In Part I of this series%20and%20%5bII), we took a look at four braille displays that carry out functions related to an external device. However, some people may wish to have an integrated suite of productivity applications for basic tasks such as reading books, taking notes, performing simple calculations, etc., along with that connectivity. This article will look at the internal functions of both the VarioUltra and Actilino as they relate to iOS devices.

The VarioUltra

The VarioUltra 20 is a 20-cell display manufactured by Baum. It's rectangular in shape with rounded edges. The display becomes thicker as you move toward the Perkins-style keyboard on the device. At its thickest, it is about as thick as an iPhone 7, though longer and wider. The VarioUltra appears to be constructed of aluminum with a plastic bottom. With the display on a table in front of you, and its thinnest part closest to you, you have the following layout. The small hole on the bottom left corner of the surface of the display is the speaker grill. To the right of the speaker grill, there are two round buttons that are system or S keys, which control system functions. Next is one of the two rectangular Spacebars, a five-way joystick (called the Navistick in the user documentation), another Spacebar, and two more S keys. Behind this line of buttons and keys, and slightly raised, are 20 cells of braille. On either side of the display are three display or D keys that are used to perform equivalents of chorded commands without the Spacebar. Closest to you, on the left side of the display, you will find the D3, D2, and D1 keys. On the right side, D6 is closest to you with D5 and D4 coming after. Between D2 and D5, there are 20 cursor routing buttons corresponding to each cell. Behind the cursor routing buttons, and slightly elevated above the 20-cell display, is the eight-dot braille keyboard. From left to right, you have Dots 7, 3, 2, 1, a gap, then Dots 4, 5, 6, and 8. You will also notice that the braille keys are at slightly different angles for an ergonomic typing experience.

Along the left side, from front to back, you have the Device Lock switch, a Device Mode switch, which, depending on its position, puts you in either Braille Display or Braille Notetaker Mode, a Micro USB port for charging, connecting to a USB enabled device, and moving files to and from other devices, and a host USB port for thumb drives. When the display ships from Baum, the Device Lock switch will be furthest away from you and in the locked position. When you first receive your VarioUltra, the Device Mode switch will be flipped away from you, which puts the display in Braille Notetaker Mode. Along the right side, you will find the Power button. On the left and right sides of the VarioUltra, toward the sloping edge of the device, you will find connections for attaching the included shoulder strap.

Connecting to an iOS Device

Though Baum says you can pair the VarioUltra in the conventional way, many users are reporting that they must pair their displays through Bluetooth settings before going into VoiceOver and initiating a second pairing request. To pair the VarioUltra 20, first go into Braille Notetaker Mode by flipping the Device Mode switch away from you. Then, press the left Spacebar with Dots 1, 2, 7, and 8 to launch the Bluetooth settings menu. Bluetooth is off the first time you start the VarioUltra, so press the right Spacebar to check the box to turn it on. You will then be placed on a Scan button, which can be activated by pressing down on the joystick.

Before activating the scanning option, you must first go to Settings > Bluetooth so that when the VarioUltra scans, it will find your iOS device. Working again with the display, activate the Scan button and wait for it to complete. Move the joystick right until you encounter your iOS device. Once you've found it, move the joystick in a downward direction to the Pair option and press down on it. On your iOS device, you will be prompted for a PIN. Enter "1111" in the text field, then double-tap the pair button. Once pairing is complete, flip the Mode switch toward you, and pick up your iOS device for the final step. Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Braille, and pair the conventional way. No PIN is required. If successful, you will feel a vibration to indicate that the iOS device and VarioUltra 20 are paired. There are four Bluetooth channels on the VarioUltra 20, and the number of vibrations you feel indicates what channel the connection is on. To switch channels, press the round button closest to the left Spacebar, which is S2, followed by Dots 4, 5, 6, or 8 depending on what Bluetooth channel your device is connected to.

Unique Features of the VarioUltra
More Channels

Up until this point in the series, the only other display I've reviewed that supports multiple Bluetooth connections with external devices is the Smart Beetle from HIMS. The VarioUltra also supports multiple channels. While connecting to the correct channel on other displays is accomplished by cycling through available options until you come to the one you need, the VarioUltra has dedicated keyboard commands to switch among connected hardware.

Getting a Good Vibe

The VarioUltra is the only display covered in this series that offers vibration for communicating information. This is a fantastic feature for deaf-blind users, and is more discrete than sounds for indicating error messages, device connections and disconnections, or the display being powered on or off. Each time a connected device reconnects to the VarioUltra, the VarioUltra will vibrate the same number of times as the channel on which the device becomes active. The user will receive that same vibration alert when the device on that channel disconnects.

