If you have read Part 1 of this review, Display, covering the Focus Blue 14 from Freedom Scientific, it seems most logical to begin Part 2 by telling you that the most significant difference between these two products is size and price. The Focus 14 offers 14 braille cells, measures 3.5 by 6.5 inches, and sells for $1,295. The Focus Blue 40 has, as you might guess, 40 braille cells, measures 13 inches wide by 3 inches deep, and is priced at $2,795.
Each of these two products sports a nine-key Perkins-style keyboard, a cursor router button above each of its 14 or 40 braille cells respectively, and an impressive array of additional controls. These are arranged slightly differently on the smaller product for ergonomic appeal, but all of these controls are featured on both models. On both products there are two each (one left and one right) of the following controls: a Mode button, nav rocker, Selector button, rocker bar, Panning button, and Shift key. Twelve controls then, in addition to the nine-key keyboard and either 14 or 40 cursor router buttons adds up to a considerable number of options for combining keys. And it is by using all available keys and controls in a multitude of combinations that makes these displays such powerful tool. Add to the mix that these devices are extremely lightweight and esthetically pleasing to touch, and it is clear that these are attractive options for access technology consumers who prefer the additional accuracy and control afforded by braille access.
The Two Models
Unless otherwise noted, all features discussed in this article about the Focus 40 also apply to the Focus 14 and, conversely, all strengths and/or weaknesses presented in Part 1 regarding the Focus 14 are present on the Focus 40. Based on its size and number of braille cells, the Focus 40 is especially well suited to pairing with a laptop or desktop computer and the Focus 14, because it has a considerably smaller braille line and overall footprint, will be seen by many consumers as a more convenient match for a smart phone or tablet. Many braille readers find the larger display more comfortable for reading books and documents while the smaller display is quite adequate for text messages and e-mails. That said, either of these products could perform well in both office and mobile environments. It is all a matter of personal preference.
Out of the Box
Like its smaller sibling, the Focus 40 ships with an AC adapter, USB cable, soft case, hard copy braille manual, and companion CD. It can connect via USB or Bluetooth.
If connected to a computer running JAWS version 12 or higher, the Focus 40 connects more effortlessly than any braille display I have experienced. Similarly, it connects—and maintains the connection—with iOS products with impressive ease. (Note: For this review, I used JAWS 15 as a screen reader and paired the display with an iPhone and iPad both running iOS 7.1. Freedom Scientific reports that the Focus 14 and 40 work with other screen readers and Android products as well, but those were not tested for this review.)
Keeping Your Hands in Place
Well, keeping your hands on just one keyboard is really what we're talking about in this instance. Braille display users frequently adopt a technique of rapid hand movement between computer keyboard and braille display. If you are writing a report or e-mail message in other words, you might type on the computer keyboard and then quickly transfer your hands to the braille display to read what you written. You check what the braille has to say, then move your hands to the computer keyboard once again to continue composing. Then, back you go to the braille display to confirm accuracy and again to the computer keyboard to continue, and so on and so on. For some computer users (particularly those who are relatively new to either braille or the standard QWERTY-style computer keyboard) this constant repetitive motion can be tedious.
With the "Braille-In" feature available on Focus Blue displays, you can type directly from the Perkins-style keyboard, in either contracted or uncontracted braille. If contracted braille is your choice, it is translated as you type, displaying the contracted braille for you on the display, while presenting uncontracted print on the screen. For some, this feature can be improve efficiency since both typing and reading can be done on a single piece of equipment.
You are not limited to text entry on the Focus display. Key combination equivalents are available as well to enable you to enter all those familiar additional keyboard directives. By using the input keys themselves as well as all of the additional controls in a myriad of combinations, most commands involving Tab, Alt, Control, Shift, the Windows key, etc., can be executed from the Focus itself.
If you want to check your word count in Microsoft Word, for example, (something I find myself doing often by pressing Alt-T followed by the letter "W"), you can accomplish this from the Focus display by pressing the chord combination of dots 6, 8, and space bar, followed by the braille letter "T" and braille letter "W."
Activating the function keys from the braille display is the easiest of these keystrokes to memorize. To signal that you are going to use a function key, you press the chord combination of dots 1, 8, and spacebar and follow it with a letter from "A" through "l" to indicate F1 through F12. This combination followed by the braille letter "A," therefore, indicates F1, "B" activates F2, "C" activates F3, and so on.
If typing exclusively from the braille display keyboard is your preference there are several key combinations to memorize, but many users of braille-based technology are accustomed to the multitude of key combinations employed to perform tasks.
Power 1-2-3
A recent firmware upgrade has made it even easier to use the Focus 40 (or Focus 14) for dual purposes and to switch between them. If, for instance, you have the Focus connected to your laptop via USB and paired with your smartphone via Bluetooth, it was previously necessary to disconnect the first to re-establish connection with the second. With the Power 1-2-3 feature, (which derives its name from the keys pressed to activate it: Power followed by dots 1-2-3) you can quickly switch from one mode to the other. You can, for example, be writing or reading a document on your computer and, with these keystrokes, switch focus to your smartphone or tablet to read an incoming text message or identify the source of an incoming call. This is exactly the kind of feature that consumers are looking for as we come to expect increased functionality from single products.
Caveats and Conclusions
There have been some comments from consumers regarding the fragile construction of these displays. While reviewing the Focus 40 and Focus 14, I found both to be stable, reliable, and responsive. Perhaps the lightweight construction does make them more vulnerable than heavier displays, but it has never been in my nature to throw refreshable braille displays against the wall or onto the floor, so I had no personal experience with this particular issue.
With the ease of pairing either of these displays with both USB and Bluetooth devices and now, switching between them, the Focus Blue 40 and Focus Blue 14 are both attractive options for the avid braille user. If reading a full braille line is essential to your personal productivity, the Focus Blue 40 is for you; if a small amount of braille and small size are more essential, then the Focus Blue 14 can still function as braille accessory to both your laptop and smart phone. For the braille devotee whose budget can manage both, there will be readily available braille access for all your devices all the time.
For more information or to order, visit the Freedom Scientific website or call 800-444-4443.
