[Trainer-Talk] Braille display options small and less expensive

[Scott Davert]

Hi Ashley.
The Smart Beattle is a 14-cell display, so if the Brailliant BI 14 is too small, I'm afraid your only option for under $1,000 is the Orbit Reader. You could also look at the BrailleMe, but I'm not sure I'd go for that. essentially, the more features you get, the more you will pay. Here are some reviews which may help:
Orbit Reader
A Big Compromise in Price With a Small Compromise in Features: a Review of the Orbit Reader 20 http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw190103
BrailleMe:
https://nfb.org/blog/braille-me-innovision

Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 12, 2019, at 8:57 PM, Humberto Avila via Trainer-Talk <trainer-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Dear Ashley,
> Yes the Orbit reader 20 is a great display for anyone who just wants a cheap little display. You can indeed pair it using your PC or iOS device using Bluetooth or the included USB cable. It works with all major screen readers / devices that are accessible for the blind. 
> The editing program that I mentioned is actually an integration utility all bundled with the "stand-alone" mode once you power on the device. In it you can browse files, read files, edit them, and create new ones for brailling in the display keyboard. It only however, does .BRF files. It currently does not do any sort of translation. It's not something, like, compared to a note-taker that has full computing capability, like calendar, alarm, email, internet, word-processing with built-in translators, ETC. You can just do simple things, like taking notes and organizing your files. 
> When I was doing my student-teaching earlier in the fall of last year, my district ordered one, and it came in very quickly. But having said this you might want to do some calling / researching in advance, to see if it can be ordered and one is in stock, if that's the display you wanted for yourself. But I do think it's just such an awesome and efficient display to have, and all the things in can do for being cheap. 
> 
> Hope this helps. Have an awesome evening!
> Humberto
> 
> 
> “Positive thinking leads to a positive attitude which leads to positive actions which lead to positive outcomes.”
> — ME
> 
>> On Mar 12, 2019, at 4:35 PM, Ashley via Trainer-Talk <trainer-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Humberto,
>> 
>> Yes, I saw the Orbit Reader a while back. Its a good crisp display and has familiar thumb keys.
>> I suppose it would work. I assume it can pair with IOS devices and a pc; maybe not at the same time, but can do this separately. 
>> 
>> Marianne, what features are on it and is it user friendly? I wonder the extent of the word processor. I know its primarily a braille display. Can you type in contracted braille and convert that to Word? I would guess not.
>> Does the Orbit reader read .RTF files and text pdfs? I know it reads brf files and I think docx.
>> I hope it reads Daisy files too since bookshare files are that format. I do not use bookshare yet but plan to.
>> And, thanks for the heads up about the wait time.
>> Thanks.
>> 
>> 
>> Ashley
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Humberto Avila via Trainer-Talk <trainer-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Mar 12, 2019 5:56 PM
>>> To: Ashley via Trainer-Talk <trainer-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Cc: Humberto Avila <humberto_avila.it104 at outlook.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [Trainer-Talk] Braille display options small and less expensive
>>> 
>>> Dear Ashley:
>>> 
>>> Have you taken a look at the Orbit Reader 20 Braile display from APH? I have played quite a bit with this display and it is very sturdy and lightweight. It can also do Brailling, both as a Braille display, and an integrated writing / editing app in which you can read and write in it with its stand alone mode.
>>> 
>>> Try this link:
>>> 
>>> http://www.aph.org/orbit-reader-20
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Good luck and happy Braille display-hunting!
>>> 
>>> Humberto
>>> 
>>> 
>>> [JAWS Certified, 2019]<http://www.freedomscientific.com/certification>
>>> 
>>> On 3/12/19 1:35 PM, Ashley via Trainer-Talk wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi all,
>>> 
>>> I'm looking at buying a small display for  myself and possibly to recommend to others I may work with in the future.
>>> 
>>> Most displays are in the thousands. However, smaller displays are cheaper, but I do not know the options out there.
>>> 
>>> Do you recommend a display that is 18 or 20 cells and costs less than 1,000?
>>> 
>>> I've seen the vario ultra and it is  sturdy but even the small version is expensive.
>>> I've also seen the Brailliant but they do not have a display this size.
>>> 
>>> I'd also like the display to have features such as a calendar, clock, and timer and preferabily space for notes too.
>>> 
>>> Thanks for any ideas.
>>> 
>>> Ashley
>>> 
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>> 
>> 
>> Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
>> 
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