drawing/default.asp
">Read the details
May 13, 2005
Today Freedom Scientific released FSCommander. This application will give PAC Mate owners
the ability to control consumer IR devices such as televisions, stereos, etc.
href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_products/PACmate_FSCommander.asp">Read More
April 27, 2005
Check out the highest scores in our new Jawbreaker
Scoreboard. These scores are added and updated in real-time so go ahead and show the
world your score.
April 26, 2005
Do you want to help in the development of PAC Mate Gear? Please take a moment and help us by
filling out a short survey about your ePAC Mate Gear Experience. The data compiled by this
survey will allow the PAC Mate Gear Team to hear from you the users of this great resource.
At PAC Mate Gear the team strives to make the site your resource for everything PAC Mate.
href="PMGSurvey-Form.shtml">Fill out the survey
Wednesday, December 29, 2004 — The death toll after this weekend’s earthquake and tsunamis
has reached an unfathomable estimated 50,000 victims, and that
toll may continue to rise as disaster relief teams from around the world arrive at
devastated areas to assess the damage.
An Indian man holds his head as he sits atops the ruins of his house destroyed in a tsunami
in Cuddalore, some 180 km south of the southern Indian city
of Madras, December 27, 2004.
Reuters/Arko Datta, courtesy www.alertnet.org.
Sunday’s 9.0 earthquake, the strongest on record in the world for the last forty years,
struck the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia in the morning,
causing a tsunami that swept thousands to their deaths and destroyed coastlines thousands of
miles away. The majority of the destruction centered in Sri
Lanka, India, the Maldives, Indonesia, and Thailand, and tsunamis also caused massive damage
along the east coast of Africa, including the Cocos Island
and Somalia.
March 1, 2005
Another game is now working quite nicely with the PAC Mate. The classic game BattleShip now
has a spoken interface using the power of JAWS and the PAC Mate. Download the scripts from
our Custom Scripts section This and other software is on
February 28, 2005
Want to get started with Jawbreaker? Read our latest article in our
href="ArticlesTipsAndTricks.shtml">Articles, Tips and Tricks section. href="http://www.pacmategear.com/Articles/Jawbreaker.shtml">Playing Jawbreaker on your PAC Mate
January 21, 2005
The PAC Mate is featured in Access World
This months issue of Access World highlights Kolby Garrison's daily use for her PAC Mate.
Don't miss the nice reference to www.pacmategear.com.
Read the Article
January 12, 2005
Join Freedom Scientific in celebrating the 10th anniversary of JAWS at this years anual
Assistive href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_news/PressRoom/en/2005/nr_JAWS-ATIA_1-11-2005.asp" >Read the Press Release
Technology Industry Association (ATIA) Conference. For more information
January 11, 2005
Freedom Scientific today announced lower prices for its PAC Mate™ 20 and 40 cell braille
displays. The PAC
Mate 40 display has been reduced 20 percent, from $3995 to $3200. The PAC Mate 20 displayhas been reduced 30 percent, from $1995 to $1400.
January 6, 2005
Today Freedom Scientific posted the Bookshare unpack utility for PAC Mate owners running 2.5
of the PAC Mate Software.
href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_products/PACmate_BookShare_Unpack.asp">Read More
December 29, 2004
Red Cross donation links at bottom of all www.pacmategear.com pages:
The survivers of Sundays Earthquake and tsunami need your help. The best way to help is to
provide any donation through internal organizations such as the
href="http://www.redcross.org">Red Cross.
be available at the bottom of all pages contained on the www.pacmategear.com servers. Please
ensure you initiate contact for donations as I have heard reports of scams in which people
call and ask for donations>
- Two ways to donate
- in the United States dial 1-800-helpnow (1-800-4357669)
- Internet users can make a secure donation online at href="http://http://www.redcross.org/donate/donate.html">http://www.redcross.org/donate/dona
te.html
Don't forget to give blood if you can.
Wednesday, December 29, 2004 — The death toll after this weekend’s earthquake and tsunamis
has reached an unfathomable estimated 50,000 victims, and that
toll may continue to rise as disaster relief teams from around the world arrive atdevastated areas to assess the damage.
An Indian man holds his head as he sits atops the ruins of his house destroyed in a tsunami
in Cuddalore, some 180 km south of the southern Indian city
of Madras, December 27, 2004.
Reuters/Arko Datta, courtesy www.alertnet.org.
