[Njtechdiv] Orbit Reader review

[Optonline]

One of the interesting things about this product is that the Braille cells don't press down, unlike every other product I've ever seen. This is great for people with neuropathy. It feels like Braille signage to me. According to a representative from APH, the cells also don't require periodic cleaning, also unlike every other product I've ever used. The lack of cursor routing keys is the only thing preventing me from buying one myself. I use them all the time on other displays, and not having them would be a serious hindrance to me.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Sep 10, 2018, at 12:09, Kevin via Njtechdiv <njtechdiv at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> This sounds like something I could really use!  This product looks great.  Thanks for sharing.
> 
> 
> 
>> On 9/10/2018 8:45 AM, Tracy Carcione via Njtechdiv wrote:
>> I just bought the Orbit Reader from APH.  It is a braille notetaker and reader that costs $449.  I’ve only had it a few days, but I’m happy with it.
>> It’s about the size of a fat paperback book.  It has 20 braille cells.  The braille quality is excellent.  It has no speech, and no cursor routing keys.  It makes a noise when the braille refreshes, like shuffling a deck of cards or pushing over a line of dominoes.  I can’t use it to read sneakily when there are people around and I’m supposed to be doing something else, but neither my husband nor I find the noise annoying.  I was concerned because I had heard the refresh rate is slow, and I am a fast reader, but it’s fast enough not to slow me down.
>> It also connects via Bluetooth or USB to other devices.  I connected it to my iPhone very easily, and it works well.  The commands when connected are different from those in stand-alone, and I’m still learning them, but so far, so good. Don’t know why they did that—just to confuse me, I guess.
>>  
>> When editing, it writes exactly what I put in.  There’s no translation or formatting.  This is exactly what I want, as I tend to write in shorthand and also frequently switch between Grade 2 and computer code.  I also use braille music.  I don’t want any translation.
>>  
>> If I could add something, I’d add an auto-scroll.
>> And it would be nice if the notetaker makers would get together and agree on a set of standard commands, so I wouldn’t have to learn a whole new set for each one.
>>  
>> I’ve bought notetakers with all the bells and whistles, but I found I didn’t really use most of them. I keep my own version of a calendar and an address book, and, if I want to surf the Web or mess with email, it’s easy to connect to another device to do that. Really, I could have saved myself 2000 bucks, if this had been out last time I was notetaker shopping.  It’s basic, but basic is all I need.  And the price is right.
>> Tracy
>>  
>> 
>> 
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