[NFBCS] FW: Access On: The BrailleNote Evolve from HumanWare

Mon Jun 22 17:07:25 UTC 2026

I was finally able to listen to Jonathan’s review in its entirety. Sadly,
or fortunately, it discouraged me from making the purchase.

I’m glad Jonathan did the math for us. Too often I have felt as though
consumer groups have given companies a pass because the market is too
small, the research and development is too expensive, and so on. Yet, if
the company’s market really is the educational sector, this should be
fleshed out in their marketing. The $6,000 plus price tag feels a little
startling even for the educational sector, but I understand this is the way
of the world.

I thought I might wait for the QWERTY model. Yet, changing the keyboard
doesn’t seem like it will have a profound change on the core experience.

I’m a little bummed. I really was hoping to approach the product as an
all-in-one experience. I’ll still check it out on the exhibit floor, and
compliments to Humanware for taking a substantial run at blending the
notetaker with a mainstream concept. I hope it is the beginning of a new
trend.

And thanks to Jonathan for the thorough and honest assessment. It’s good to
know we have someone at the helm who can recognize the wonderful things
that come of our partnership with the corporate sector but still be able to
step back and offer an unbiased assessment. This ultimately benefits the
end customer who is not relying on government funds to make the investment.
At north of 6K, it is indeed a steep investment.

Very appreciative,

Joe

On Fri, Jun 19, 2026 at 2:05 PM dan TeVelde via NFBCS <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
wrote:

