Hims Announcing the sense notetaker version 6.2

HIMS is pleased to announce the release of Sense Notetaker version 6.2. This release features support for NLS content, the ability to read/write Spanish documents, and support for the optional “Sense Dictionary”. Please see the attached release note for a complete list of the features, changes, and fixes in this release.

Note: We are also currently developing Sense Notetaker v7.0, which we anticipate to be released in late March. For those of you who have expressed concerns regarding what new features of the U2 are to be supported on the older notetakers, please understand that many of these will be implemented in firmware 7.0. Thus you should not assume, because a feature is not included in 6.2 that it will not be supported. While hardware constraints may prevent us from supporting all features on all notetakers, we will support features on the various notetakers as their hardware allows.

Special notice to Braille Sense OnHand, Braille Sense PLUS, Braille Sense PLUS QWERTY, and Voice Sense QWERTY users:

After upgrading to v6.2, you must reformat your flashdisk due to the creation of a partition for housing the NLS key. Please make sure to back up your data before formatting. Voice Sense and Braille Sense Classic users need not reformat as NLS content playback cannot be supported on these models due to the limited size of the internal flashdisk.

WARNING!! After upgrading the notetaker firmware, all system settings are restored to their defaults. If you have made changes to the system settings, you may wish to back them up before upgrading, so you can restore them after the upgrade is complete. Please use the “Backup/Restore” option in the “Utilities” menu to back up your option settings. We also strongly advise backing up your files. As explained above, a format of the flashdisk is necessary for Braille Sense PLUS, Braille Sense PLUS QWERTY, Braille Sense OnHand, and Voice Sense QWERTY users. Though the upgrade itself should not destroy data on the internal flashdisk, Voice Sense and Classic users should also consider backing up their files in case unexpected problems arise during the upgrade process.

Upgrading using the Online Method:

Please give HIMS international time to post the upgrade files after seeing this announcement. To upgrade using the online method, follow the steps below.

1. Connect your notetaker to AC power, and ensure you have an active internet connection.

2. From the main “Program” menu, press “u” to open the “Utilities” menu.

3. Press “u” again for “Upgrade Firmware”.

4. When prompted, “Upgrade Online?”, press “Enter”.

5. The notetaker checks for new firmware. If it finds it, you are prompted, “Are you sure you want to upgrade?” The default is “yes”.

6. Press “Enter” to initiate the download and upgrade process.

7. When the files are downloaded, the upgrade process begins. While the unit is upgrading, progress is displayed on the Braille display in the form of a percentage and progress beeps are heard. Please do not press buttons or power off the unit during the upgrade process as this may result in an incomplete installation.

8. When the upgrade is complete, the unit reboots and places you in the main “Program” menu. Press “Space-v” (FN-v) to verify your notetaker is running firmware version 6.2.

Upgrading using the Offline Method:

To upgrade using the Offline method, please download the firmware using the links below.

Braille Sense OnHand- http://www.himsintl.com/Upgrade/Braille_Sense_OnHand_US_V620_120119.zip

Braille Sense PLUS- http://www.himsintl.com/Upgrade/Braille_Sense_PLUS_B32_US_V620_120119.zip

Braille Sense PLUS QWERTY- http://www.himsintl.com/Upgrade/Braille_Sense_PLUS_B32_QX_US_V620_120119.zip

Braille Sense Classic- http://www.himsintl.com/Upgrade/Braille_Sense_US_V620_120119.zip

Voice Sense- http://www.himsintl.com/Upgrade/Voice_Sense_US_V620_120119.zip

Voice Sense QWERTY- http://www.himsintl.com/Upgrade/Voice_Sense_QX_US_V620_120119.zip

Follow the instructions below to upgrade your Sense notetaker.

1. Download the zip file containing the firmware to your PC.

2. Extract the zip file on your PC; the extracted folder should contain three files.

3. Copy the three files and paste them into the root of an external storage device such as an SD card or USB thumb drive.

4. Connect the external storage device to the Sense notetaker.

5. Connect your notetaker to AC power.

6. From the main “Program” menu, press “u” to open the “Utilities” menu.

7. Press “u” again for “Upgrade Firmware”.

8. When prompted, “Upgrade Online?”, press “Space-4” (Down arrow) to move to “Offline”, and press “Enter”.

9. The notetaker checks for new firmware on your external storage devices. If it finds it, you are prompted, “Are you sure you want to upgrade?” The default is “yes”.

10. Press “Enter” to initiate the upgrade process.

11. The upgrade process begins. While the unit is upgrading, progress is displayed on the Braille display in the form of a percentage, and progress beeps are heard. Please do not press buttons or power off the unit during the upgrade process as this may result in an incomplete installation.

12. When the upgrade is complete, the unit reboots and places you in the main “Program” menu. Press “Space-v” (FN-v) to verify your notetaker is running firmware version 6.2.

If you have questions or problems, please contact HIMS technical support at 512-837-2000 or email .