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

Sat Jul 29 00:10:23 UTC 2017

I use a laptop with a Braille display when I need Braille.
For more portability I'd use a Rasperry Pi and a Braille display.

On 7/28/17, Sabra Ewing via nfbcs <nfbcs at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> I am having the same experience as Brian. I hate it and it equates to me not
> writing at all. in my case, people were talking about how great the
> interface was in hell it is the best way to go, and now I am disappointed
> that I listened to them. I wish I had just kept my apex until it died.
>
> Sabra Ewing
>
>> On Jul 28, 2017, at 3:07 PM, Martin, Vincent F via nfbcs
>> <nfbcs at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> What you outlined is exactly why I still use my Braille Note Apex for many
>> things.  I just can't the the use out of voice over on the IPHONE that I
>> need with my Braille display.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Brian Buhrow
>> via nfbcs
>> Sent: Friday, July 28, 2017 1:57 PM
>> To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: Brian Buhrow <buhrow at nfbcal.org>
>> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] using note takers vs. Braille displays/tablets
>>
>>    Hello Liz.  I had the same thought last year and bought a Hims Smart
>> Beetle, Him's 14 cell offering which only acts as a braille terminal to a
>> screen reader.  My thought was that I could connect it to my iPhone and
>> use the iPhone as a note taker, message center, etc.  I found the
>> experience to be most disappointing.  The Hims Smart Beetle is a solidly
>> built device which exhibits stability, long battery life and a good feel
>> under the fingers.
>> (I purchased it with the advice of other braille display users who told me
>> the Focus 14 had a number of reliability issues.)  the problem is iOS.
>> Braille support under iOS is very good, but it's very clear that the
>> developers of iOS are not braille users and there are a lot of places
>> where braille support just doesn't work.  In fact, when I started
>> experiencing these issues, I polled other braille display users who were
>> using  iOS capable devices and discovered that no one else that I spoke
>> with was trying to use their braille display as a primary interface to
>> their iOS device.  Specifically, all of them had note takers that they
>> occasionlally interfaced with iOS to dash off a quick text message or
>> e-mail.  No one thought using iOS as the primary note storage device was a
>> good idea.
>> Sadly, after a year of trying to make it work, I must conclude that
>> they're right.  The problem is that the iPhone really wants you  to
>> interact using the touch screen.  So, yu can get into a lot of situations
>> where the braille controls just don't get you where you want to go and you
>> have to pick up the phone and navigate using the touch screen.  Also,
>> because the phone is a multi-tasking device, it sometimes wanders off,
>> processing something other than what you're writing, causing keystrokes to
>> be missed or mis-interpreted.  Other folks I talked to said they didn't
>> have this problem, but when I questioned them more closely, it turned out
>> they didn't use their phones for composition in any real way.
>>    As I said earlier, like you, I like the idea of having one primary note
>> taking device and the phone seems like the perfect tool to do that.
>> However, given that you're a reporter and I imagine that there are a lot
>> of times when you just need your technology to get out of the way and  let
>> you capture the story, quickly and efficiently, without fuss or fanfare, I
>> think the iPhone in conjunction with a braille display is not the right
>> answer.  There are too many moving parts and I think you'll find yourself
>> trying to make the technology work for you when you should just be
>> writing.
>> If you get something that's capable of driving the iPhone, as well as
>> acting as a note taker, i.e. the Hims Braille Edge or the Vario Aultra,
>> then you can experiment with moving in the direction you're thinking about
>> without committing yourself in one fell swoop.  The Focus 14 and the Hims
>> Smart Beetle don't give you that choice.
>>    I'd love to be proven wrong and told that it's just operator error on
>> my part, but since my admittedly unscientific polling of folks on the
>> issue yielded no other pioneers, I suspect there's a reason.
>>    Anyway, that's just my two cents.  Let us know what you decide to use.
>> And, happy shopping!
>>
>> P.S.  If you can wait a couple months, the Orbit Reader 20 from APH and
>> Orbits Research looks like just the thing for you.  priced at $450, it's a
>> combination note taker and braille terminal.  So, you can use it as a
>> stand alone note taking device or as a display for a screen reader,
>> including VoiceOver on iPhone.  I bought one of the few units available at
>> the convention, and the braille is good and it's responsive as a note
>> taker. I've not tried attaching it to my iPhone yet.  Curtis Chong, who
>> also bought one of the units, did attach it to his phone and he reports
>> that it works.
>>
>> -Brian
>>
>> On Jul 28,  8:20am, Elizabeth Campbell via nfbcs wrote:
>> } 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
>> }
>> }
>> }
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>>> -- End of excerpt from Elizabeth Campbell via nfbcs
>>
>>
>>
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