Pulse Data International has announced the BrailleNote PK. The new PDA weighs less than a pound and has dimensions of 6.8 inches by 3.6 inches by 1.3 inches. It is the first Braille personal digital assistant (PDA) in the marketplace that can fit into a pocket.

"The BrailleNote PK provides blind business professionals with the same kind of personal digital assistance functionalities that sighted business professionals have available to them," says Peter Standish, Chief Executive Officer of Pulse Data HumanWare, Pulse Data International's North American subsidiary. "With BrailleNote PK, the blind business professional is able to connect when they are on the go. This includes connecting to a WiFi hotspot at a cafe or airport, and surfing the Net at high speed to catch up on e-mail. With BlueTooth wireless technology built in, a user can also exchange information with their personal computer or connect to another larger BrailleNote device."

Adding Bluetooth technology to Pulse Data International's BrailleNote product line provides new options for the blind user. For example, the BrailleNote PK can connect with any other Bluetooth enabled device without extra software or programming. This includes a wide range of wireless devices such as mobile phones, personal computers, headsets, and keyboards.

"This opens up many more choices for the mobile blind business professional," says Peter Standish. "Not only does the BrailleNote PK offers all of the critical personal productivity tools expected in a traditional personal digital assistant, it has an intuitive and efficient environment specifically designed for a blind user."

Microsoft Windows CE operating system

16MB of non-volatile user storage

16MB of RAM

32MB ROM for program and OS storage

Optional PCMCIA and Compact Flast Card slots for additional storage

Serial, parallel and infrared ports and internal modem

Ethernet connectivity

Synchronization with MS Outlook's Planner and Contacts using KeySync

Supports the 1GB/5GB MicroDrive and ATA Memory cards

Pulse Data International expects to ship the BrailleNote PK early in the fourth quarter of 2004