[Trainer-Talk] 40 Cells to Empowerment: A Comparison of Five Braille Displays to Fortify Your Success in 2023

[Scott Davert]

Hi all.
I'm passing the updated version of this article along in case some may
find it of value.
https://www.helenkeller.org/resources/40-cells-to-empowerment-a-comparison-of-five-braille-displays-to-fortify-your-success-in-2023/

Passing this along in case some may find it of value. Feel free to
share where appropriate.

Scott
Original source

40 Cells to Empowerment: A Comparison of Five Braille Displays to
Fortify Your Success in 2023
40 Cells to Empowerment: A Comparison of Five Braille Displays to
Fortify Your Success in 2023
By Scott Davert, Coordinator: Technology, Research and Innovation
Center, Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youths and Adults
January 18, 2023
Introduction
There are several 40 cell braille devices on the market providing
different feature sets at varying price points. At the time of this
writing, these displays range in price from $1,499 to $3,695. As the
monetary investment is seldom trivial even on the lowest end, it is
important to find the ideal device to fit a person’s specific
circumstances. If you would like to compare this article to the one
published in 2021, you can still find the previous version here.
To help decide which is best for your specific needs, this article
will provide the following information for each device: Price,
internal functions, battery life, types of memory, supported file
types, type of keyboard, turnaround time on support requests and my
own evaluation. Prices are accurate as of January 2023. This article
covers devices available in the United States. Links to comprehensive
reviews will be provided in the comment section. Support requests were
submitted to the general email address under a random name and were
done in December 2022. Evaluations of battery life were done using
Bluetooth as the connection protocol. Your mileage will vary based on
the amount of use of wireless devices. All displays are capable of one
USB connection, and when connected through USB, provide the option to
recharge while in use.
Brailliant BI 40x
Manufacturer: Humanware
Cost: $3,695
Internal features: Text-To-Speech, Editor, clock, calculator, book
reader, WiFi for direct access to Bookshare, the NLS BARD braille
collection and NFB Newsline, file manager and connection manager for
Bluetooth connections
Battery life: 14-17 hours
Types of supported memory: Flash drives and 32 GB of internal memory
Supported file types: BRF, TXT, DOCX, PDF, Daisy text and Bookshare zip files
Type of keyboard: Perkins
Number of Bluetooth connections: 5
Turnaround time on support request: Less than 1 business day
Comments: Reviewed on the TRIC blog in April 2021, the Brailliant BI
40X is the only device supporting direct download from the NLS BARD
braille books service and is also the only device listed which has
built-in text-to-speech. Though the feature set is very similar to the
Mantis Q40, the Brailliant BI 40X sports a Perkins style keyboard.
Like the Mantis Q40, it is possible to hit a cursor routing button to
wake up an iOS or iPadOS device. Though APH and Humanware are
investigating methods for bringing audio support to the Mantis, this
is not guaranteed. As of iOS 16.2, the latest release on writing, the
Brailliant does have some unique challenges related to editing of text
and adding new lines while composing in a text field, though these
challenges do have workarounds which are less productive. For those on
Android, you will need to run TalkBack 13.1 to get braille support
with the Brailliant, and this only exists at the time of writing over
USB.
Focus 40 Blue
Manufacturer: Vispero
Cost: $3,302.25
Internal functions: Clock, Scratchpad, menu, calendar (for checking
the date only) and menu.
Battery life: 18-20 hours
Types of supported memory: Micro SD cards up to 32 GB
Supported file types: BRF, BRA and TXT
Number of Bluetooth connections: 5
Type of keyboard: Perkins
Turnaround time on support request: 2 business days
Comments: I reviewed the Focus 40 Blue in detail in the April 2018
issue of AccessWorld. This display seamlessly integrates with JAWS for
Windows and also works well with NVDA, Android and iOS. Dedicated
commands for switching between connected devices offers a
much-appreciated productivity boost. This is the only device to
require a Windows PC running JAWS to update the firmware which some
may find inconvenient. Though the Focus can transfer files to and from
a PC, it’s not possible to use the braille display with USB while in
Mass Storage mode. The user needs to be connected over Bluetooth or
braille support is lost. If you want to move notes taken in the
Scratchpad to another device, the TXT file must be written in
eight-dot braille. The export feature allows you to move contracted
braille notes taken on the Scratchpad to Windows but it is unreliable
on iOS. Reading plain text files on the Focus must also be done in
eight-dot braille. It is still being updated with the most recent
release adding the ability to save files in formats other than the
proprietary format such as plain text or digital braille. The other
displays seem to all have a way to receive news from the manufacturer,
but Vispero does not have such a mechanism for disseminating
information about updates to the Focus. The best way to check for an
update is to visit the firmware update page on the Vispero website.
Like the Orbit Reader 40, the Focus does not have internal memory.
Lack of internal memory also means that when you remove the Micro SD
card to send it in for repair, you still have your files with you.
Unlike the Orbit Reader 40, it also has the option to save files in a
proprietary format. Some may see this as a positive thing since this
format allows for you to have files that cannot be opened on any other
device. This means that the user can store sensitive information on
the Focus securely.
Mantis Q40
Manufacturer: APH/Humanware
