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DISCLAIMER:
Whilst all care is taken to provide accurate information with respect to the item described, the Independent Living Centre (ILC) is not involved in product design or manufacture, and therefore not in a position to guarantee the accuracy of the information provided. Selection of equipment, which is both suitable and appropriate for individual needs remains the responsibility of the person(s) considering requisition, and no responsibility is taken by the ILC for any loss or injury caused through use of the equipment or alleged to have arisen through reliance upon information provided. As information is subject to change any enquiries should be directed to the manufacturer.

Item Details

Dana

ILC Reference NO 62:27:002
Item sourced from ILC VIC database

Main picture

Factors to Consider
Fonts in menus and labelling applications are very small which will make reading window and button labels difficult for people with limited vision.
The screen can be difficult to read in low light or high reflection for any user.
The onscreen keyboard has approximately 8 point font characters which can be difficult to see for people with a vision impairment and difficult to target for people with limited coordination.
Menu navigation using the stylus can be difficult for people with coordination difficulties or a vision impairment.
Menu navigation using keyboard commands requires learning of many commands that do not correspond with standard computer application commands. This could be difficult for people with memory or learning problems.
Sticky key function is an advantage for users who have difficulty depressing two or more keys simultaneously.
The ability to turn off the repeat key function is an advantage for people who have difficulty releasing the key following key depression.

Short Description
The Dana is an A4 sized notetaker with a laptop sized keyboard and a built in screen. It has a Palm OS operating system. The screen can display approximately 80 characters of 14 point sized over 6 lines. The Dana is lightweight and portable. It can be connected directly to a printer or data can be transferred to a Windows or Macintosh computer.

More Details
Screen
The Dana has a backlit monochrome LCD screen.
Screen contrast can be adjusted.
The screen can be rotated using internal settings. This allows text on screen to be read in a tall vertical window, which may be useful for reading long lists or entering data using the stylus. The Dana can then be rotated so that the screen is at the left or right side of the keyboard, instead of at the top.

Memory Capacity
The Dana has 8MB of memory. It has 2 expansion slots which can be used to add memory.

Power Source
The Dana has a rechargeable battery and AC power adapter. It can also operate using 3 AA batteries.

Compatibility/System requirements
The Palm Desktop software for the Dana is compatible with

PC with Windows 98 / ME / 2000 / XP
30MB free hard disk space
One available USB port
CD-ROM drive

Macintosh with PowerPC processor
Mac OS 8.5.1 through Mac OS X
15MB hard disk space
5 MB of available RAM
One available USB port
CD-ROM drive

Adjustment
The Dana has a number of accessibility options that allow for adjustment of keyboard sensitivity.

Sticky Keys. This allows keys, such as the Shift, Control or Alt keys, that would normally have to be pressed together, to be pressed in sequence. These keys are latched down until the next key is pressed.
Auto Repeat. This feature enables the repeat function to be turned off, preventing a string of repeated letters appearing on the screen when a key is held down for too long.
Slow Keys. This reduces the sensitivity of the keyboard, preventing keys being activated accidentally if lightly or quickly touched. A delay of up to 3 seconds can be set. Each key will then need to be held down for 3 seconds before it is activated.
It is possible to change keyboard layout to a left or right one handed DVORAK keyboard layout.

Software
The Dana is supplied with Palm Desktop software, additional applications and trial software. It is loaded with a range of Palm technology based applications, including:

Address Book
Date Book
To Do List
Memo Pad
AlphaWord word processor compatible with Microsoft Word file format
Palm eBook Reader
QuickOffice, providing integration with Microsoft Office.
Aileron Mail for email.

Interfaces/ports

USB ports for connection to printer and computer.
IrDA port for sharing data and software with other Dana or Palm powered devices.

Accessories

Bag
USB cable
Software

Features
Stylus for use of onscreen keyboard, writing directly onto the screen and for navigation through the operating system.

Materials/durability
The casing is made of dark blue polycarbonate ABS.

Safety and Maintenance
Refer to the supplier and manufacturer manual for maintenance instructions and safety warnings.

Standards
Some assistive technology needs to meet Australian or other standards. Standards may relate to materials, manufacturing and installation. Products that meet Australian or international standards will have written certification. To find out if a product meets Australian Standards ask the supplier to show you the certificate. For more information on what standards the equipment may need to meet, see www.ilcaustralia.org/explanationofstandards.

Models

Dimensions

Overall Width..................................... 314 mm
Overall Depth..................................... 235 mm
Overall Height (Min).............................. 48 mm
Weight (kg)....................................... 0.91 kg

Place Of Manufacture
AlphaSmart Inc. Los Gatos, California

Supplier Information - click to supplier for contacts details
ABILITY COMPUTER SERVICES ,   FAIRLIGHT, NSW
NOVITATECH,   REGENCY PARK, SA
SPECTRONICS ,   UNDERWOOD, QLD

Additional /images
No additional /images apply to this item

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