Wake Up!

The VarioUltra is also the only braille display that allows you to wake up a mobile device with the keyboard. Simply press S2 with the key that corresponds to the channel the device is connected through, wait a few seconds, and the device should wake up. This is one of the reasons that VarioUltra users need to connect twice to iOS devices. This feature does not work consistently with older versions of the firmware, but it works well under the VarioUltra's latest public release (1.42). While iOS 11 attempts to permit the waking of an iOS device by hitting a key on a connected braille device, I have found success to be inconsistent at best. The VarioUltra seems to be doing this much more reliably.

Transferring Text

The VarioUltra is better at transferring data from its internal word processing application to iOS than either the Smart Beetle or Braille Pen. While you cannot type and send the text along as with the Smart Beetle, you can go into Notetaker mode, compose a document in the word processor, and then copy it to the clipboard. It's also possible to just copy a section of a document. Once you have copied the text, switch back to Braille Display mode and press S2 (located to the left of the left Spacebar) along with D1. Be sure your text field is in editing mode prior to starting the transfer. The longer the string of text, the more time it will take to complete. The reason for this is that it types each character when transferring information to your connected device. I was able to move a document that was about two pages long over to my iPhone in 5 minutes. As with the other displays, the braille tables you use must match between the devices. So if you are typing in contracted braille using the VarioUltra's internal word processor in US English braille, you need to make sure matching tables are set in VoiceOver.

The Case

A good display needs a decent case, and the one Baum ships with the VarioUltra fits the bill. The device fits securely in the included case and gives you easy access to all ports and controls so you can use the VarioUltra while on the go. The case closes with two magnets, which is a good thing since Velcro not only attracts dirt and aother unwanted debris to your braille display, but is quite noisy when opened. After several months of use, I learned that there is a drawback to the magnets being inside the case. If one of them becomes dislodged, it eventually works its way over to the other magnet. The strap is secured to the case by a very thin thread. While it feels flimsy, I've never heard of it breaking.

D Keys

The D keys allow the user to carry out chorded commands on iOS. For example, D1, D2, and D5 will activate the Home button. While this could be good given the distance between the Spacebars and the rest of the keyboard, if you find a specific D combination isn't something you use, with iOS 11 you can reprogram it. With multiple key combinations to choose from, this makes the reprogramming feature in iOS 11 particularly powerful when using the VarioUltra.

Miscellaneous

As noted in the device's description, the VarioUltra has S or system buttons, which allow you to perform tasks related to internal functions. I wrote about the clipboard feature above, which uses S2, as does switching between Bluetooth channels. Another useful one is S2 + Spacebar, which in Braille Display Mode displays the battery status and time as set on the internal clock for a few seconds. With most displays, you cannot check the battery status without leaving the external device's Bluetooth connection. It should be noted, though, that you can check the battery status on the Focus 14 and Smart Beetle without disconnecting the paired device. The S keys do not do anything on their own with iOS, nor can they be assigned specific actions within VoiceOver, but the VarioUltra makes up for this with the D keys.

Battery life when using Bluetooth devices and going into and out of Notetaker mode typically lasts between 9 and 11 hours. I've also noticed a small decrease in battery life with my connected iOS devices when using the VarioUltra more than other displays. I suspect that this is a result of having two connections to each iOS device for the purposes of unlocking and transferring data. Users can offset the battery drain issues with an external battery pack, but this is another item to carry around. Though there are disadvantages to having a smaller battery, the advantage is that the VarioUltra 20 weighs around half a pound, which is roughly the same weight as the Focus 14. You get six more cells, but a much shorter battery life. While you can toggle Bluetooth off and suspend the VarioUltra to conserve battery, the only way to truly prolong battery life is to completely shut the device down with the Power button + S4. The startup time is roughly 35 seconds, so users may want to take this into account.

The Actilino

The Actilino is a 16-cell braille display manufactured by Help Tech, formerly known as Handy Tech. Like the VarioUltra, it has a lot of functions beyond being able to connect to external devices. It is shaped like a rectangle, with a tapered edge at the front. Placing the device in front of you, with its downward-sloping edge nearest you, you will find a speaker on the front left, a Micro SD slot (used with internal functions), and a second speaker on the right front side. Starting with the keys closest to you, from left to right, you have the first of two rectangular-shaped Spacebars, a joystick, and the second Spacebar. While the joysticks on both displays are round, the VarioUltra's is almost flush with the display's surface, while the Actilino's has a higher profile, and is thinner. Behind this, you will find a depression that contains 16 cells of braille with a three-way rocker button at each end (these rocker buttons are referred to as "triple-action keys" in the manual). Each button can be pressed upward, downward, or straight down. Behind the 16 cells of braille, and level with the upper part of the rocker buttons, are 16 cursor routing buttons that are raised slightly higher than the depression that contains the cells. Behind the cursor routing buttons, and on an elevated surface, is the Perkins-style keyboard. Like the VarioUltra, these keys are configured with special attention paid to ergonomics. Unlike the VarioUltra, between Dots 1 and 4, you will find an internal microphone. On the back of the Actilino, there is a magnet, though it's not tactilely discernable unless the display is in the case. The magnet ensures the Actilino stays securely within the carrying case.