Sunday’s 9.0 earthquake, the strongest on record in the world for the last forty years,struck the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia in the morning,
causing a tsunami that swept thousands to their deaths and destroyed coastlines thousands ofmiles away. The majority of the destruction centered in Sri
Lanka, India, the Maldives, Indonesia, and Thailand, and tsunamis also caused massive damagealong the east coast of Africa, including the Cocos Island
and Somalia.
December 2, 2004
Executive Products INC.-- Makers of the New BX/QX cases offers a Christmas Special to PAC
Mate Gear visitors Read the details
November 24, 2004
Executive Products INC. have BX/QX cases direct from their
href="https://www.executiveproductsinc.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=22&osCsid=d0833905071020e 51ccba9a6065cea0a">online store href="/doc/HelpfulLinks">Helpful Links page
November 18, 2004
View high quality images in our PAC Mate Image
Gallery Please let us know if there is a picture you'd like to see added by
href="/doc/ContactUs">contacting us
October 19, 2004
qdCAS is a Computer Algebra System for Pocket Pc. You can download this exciting program
from our Software downloads page and download the
scripts written by Peter A. Torpey on our Custom Scripts
October 8, 2004
David Engebretson's review of the new PAC Mate case available from Executive Products, INC.
has been posted to our Articles, Tips and Tricks
section.
September 23, 2004
Today Freedom Scientific released 2.5 of the
PAC Mate BX/QX Software.
href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_downloads/DL_PACmate_25_Update.asp">Read More Information
September 22, 2004
On August 24, 2004 RESCO released version 3.01 of their audio recorder. A special offer has
been made available to PAC Mate owners wishing to purchase this software. For more
information Read the details
August 27, 2004
On August 24, 2004 RESCO released version 3.01 of their RESCO Audio Recorder. This release
is not yet compatible with the PAC Mates. Read
more information here
August9, 2004
MobilePlanet
has some great deals on hardware that works with PAC Mate. Some examples include:
- Cordless Hand Scanner with Bluetooth - Class 1 Laser $499.95
- In-Hand Scan Card - Type I CompactFlash $399.95
- Cordless 56K Modem with Bluetooth $129.95
- Voyager VGA CompactFlash Card w/Remote $149.95
For more information access their site at
href="http://www.mobileplanet.com">www.mobileplanet.com
Note-- This does not represent an Endorsement by www.pacmategear.com. This is provided
mearly as a convenience to our readers. PAC Mate Gear is not in anyway Affiliated with
MobilePlanet.
July 18, 2004
Our First User Story has been posted to our new User Stories
section. We invite you to submit your own PAC Mate User Story to us by
href="/doc/ContactUs">contacting us
July 12, 2004
PAC Mate User stories now being accepted
Has PAC Mate changed your life? How does your PAC Mate make you more productive at work and
play? why not tell others about it? You asked and we listened. Use our
href="/doc/ContactUs">Contact us
three we will begin posting them. Look for an updated item here and on the
href="/doc/UserCommunity">PAC Mate User Mailing List
June 30, 2004
Complete GPS Solution available for PAC Mates.
Today Freedom Scientific announced a new low-cost GPS Solution for PAC Mates. For more
information read the full story on our PAC Mate News Page
June 24,2004
Freedom Scientific has posted a new technical
support notice. This notice is for any BX or QX user who has experienced a loss of braille
output from their display. An updated driver is currently available to correct this issue.
For more information please
href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_support/BulletinView.cfm?QC=72">Read the Technical Support Notice.
June 8, 2004
Visit our new Audio Section to learn more about how people
are using their PAC Mates. You will find:
- Audio Demonstrations
- Audio reviews of hardware and software that works with PAC Mate
If you want to contribute to this section please read our
href="AudioReviewCriteria.shtml">Audio Review Criteria
May 27, 2004
The PAC Mate BX and QX Basic Training Lessons are now streamable directly from
href="http://www.pacmategear.com">PAC Mate Gear
from the Freedom Scientific web site but are
in self-extracting zip files and are not streamable. To listen to the training lessons or
for more information access our
href="http://www.pacmategear.com/audio/BasicAudio.shtml">Basic Audio Archives
May 25, 2004
PAC Mate 2.2 Posted!
