[nfbcs] using note takers vs. Braille displays/tablets

[Curtis Chong]

Greetings Liz:

When I think about braille notetakers, I myself do not want a device that
pretends to be as sophisticated as a laptop computer. I prefer to get
something that does not have any speech capability and which can serve as my
electronic slate and stylus, albeit much more efficiently with a few extra
bells and whistles. Note that these are my criteria and that I fully
appreciate that you and others will have your own requirements for these
types of devices.

In the braille-only line of notetakers, there are two viable options at this
point, the Orbit Reader 20 notwithstanding. These are the Braille Edge from
HIMS and the VarioUltra (20 or 40) from Baum. Both of these devices will
pair up with your iPhone/iPad, and both of these devices have some internal
smarts that enable the reading of material that has been copied into their
internal memories. Both the VarioUltra and the Braille Edge can read a Word
document and display the information in contracted Unified English Braille.

As I am sure you know, there a quite a few decisions that need to be made
before one can select a specific product. How many braille cells are you
willing to live with? How much money can be spent? Do you need or want the
capability of performing forward and/or back translation between braille and
text? Does it matter to you that both the VarioUltra and the Braille Edge
use operating systems that some techies might consider to be obsolete? How
important is the feel of the braille keyboard when you are entering text?
These are but some of the questions that I would ask of anyone seeking
advice on a braille notetaking system.

All of the braille devices I have mentioned here (I am happy to say) have
the ability to pair up with your iPhone. This means that your iPhone could
serve as the communications hub for you when you are out in the field.

Although I myself am quite pleased with the Orbit Reader 20 that I was able
to purchase this summer at the NFB convention, I am not happy that people
who want this little device can't just buy it and have it delivered
immediately. The industry has been talking about the Orbit Reader 20 since
March of last year, and so far, we still can't just pick up the phone and
order one.

You mentioned in your email that, "I need a device for taking notes, posting
to social media and recording when I'm out in the field." The ideal would be
to have a braille device that has enough memory that one could write a
coherent article and then to have that device paired up with another device
that could transmit that article where it needs to go. The Focus 14 doesn't
have this ability, but the Braille Edge, the VarioUltra, and the Orbit
Reader 20 all do.

I don't think I answered your question, but I hope I have given you more
information than you had before to help you in your decision-making.

Cordially,

Curtis Chong


-----Original Message-----
From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Elizabeth
Campbell via nfbcs
Sent: Friday, July 28, 2017 7:20 AM
To: 'NFB in Computer Science Mailing List' <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Elizabeth Campbell <batescampbell at gmail.com>
Subject: [nfbcs] using note takers vs. Braille displays/tablets

Greetings all,

 

I need to replace my BrailleNote Apex that I've had for about six years.

I've used it out in the field quite a bit,and it's crashing at inopportune
times.

 

I had opportunities to look at various Braille displays and at the El
Braille at the NFB convention. I'm writing a proposal requesting that my
employer help with purchasing some new equipment.

I'm wondering if the best option would be to get a small Braille display
such as the Focus 14 and use it in conjunction with either my iPhone or a
Windows-based tablet.

I'm not sure if I need a note taker as I need a device for taking notes,
posting to social media and recording when I'm out in the field.

On the other hand, I like the idea of having one device to carry instead of
several.

 

Thanks in advance for your help and advice.

 

Best regards.

 

Liz Campbell

 

_______________________________________________
nfbcs mailing list
nfbcs at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbcs_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nfbcs:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbcs_nfbnet.org/curtischong%40earthlink.n
et