Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!umich!yale!bunker!wtm
From: rudy@mtqua.att.com (Rudy Vener)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: Genie Questions
Message-ID: <16379@handicap.news>
Date: 24 Jun 91 19:36:37 GMT
References: <16097@handicap.news>
Sender: wtm@bunker.isc-br.com
Reply-To: rudy@mtqua.att.com (Rudy Vener)
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
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Approved: wtm@hnews.fidonet.org
Fidonet: Blink Talk Conference

Index Number: 16379

In article <16097@handicap.news> Beth.Hatch-Alleyne@f207.n260.z1.fidonet.org
writes:
>Index Number: 16097
>
>Hello, all.  I've noticed a lot of people on this echo use Genie.
>I've been looking for an online information service to receive the
>news wire, leave message, get files, and amongh other tings.  We all
>know about protigy, I was one of many who wrote letters complaining
>about the lack of access for blind users.  Compuserve charges way
>too mch, $6.00 per month, and .23 a minute!  There's got to be
>something better out there?  What is Genie like, and how much does
>it cost per month and per minute?  What services are there, and how
>does it work with speech.  Any information anyone could give me on
>this subject would be greatly appreciate, thanks in advance, Beth.
>

There is something better.  Portal information services costs about
$14 / month without Clarinet newswire services or $18 / month WITH
newswire.  There is no per minute charge.  It is accessible through
Telenets PC Pursuit which (last I checked) was $30 / month for 90
hours if you get a handicapped account.  Regular PC Pursuit
accounts give you 30 hours for $30/month.  Bottom line is that if
you get a handicapped account on PC Pursuit you can access Portal
for 90 hours a month at a total cost of about $48 / month.  Portal
is a sort of scaled down Compuserve.  There are no commercial areas
for shopping, airline ticket purchasing, etc. But it does have
online chat areas, electronic mail, file sections, conferences
(real-time and Bulletin board) and a wide selection of the Usenet
newsfeeds (including misc.handicap).  The Clarinet section includes
the UPI news briefs, feature writers (Dave Barry, Mike Royko, Miss
Manners, etc) as well as local and world news, sports, weather,
business, etc etc.

For you Speech board users you can set your terminal type to tty which
essentially just dumps everything to the screen as lines of ascii text.

You can connect (via PC Pursuit) by issuing a 
:c portal
from the PC Pursuit prompt.  Then sign up online.

Good luck.
--
Rudy Vener  uucp: att!mtqua!rudy internet: rudy@mtqua.att.com OR
                                           salt@cup.portal.com