Cost: $2,682
Internal features: Editor, clock, calculator, book reader, WiFi for
direct access to Bookshare and NFB Newsline, file manager and
connection manager for Bluetooth connections
Battery life: 14-17 hours
Types of supported memory: SD cards, flash drives, and 16 GB of internal memory
Supported file types: BRF, TXT, DOCX, PDF, Daisy text and Bookshare zip files
Type of keyboard: Laptop-style QWERTY
Number of Bluetooth connections: 5
Turnaround time on support request through APH: 2 business days
Comments: Reviewed in the August 2020 issue of AccessWorld, the Mantis
has a QWERTY keyboard. Built-in access to Newsline and Bookshare are
certainly a perk and the learning curve when working with Windows or
the Mac should not be as steep if you are already familiar with the
standard keyboard commands for your operating system and screen
reader. Updating can be accomplished using the internal WiFi
connection or by transferring the update file to an SD Card or thumb
drive. Though the Mantis Q40 supports the reading of many file types,
editing a document will result in a plain text file when saved, unless
the Braille Editor application is used. The Braille Editor requires
the ability to enter text by using SDF and JKL to input braille. The
keyboard will not function as a QWERTY one in this application. Like
the Orbit Reader 40, the Mantis does not come with a case that can be
used while on the go, though arguably, a 40 cell display is not the
most portable device anyway. At the time of writing, the Mantis and
Brailliant still lack Android support through Bluetooth, unlike the
Focus, Orbit Reader and QBraille. Turning off WiFi when not in use
will get the battery running time closer to 17 hours.
Orbit Reader 40
Manufacturer: Orbit Research
Cost: $1,499
Internal features: Editor, book reader, clock, calendar, terminal,
calculator and File Manager
Battery life: 20-22 hours
Types of supported memory: SD card and thumb drive
Supported file types: BRF, BRL and TXT
Type of keyboard: Perkins
Number of Bluetooth connections: 5
Turnaround time on support request: Less than 1 business day
Comments: Reviewed on the TRIC Blog in October 2021, the Orbit Reader
40 is the least expensive 40 cell braille display on the market. It
also is the device with the longest battery life, according to my
testing. It was made to emulate the VarioUltra 40, which makes it
immediately useable with most screen readers dating back several
years. As noted above, neither the Brailliant or Mantis have support
for Android, Fire OS and older versions of screen readers which
Humanware could have addressed through some form of emulation. This
could have even been an emulation of the old Brailliant BI 40. As
mentioned in my review, the fact that the braille cells are so solid
and sharp means that some individuals who may not be able to read
braille on paper or with other devices may find the Orbit Reader 40 to
be a viable option. I found the keyboard to be quite an adjustment for
typing, as the keys have a further distance to travel when pressed.
This also makes the keyboard louder than the others on the market.
Updating can be done with an SD card or thumb drive. Like the Focus
and QBraille, the Orbit Reader 40 does not contain any internal
memory.
QBraille Xl
Manufacturer: HIMS Inc.
Cost: $3,195
Internal features: Notepad, DAISY Reader, clock, stop watch, alarm,
calendar and Terminal Mode
Battery life: 16-18 hours
Types of supported memory: SD card
Supported file types: BRF, BRL, TXT, RTF, DOCX, PDF and DAISY text
Type of keyboard: Hybrid
Number of Bluetooth connections: 6
Turnaround time on support request: 2 business days
Comments: Reviewed in the September 2020 issue of Access World, the
QBraille is the only device which has not increased in price since
this article was last updated in November 2021. The hybrid keyboard
combines a Perkins style keyboard with what HIMS considers to be the
essential keys on a QWERTY keyboard.
 Though I reported in the linked review that I was experiencing
trouble with the Bluetooth connection when using JAWS, this seems to
have been resolved in the update HIMS released in November 2020. The
user has the option of whether they wish to use the hybrid mode or
simply use the display as though it only had a Perkins style keyboard.
It also has the ability to edit both plain text and BRL formatted
files, unlike the Brailliant BI 40X and Mantis. The QBraille XL also
has keyboard commands to move among connected devices, commands to
jump directly from one application to another, the option to have the
display boot into a few applications other than the main menu and more
direct keyboard support for navigation of DAISY text files. Updating
can be done internally via the SD card. It does not have the ability
to download content since it does not have a WiFi module. I’m still
not able to jump by more than one window using the Alt + Tab keyboard
combination with Windows. With VoiceOver, though, I’m able to use the
Caps Lock key as a VoiceOver modifier in both Mac OS and iOS unlike
what was listed in the review.
Conclusion
There are many devices on the market that seek to become the go-to 40
cell braille solution. These displays, while not stand-alone
notetakers, are more feature-rich than ever before. Each has a few
benefits that the others do not. Some of these minor differences can
be a deciding factor when choosing a device. For example, the choice
of a keyboard may make a certain device the best tool for the job.
Though the user has their choice of Perkins style keyboards, there is
only 1 option for those wishing to use a QWERTY keyboard. A reader
asked me why I didn’t discuss the feel of the dots on the braille
displays. This is subjective, and while I hope the provided
information is useful, nothing can ever match the opportunity to
experience these devices firsthand. As this is not possible for most,
I hope that this content has been helpful in guiding and simplifying
the decision-making process.