[Blindtlk] Article: Tablet app brings new touch to Braille, technology News from CNET, October 12, 2011

Thu Oct 13 18:16:20 UTC 2011

Cnet demonstrates severe cluelessness in this article.

How does a virtual keyboard eliminate the need for a Braille display?  

Yes, it's a virtual Braille keyboard instead of QWERTY, and it uses 
an idea I saw to be able to move the keys around using intelligent 
software to reduce sighted users' typos.  And it's a great idea to do 
it, too.  But nothing about this removes the need for a Braille 
display, which is for OUTPUT, not INPUT.  You'd think Cnet would know 
the difference.

Joseph

On Thu, Oct 13, 2011 at 10:49:16AM -0700, Gloria Whipple wrote:
>Sounds very good, but It took me a long time to own a Pac Mate and it's
>Braille display and I am very happy with it.
>
>I do think it is a good idea for those who want it though.
>
>
>Gloria Whipple
>Corresponding Secretary
>Inland Empire chapter
>nfb of WA
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>Behalf Of Humberto Avila
>Sent: Wednesday, October 12, 2011 19:10
>To: gui-talk at nfbnet.org; blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>Subject: [Blindtlk] Article: Tablet app brings new touch to Braille,
>technology News from CNET, October 12, 2011
>
>thought this might be of interest to some.
>
>link:
>http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20118728-1/tablet-app-brings-new-touch-t
>o-braille/?part=rss
><http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20118728-1/tablet-app-brings-new-touch-
>to-braille/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20>
>&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
>
>Text: A new way for the blind to type on a tablet could change everything.
>
>(Credit: Stanford University) Software developed during a summer course at
>Stanford University could one day radically shift the way the visually
>impaired use modern tablets, potentially removing the need for a wireless
>Braille display.
>
>Adam Duran, a senior at New Mexico State University, has developed a
>stunning way for blind people to type on tablets. Duran created the
>touch-screen Braille writer software with Adrian Lew, a Stanford assistant
>professor of mechanical engineering, and Sohan Dharmaraja, a doctoral
>candidate.
>
>It's all in the fingertips. The eight keys (similar to a standard Braille
>keyboard) in the software do not have a predefined position, but rather work
>with the location of the fingers. A user simply presses eight fingers
>anywhere on the screen, and voila, the keys are automatically oriented to
>that location.
>
>If there's a problem, users simply lift their fingers and put them down
>again. As shown in the video below, typing is a breeze. Curiously missing is
>the mention of haptic feedback (vibration), or voice support, but for a
>first version this software is very encouraging.
>
>
>Traditional wireless Braille displays are often limited in design.
>Dharmaraja noted that the software out of Stanford is much more adaptable to
>a variety of situations, and "can accommodate users whose fingers are small
>or large, those who type with fingers close together or far apart, even to
>allow a user to type on a tablet hanging around the neck with hands opposed
>as if playing a clarinet."
>
>
>This Android tablet for the blind costs a fortune, but is actually on the
>low end of the pricing spectrum.
>
>(Credit: LevelStar) We've covered a vibrating touch-screen Braille concept
>previously, but an app like this could greatly shake up the ultra-expensive
>Braille input device market. If inexpensive software allowing the visually
>impaired to write on an iPad or an Android tablet matures, it could blow
>away devices that cost thousands of dollars more.
>
>An upcoming Android-based Braille display device, for example, is projected
>to cost "under $4,000."
>
>Currently, Apple's iOS offers much greater accessibility options than
>Android. Apple's mobile OS (and OS X) natively offer VoiceOver, a highly
>advanced screen reader that works with any app, and support double-tap,
>drag, and flick gestures. iOS4 also supports 30 Bluetooth Braille displays
>in more than 25 languages.
>
>Accessibility support in the regular builds of Android is surprisingly weak
>(and unsurprisingly fragmented), especially for those who are visually
>impaired.
>
>A better option for Android users is the $99 Mobile Accessibility app, which
>offers a suite of apps and a web browser, and includes a screen reader
>powered by Nuance. Motorola includes a screen reader named Voice Readouts
>with its newer Android devices that does work well (and supports third-party
>apps).
>
>Further reading can be found at Accessible Android and AppleVis.
>
>
>
>
>                  --
>Humberto Avila
>Please consider the environment Before Printing this email.
>
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