Doug Rose wrote > For years I have went with the philosophy that it is bettter to > try and use commercially available and standard software hardware > that is commonly being used in the workplace, with the least > amount of modification as possible. For example, it is better to > use a notebook/laptop computer running DOS/Windows apps with > voice/braille ouput or large print. This way you had the > standard machine that others could use, that sighted coworkers > could help you with, that you could share apps and data. I very much agree, because it also helps to keep development cost down and thereby the prices low. Many of the device capabilities that you propose are useful for the sighted as well, so it is due to current technical hurdles that we don't see all these features yet. However, it all seems to fit well in the logical future development of the subnotebook. Because my own software would benefit greatly from a device such as you describe, I had already put a few links to some interesting subnotebooks listed on my web page http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Peter_Meijer/winvoice.htm Some of these subnotebooks come equipped with a built-in camera as needed for use with my software, which converts video frames from a PC camera into corresponding sounds. The subnotebooks run Windows-95 or Windows-98, and can thus be used with the very same software that you run on your desktop, including screen readers and what have you. Of course there are still a number of inconveniences, and battery lifetime is one of them, but these issues are not unique to the issue of accessibility, but mere technical hurdles that take time to be resolved for blind and sighted users alike. Best wishes, Peter Meijer Soundscapes from The vOICe - Seeing with your Ears! http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Peter_Meijer/