Today Freedom Scientific posted the much
awaited 2.2 release for the QX and BX PAC Mates. For more information please access
href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_downloads/DL_PACmate_22_Update.asp">The 2.2 Update Information Page
April 27, 2004
SyncExpress allows your PAC Mate to SYNC with Microsoft's Outlook Express. VxUtils provides
ping, traceroute and nslookup. VxHPC is a terminal emulation package for the PocketPC. It
works either with telnet or a serial communications link. VxIPConfig allows your PAC Mate to
release and renew DHCP addresses much like the ipconfig command in Windows. More about these
programs is available in our Software Downloads Page
April 6, 2004
Freedom Scientific
began shipping their ScanTalker ® add-on for the PAC Mates. For more information, please
the Press release
April 1, 2004
Pictures of the new case are available. Please check them out in our
href="http://www.pacmategear.com/NewCase">New Case slide show
or suggestions please Contact us
March 5, 2003
Join Brad Davis and other Freedom Scientific
associates at this years CSUN convention. For more information please visit the
href="http://www.csun.edu/cod/conf/2004/genconfinfo04.htm">CSUN 2004 Convention Home Page
March 1, 2004
PAC Mate BX/QX Software update details made public. For more information visit our
href="PACMateNews.shtml">PAC Mate News
February 4, 2004
Linksys has released drivers for the WCF12 Wireless
CompactFlash adapter for Windows Mobile 2003. Access the following link to download the
driver:
Download the driver
February 3, 2004
Freedom Scientific has released an updated
FSDN Document to reflect changes made in PAC Mate 2.0 and JAWS 5.0. This document also
includes information about the PAC Mate Braille display's application programming interface.
More
Information
January 8, 2004
NETGEAR has released new drivers for Windows Mobile
2003 for the NET GEAR MA701 Compact Flash wireless card. With a driver that is less than
100K, this driver can fit nicely on your new PAC Mate X400. The Windows Mobile 2003
operating system has built-in support for wireless connections and the PAC Mate will find
your access point and ask for the necessary encryption keys and you are online wirelessly.
For more information visit the
href="http://www.netgear.com/products/prod_details.asp?prodID=142">NETGEAR MA701 Site
December 31, 2003
Keep your files virus free with this online anti-virus solution brought to you by
DialogueScience INC.More Information and to
Run the scan
December 26, 2003
Freedom Scientific began shipping the new QX
series PAC Mates on December 22, now they have begun shipping the new BX units. If you have
ordered one and would like to check the status of your order, please contact your dealer or
Freedom Scientific.
December 22, 2003
According to Freedom Scientific, the new PAC Mate QX400, QX420 and QX440 models will begin
shipping on December 23. These units are making their way to those who have ordered them to
date. They will also be available at all dealer sites for evaluation.
Of course, we at www.pacmategear.com would like to take this opportunity to thank Freedom
Scientific for this exciting product!
December 12, 2003
Looking for Wi-FI hotspots to use with your PAC Mate?
www.wi-fihotspotlist.com has you covered.
Five Easy steps for locating WI-FI
To find a hotspot follow these quick directions:
- 1. Select the link "Browse by Region"
- 2. Select your country
- 3. Select your state or province
- 4. Select your City
- 5. Select your hotspot
December 9, 2003
Freedom Scientific offers a sneak peak at the
new PAC Mate QX400 by releasing the
href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_support/doc_PACmateQX.asp">documentation
is also available on our PAC Mate Documentation
page.
December 1, 2003
Freedom Scientific announces the availability
of factory reconditioned PAC Mate TNS and BNS models.
Each reconditioned system is thoroughly inspected and tested by Freedom Scientific for
optimum functionality and reliability. The cost includes
a limited one-year warranty against manufacturing defects.
Information
November 28, 2003
New MSN Messenger available for PocketPC. As of October 15, 2003 Microsoft changed the MSN
Messenger protocols to limit the third-party clients that could connect to the service. In
order to ensure your PAC Mate is running the latest version of Messenger frequently checkthe
Messenger Update Page for PocketPC. This and more is also available from our
href="HelpfulDownloads.shtml">Helpful Downloads
November 8, 2003
Imitate Version 1.1 has been released by David Engebretson.
Imitate is a game to strengthen your listening and comprehension skills.
For more information on this game and other downloads, check out our
="HelpfulDownloads.shtml">Helpful Downloads
October 22, 2003
New HP Deskjet 995C series printer has been confirmed to work well with PAC Mate
href="http://www.pacmategear.com/Articles/HPDeskjet995C.shtml">More Information
more are available in our articles section.
October 19, 2003
Relax with hangman or Blackjak, Terrell Jones explains in the featured article
Accessible Online
Games. Read this and other features in our
href="http://www.pacmategear.com/Articles.shtml">Articles section
October 18, 2003
Freedom Scientific has posted an updated
version of the FSDN or the Freedom Scientific Developers Network. Check
it out on our Custom Scripts page.
October 10, 2003
Freedom Scientific announces the PAC Mate BX
400 and QX 400 evaluation program.