On the left side of the Actilino, the port closest to you is a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The port located behind the headphone jack is used for charging, connecting to USB enabled external devices, and sending and receiving data. Along the right side, closest to you is the round Power button followed by a Type A USB port for plugging in external keyboards. The Actilino is longer, heavier, and wider than the VarioUltra, weighing in at 14 ounces, but that added weight and size translate into added functionality.

Connecting to iOS

For the first 15 minutes that the Actilino is powered on, Bluetooth is activated. If you have had the device on for more than 15 minutes without using Bluetooth, it switches off to conserve battery. It's not necessary to do anything else on the Actilino before going into Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Braille on your iOS device. Find the Actilino from the list of displays in range, and double-tap it. The iOS device will come up with a confirmation in the form of a PIN code that should match the one displayed on the Actilino. Press Y on the Actilino, and then double-tap confirm on your iOS device.

Unique Features of the Actilino
Semi-Automatic Scrolling

Help Tech has an entire line of displays that feature Active Tactile Control (ATC) technology, which senses when your fingers reach the end of a line of braille and automatically advances the display. While autoscrolling is certainly an option with other braille devices, none of the options on the market support this functionality with iOS. Furthermore, though other displays have autoscrolling capability, they scroll automatically based on a set duration of time, not when your fingers reach the end of the display. I've found most autoscrolling features to be more trouble than they're worth for this reason, but the ATC technology has changed that.

ATC for mobile devices must be enabled separately from ATC used with the display's internal functions. To toggle this feature on, when connected to a mobile device, press Spacebar + Dots 1, 7, and 8. As of firmware version 1.6, you do not get confirmation that Mobile ATC is active until you move your fingers to the end of a line and the braille refreshes. If ATC stops working after a while, it may be necessary to re-enable it as described above.

While there is a different setting for Mobile ATC, it is necessary to control its sensitivity from the ATC settings found in the Actilino's internal menu. I found that I had to set this to 7 (which is the highest number) for the most consistent results. I've been reading with a lite touch for many years, so it's possible individuals who read with more of a heavy hand may be able to lower the sensitivity. It's a solid, very unique, and wonderful feature to have on any display, but particularly a smaller one.

Multiple Connections

The Actilino supports up to three simultaneous Bluetooth connections simultaneously along with one USB connection. To change devices you must cycle through connected devices by pressing Spacebar with Dots 4, 5, and 8.

Automatically Connecting

If you are reading a book on the Actilino, and one of your connected devices wakes up, the Actilino will automatically jump back to that device. Of course, this will not happen if 15 minutes have elapsed and Bluetooth has switched off. That said, if you wish to read a book on the Actilino, you may find it useful to put your iOS device on the Do Not Disturb setting. You can exit PC mode, which is what the Actilino calls being connected to an external device, by pressing Spacebar + M. It's true that Spacebar + Mon an iOS device mutes speech, and this method still accomplishes this, but you can mute speech without exiting PC mode by adding Dot 7 to the command.

Moving Text From the Actilino to an iOS Device

If you have composed text in the Editor, you may wish to transfer it to your iOS device. With the Actilino, after copying the text to the keyboard, (instructions can be found in the manual on how to do this), press Spacebar + Dots 1, 5, and 7 to send it to the iOS device. Remember, you must ensure that the braille input mode on your iOS device matches that of the Actilino for the transfer to be successful. I found transferring the same two-page document used for the VarioUltra test to take about 5 minutes with the Actilino.

Quiet Keyboard

The Actilino's keyboard is the quietest I've ever used, and the most comfortable for me to type on. Braille keyboards are very subjective, of course, so you might have a different experience. I found the keys to have just the right amount of spacing and resistance. People with smaller hands may find that the Spacebars are too far away for them to reach, but that they enjoy the keyboard otherwise. Help Tech has addressed this by adding the option of pressing Dots 7 and 8 together to insert a space. While it took some getting used to, I find that it is a good way to accommodate this need. It also shows that, while the hardware development is complete, the software development is not, as this didn't appear to be an option in earlier firmware releases.