> Hi Jonathan,
>
>
>
> I thought your review was comprehensive and you raised some issues I
> hadn’t thought of. I won’t be getting this device. You noted several things
> which resonated with me. I have a QBraille and agree with you that it was
> an innovative device. I stopped using it when I ran into issues with
> windows 11 and needed a Mantis to do programming. My main concern with the
> QBraille was its unreliable Bluetooth connections. I think Selvas technical
> support has suffered recently. In one of their webinars I asked them if
> they were going to keep the QBraille updated and they were dismissive even
> when I pointed out that its hybrid interface was worth keeping. I explained
> how I liked to use it and not need to depend on a screenreader. I found the
> presence of Windows modifier keys helpful except when I needed to execute
> complicated JAWS and NVDA commands. I tried using the Windows sticky keys
> feature but that didn’t work. I think these shortcomings could have been
> addressed in a new product. Instead, Selvas introduced a Braille display
> with a stupid name and was a basic copy of the Brailliant with some other
> features.
>
>
>
> When my Braille Sense U2 Mini became obsolete and stopped working I bought
> a Brailliant 20. I didn’t want a full-fledged notetaker and thought that
> the Humanware hybrid approach would be sufficient for my needs. Initially I
> was very satisfied with the device and found connecting it to iOS devices
> to be easy. I was disappointed with the Victor Reader app and the fact that
> there are file size limitations even for BRF files. The latest Humanware
> software update has made things worse. People complained about an issue
> where in the Victor Reader app where the process of selecting recently read
> books was slow. Humanware addressed that issue in one of their software
> updates but then the issue resurfaced with last year’s latest update. I
> think the processor and amount of RAM might not be sufficient. The user
> can’t open multiple files in the same application which I would think would
> be an important requirement for a device. I was astounded to learn that the
> BrailleNote Evolve doesn’t have a find function for BRF files. How could
> Humanware have left such an important feature out of the initial
> implementation. It boggles my mind.
>
>
>
> I think we are at a dead end with most notetakers. It seems like Humanware
> and Sellvas are doing more of the same things with newer generations of
> hardware and software. I heard a demonstration of the Braille Sense 7 and
> wasn’t impressed. The only new product which excites me is the BT Braille.
> I think the Blazie family is listening closely to customers and offering
> features which have never been available before. Yes, the Linux environment
> is new to some people but the amount of available hard drive storage is
> impressive. I will probably buy the BT Braille once the product matures a
> bit. the Blazie family has worked closely with the National Federation of
> the Blind and I think the organization deserves a lot of credit for getting
> the initial notetaker concept off the ground. Jonathan’s product reviews
> are more useful than just attending a webinar where company representatives
> tell you about their products. All too often, company representatives tell
> people what they want them to hear.
>
>
>
> I know my e-mail is harsh but I think in this day and age consumers need
> to do their homework and not take products at face value. I have made that
> mistake before.
>
>
>
> Dan
>
>
>
> *From:* NFBCS <nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org> *On Behalf Of *Mosen, Jonathan
> via NFBCS
> *Sent:* Friday, June 19, 2026 10:15 AM
> *To:* NFB in Computer Science Mailing List <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
> *Cc:* Mosen, Jonathan <jmosen at nfb.org>
> *Subject:* Re: [NFBCS] FW: Access On: The BrailleNote Evolve from
> HumanWare
>
>
>
> Hello Joe, yes, I have two months’ hands-on experience with BrailleNote
> Evolve. I will not restate the findings of the review, which is
> comprehensive.
>
> If you are going to use it for coding, you may wish to, as you say, either
> connect a qwerty keyboard, or use computer Braille, which has fewer
> potential ambiguities.
>
> There is more to this question than writing the code though. The
> three-year-old processor in the device may have a bearing on whether it
> will meet your needs. You will find outcomes to be speedier for many use
> cases if you use something like a Mantis Q40 to connect to a computer with
> a more powerful CPU.
>
> The Mantis Q40 offers local basic note taking without having to buy
> anything else, which BrailleNote Evolve does not unless you count the BRF
> editor which has no find function.
>
> Jonathan Mosen
> Executive Director for Accessibility Excellence
> National Federation of the Blind
> 410-659-9314 ex 2233
> jmosen at nfb.org
>
>
> Reminder: Attend National Convention <https://nfb.org/convention>, July
> 3-8, 2026, in Austin, Texas.
> “It’s the time of year where blind people are the majority.”
>
> [image: National Federation of the Blind logo, Live the life you want
> tagline, nfb.org] <https://nfb.org/>
>
>
>
> *From:* NFBCS <nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org> *On Behalf Of *Joe Orozco via
> NFBCS
> *Sent:* Friday, June 19, 2026 10:37 AM
> *To:* 'NFB in Computer Science Mailing List' <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
> *Cc:* Joe Orozco <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> *Subject:* Re: [NFBCS] FW: Access On: The BrailleNote Evolve from
> HumanWare
>
>
>
> Does anyone here have hands-on experience with the device? I was tempted
> by the Perkins model but have hesitated based on unconfirmed reports that
> things were still buggy. That is, of course, to be expected, not a
> reflection on the device itself, but for things like coding, I wonder if it
> makes more sense to wait for the QWERTY model. Yes, you can currently
> connect a QWERTY keyboard to it now, but I’d really like to reduce the
> number of devices I carry around.
>
>
>
> Anyway, just some questions for anyone with firsthand experience.
>
>
>
> Actually, if anyone can speak to the Mantis Q40 and whether this would be
> a more viable and more affordable alternative, that would be great
> information as well.
>
>
>
> Joe
>
>
>
> *From:* NFBCS <nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org> *On Behalf Of *Steve Jacobson
> via NFBCS
> *Sent:* Friday, June 19, 2026 9:33 AM
> *To:* nfbcs at nfbnet.org
> *Cc:* Steve Jacobson <steve.jacobson at outlook.com>
> *Subject:* [NFBCS] FW: Access On: The BrailleNote Evolve from HumanWare
>
>
>
> This week's Access On features a comprehensive review and demonstration of
> BrailleNote Evolve, the latest generation of BrailleNote from HumanWare
> running Windows 11 Pro. here are the segments in the episode, which you can
> skip to using the chapter feature of your podcast player or app. Looking
> ahead to our gaming Access On webinar 0:00:00 What is BrailleNote Evolve
> 0:02:13 The evolution that led to BrailleNote Evolve 0:06:11 BrailleNote
> Evolve with JAWS 0:12:22 Hardware 0:15:25 Dimensions and portability
> 0:24:38 The keyboard 0:28:13 Setup 0:33:02 Starting, and the Main Menu
> 0:34:44 Testing the microphones 0:40:01 Word, BrailleNote Evolve, and NVDA
> 0:42:47 Options 0:58:18 Braille Editor 1:10:14 Victor Reader 1:11:54 File
> Manager 1:16:41 No Braille Terminal 1:18:16 Final thoughts 1:19:45 Andrew
> Flatres and Rachel Ramos from HumanWare 1:31:18 Closing and contact info
> 2:02:08
>
> Listen on Apple Podcasts:
> https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/access-on/id1777481188?i=1000773156189
>
>
>
>
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