To speed the adoption of more modern technology into the school systems and training centers
for persons with
vision impairments, Freedom Scientific is pleased to announce its Evaluation Program for thePAC Mate. Effective immediately, Qualifying Institutions*,
such as educational, state services, and not for profit institutions, may purchase a PACMate evaluation unit at a significant discount.
September 23, 2003
New PAC Mate in the works
The new PAC Mate is in the works. Visit our PAC Mate News
Page for this and other news items.
New OpenBook 7.0 supports PAC Mate
OpenBook supports access to PAC Mate directly. More
Information
August 27, 2003
PAC Mate 1.1 German has been released. For more information visit our
href="PACMateNews.shtml">PAC Mate News page
PAC Mate 1.1 Deutscher ist freigegeben worden. Für mehr Informationen Besuch
href="PACMateNews.shtml" lang="de">PAC Mate Nachrichten Seite
August 26, 2003
Keyboard Lock Script Version 1.05 by Darragh Ó Héiligh has been released. This version works
with PAC Mate 1.1.0. Also there has been a few key changes. For more information check out
August 25, 2003
Freedom Scientific has released PAC Mate 1.1.0. The software update addresses existing bugs
and adds a lot of new enhancements. This update also allows PAC Mate to support the Focus
and PAC Mate portable Braille Displays. Read the press release and download the update from
August 5, 2003
The July 30, 2003 edition of the blindness technology show
href="http://www.acbradio.org/mainmenu.html">Main Menu
Wilkinson of Freedom Scientific who talk
about the future of PAC Mate. Be sure to catch the nice reference to PAC Mate Gear.
August 4, 2003
Kurzweil 1000 users can now send scanned texts from K1000 directly to PAC Mate.
href="http://www.pacmategear.com/PACMateNews.shtml">Find out more...
July 31, 2003
A free feature-packed firmware and software upgrade for the PAC Mate is scheduled to come
out in August. Read more on our PAC
Mate News Page.
July 1, 2003
Pacmategear.com has been featured in the
href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_news/June_July2003.asp">June/July issue of Freedom Scientific Newsletter. href="http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/feature_stories/2003/03freedomsci.html">HP Feature Story about PAC Mate,
June 21, 2003
Freedom Scientific has just released a comprehensive
href="http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_support/doc_scriptfunction.asp">Script Function Reference Manual
will come in handy for either JAWS or PAC Mate scripting.
June 20, 2003
Thanks to Christopher Meredith for contributing his scripts for MSN Messenger. You can find
these in our Custom Scripts section.
June 6, 2003
There is a new link to RealOne Player for Mobile Devices on our
href="HelpfulDownloads.shtml">Helpful Downloads section.
Also, we would appreciate it if you could leave us comments about this site by signing our
Guestbook. Of course, you can also read what others have to
say.
June 2, 2003
Have you ever lost your PAC Mate data due to a hard reset or dead battery? Take heart: help
is on the way! Read more about using Sprite Software's Backup Utilities in our
href="http://www.pacmategear.com/Articles.shtml">Articles section.
May 30, 2003
We wish to thank Jackie Cairns for her excellent review of PAC Mate. We also thank Brian
Walker for his tips on protecting PAC Mate data. Please read these two features in our
href="http://www.pacmategear.com/Articles.shtml">Articles
feature PAC Mate ideas, tips and tricks contributed by users all over the world. We hope
these articles will help you use your PAC Mate to its potential.
PAC Mate Mailing List has moved. Please check our
href="http://www.pacmategear.com/UserCommunity.shtml">User Community Page
list information.
May 24, 2003
Congratulations to Darragh Ó Héiligh on becoming the first contributor to our
href="/doc/CustomSCripts">Custom Scripts
Mate's keyboard, be sure to check out Darragh's
href="http://www.pacmategear.com/files/scripts/keylockscript.shtml">Keyboard Lock Script
May 16, 2003
Helpful Downloads page is constantly expanding, so
check it out frequently. We've also added a number of new links and categories to the
href="/doc/HelpfulLinks">Helpful Links
May 15, 2003
The PAC Mate Chat Room is in the testing stage. Feel
free to enjoy real-time chats. Please contact us with any
comments or suggestions.
May 14, 2003
PAC Mate Hardware and Software
Compatibility List has been posted. Here you can view a listing of off-the-shelf
hardware and software products that others have found to work with PAC Mate. If you try a
product that does not appear on this list, please
href="SoftwareAndHardwareCompatibilityList-Form.shtml">Tell us about it.