Noisy Display

By default, there are many musical tones representing different actions, alerts, and messages from the Actilino. These can be disabled individually in the internal menu, and can also be turned off completely.

Audio

I mentioned in the Actilino's description that there are two speakers and a microphone on board. Though you must pair your iOS device separately for the audio feature, doing so does give you an external device that is slightly louder than the iPhone 7 and earlier models. It also enables you to make phone calls, or use other audio-specific apps, from the Actilino. To enable the Bluetooth audio interface, when the Actilino is powered on, press Spacebar + Dots 2, 5, 7, and 8. The Actilino will emit a series of tones that indicate it is ready to pair with an external device. Go to Settings > Bluetooth and find a device called "POR" with numbers after that. Double tap, and the connection should be established within about two seconds.

I found that the audio quality leaves a bit to be desired when piped through the Actilino's internal speakers. However, just like food and braille keyboards, the point could be made that audio quality is subjective. I found that VoiceOver sounded a bit wobbly through the internal speakers, but found it worked well when connected to speakers or headphones through the 3.5 mm jack. Interestingly, the VoiceOver lag, which is present with all Bluetooth devices, seems to be a bit less. Most importantly, I found that audio is not cut off when there is a pause and audio resumes playing. For those using an iPhone 7 or later, this feature may come in handy if you want to use a 3.5 mm plug to connect to an external sound source. I also noticed that the braille display didn't suffer any sort of lag when there were two connections to the same device. During a test FaceTime call, the person on the other end sounded very clear through external speakers, but they reported that my audio sounded a bit "crackly".

Hiccups remain with the audio interface. For example, I turned the Actilino off and back on, and even though I re-enabled the audio interface, I found that the connection was no longer stable. I had to forget the Actilino's audio connection to my iPhone and then re-establish it to stabilize the connection. In defense of Help Tech, the Actilino is a relatively new device, appearing on the US market in June of 2017. This may simply be a bug that will be addressed in a future firmware release.

Time Keeps On Ticking

When powering on the Actilino, you will find the name of the device along with the current time. This can be easier to check than having to wait for your braille display to connect to your iPhone, so while it's a minor detail, I found it helpful. Sometimes, all I need to know is the current time, and this is easily determined on the Actilino.

Triple-Action Keys

The manual calls these "triple-action keys" because they can be pressed in one of three ways. On iOS, pressing them away from you pans the braille backward, pressing either one toward you pans the braille forward, pressing straight down on the left button will activate the Delete key, and pressing down on the right triple-action key will activate the Enter key. Again, it's possible to remap these functions with iOS 11.

The Case

The Actilino comes with a case that fits the device well. The case has a magnet inside of it that secures the Actilino. The magnet in the case came unglued in the first one I had, but the Actilino still feels secure even when I'm moving around. When opened, the case provides access to all features and functions, so you can use it on the go.

Miscellaneous

Battery life varies dramatically depending on how you use the Actilino. If you are always connected with both audio and braille to a Bluetooth device, your battery isn't likely to last very long compared to when the device is functioning only as a standalone notetaker. I have found that battery life, when used mainly with PC mode, is around 25 hours. Unlike the VarioUltra, the Actilino does not see a large decrease in battery life when it is unplugged and turned off.

Charging is done through a proprietary plug that has a magnet on one end and a standard type A USB plug on the other. However, the connection doesn't have to be proprietary, the magnetic connector on the Actilino can be pulled off to be a Micro USB plug so that it works with all Micro USB cables. This information is not available in the manual, it was something Triomph kindly provided to me when I asked about it. It's great that Handy Tech has not only designed something that can fit on the device no matter which direction the cable is facing, but they have also given the user the option of removing the proprietary part if desired. You will need a good set of fingernails to do so (and the manufacturer does not recommend removing the proprietary plug), but I managed to remove it and the result works well for me.

When comparing user documentation, I found the VarioUltra to have the most readable and complete documentation of the two devices. New features are added in the manual as they become available, and are easy to find. Even the core feature set with the Actilino's documentation lacks some commands such as the one for enabling Mobile ATC. Another example is that the audio interface is located in its own section (4.2), which is far below the section on connecting an iPhone through VoiceOver (section 2.7).

Product Information

Product: VarioUltra 20
Available from: Baum Retec
Price: $2,395

Product: Actilino
Available from: Triumph Technologies
Price: $2,495

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Author
Scott Davert
Article Topic
Product Reviews and Guides