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

Sat Jul 29 03:15:06 UTC 2017

What operating system do you use on your raspberry pie? How hard is it for a blind person to attach parts to a raspberry pie?

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 28, 2017, at 8:10 PM, Amanda Lacy via nfbcs <nfbcs at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 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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