The Accessible Devices Team's Evaluation Of The TapMemo

As you start reading this I'd like to point out a couple of things.
First: This is the first time we've chosen to do something like this. Why did we choose to do so now? As you read on I believe you'll see why.
Second: I'm choosing to write this in the first person because it's easier. Before you see this Randy and Terry will have reviewed it and anything they didn't agree with will have been changed or removed.

Now let's get down to business.
Since the TapMemo demonstration all three of us have been able to get our hands on a TapMemo to evaluate. Let's begin by dealing with what this list and event are all about, accessibility.
Is this unit accessible to the Blind and Visually Impaired? Absolutely.

I believe perhaps the main reason I'm so pleased with the TapMemo is that it does exactly what it promises to do. There are only three keys to deal with. The Tap key is the one that will be used most and thus you can operate the unit most of the time with only one hand. The other two buttons serve most of the time as volume buttons. Occasionally they serve to allow you to move forward or backward in a function or to erase a incorrectly entered digit in a phone number. You do most of the work with your voice.

The voice recognition is the best I've seen. However, as the manual cautions, it works best in a quiet environment. In my own experience it has been right around 95 percent of the time. When it doesn't understand it will ask, " What did you say?".

The fact that they've chosen to use many of the same basic commands in several functions simplifies what you need to remember. There's also a "What can I say?" command. This can be used at nearly any point and will cause the unit to provide you with a list of commands which will work at the point where you are. In fact the operation of this device is so simple that anybody with a little experience will probably be able to operate the unit with not much more help than the "What can I say?" command provides.

Up to this point my favorite product for doing these same functions has been the Voice Mate. That's now sitting idle on the shelf. The TapMemo is much simpler to use.

Priced at $160.00 plus shipping the TapMemo comes in at about $60.00 below comparable products that will do the same job, but probably at least in my opinion not as well.

Between the three of us we have used most of what's available for recording phone numbers, appointments, memos etc. The TapMemo is clearly the best we've found. I would add that the audio quality is also quite good. All three of us have made the statement that the longer we have it the more we like it.

After several months of using the TapMemo we are pleased to be able to report that the battery life is phenomenal. All three of us have been using the unit extensively.. We're all finding that we can go several months between charges. Speaking for myself, I've had my unit nearly a year now. I've yet to recharge it for the third time. Since battery life has been a major criticism of some competitive products this is good news.

If you asked me that knowing what I know now would I buy it again? The answer would be definitely.

Updated on ... March 29, 2008