Dear AccessWorld Editor,

This letter is in response to Bill Holton's December 2017 article, Vision Technology in Clinical Trial Phase: New Approaches to AMD Treatment and Sight Restoration.

The fundamental problem with the Argus and Orion approach is that this technology can never produce more than very crude vision, regardless of the number of pixels or whether stimulating the retina or visual cortex of the brain.

To reproduce anything close to normal vision, an encoder will need to be added to convert light into a stream of impulses, referred to as action potential, that the brain is accustomed to receiving through normal photoreceptor and ganglion cell transduction. To my knowledge, Sheila Nirenberg at Cornell is the only one that has developed this technology, with astonishing results in mammals without photoreceptor function. The treatment includes glasses that have a built-in microprocessor that encodes light to be converted to a form that the brain is accustomed to receiving through normal photoreceptor and ganglion cell transduction. Under this approach the ganglion cells of the retina are made light sensitive through optogenetic gene therapy. The treatment also allows for alternative transduction methodology such as implanted electrodes similar to the Argus. Dr. Nirenberg is partnered with Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation (AGTC) and they expect to launch a clinical trial in 2018.

At least for now, that's where my vision restoration hope and investment rests.

Respectfully,

Dennis Walsh

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

This message is in response to Deborah Kendrick's December article, More Holiday Gift Ideas for People with Visual Impairments.

Thank you for the hours of preparation it must have cost you to write it. Great ideas. Great wish list for Santa.

Thanks,

Mary Hiland

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

This letter is in response to Deborah Kendrick's December article, Not Yet the Holy Grail: A Review of the ElBraille Braille-Based Portable Computing Device from VFO

I hope this finds you well. I mean no offense, and hope none is taken, but I feel it necessary to comment on Ms. Kendrick's article.

I expected to see a more in-depth review of the ElBraille, as opposed to an article more focused on the history of notetakers.

Do you feel there is a place for a more in-depth review of this notetaker in a future issue of AccessWorld? As a reader, I would greatly appreciate more detail before considering such an expensive purchase.

Thanks so much for your time!

Take care,

Shanda Adkins

2018 American Foundation for the Blind Leadership Conference

The 2018 AFB Leadership Conference, cohosted by San Francisco's LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Northern California Chapter of the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) will take place April 5-7 at the Oakland Marriott City Center.

The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), together with San Francisco's LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Northern California AER, are pleased to present the 2018 AFB Leadership Conference, which will cover the most pressing and relevant topics in the field of blindness and offer many opportunities to learn from the best and brightest minds in our field, make new connections, and reunite with old friends while earning continuing education credits. We offer professional development credits through two groups: the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP) and Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC). Our program features one-hour sessions and you may accumulate one hour for each session attended.

Held annually, AFBLC attracts established and emerging leaders in the blindness field. Conference attendees include technology experts, corporate representatives, university professors, teachers of students with visual impairments, orientation and mobility instructors, vision rehabilitation therapists and counselors, and parents. They come from diverse organizations and institutions spanning the public and private sectors, including school districts, specialized schools for the blind, the Veterans Administration, private agencies, and universities.

To learn more about the 2018 AFB leadership Conference, please visit the conference page on AFB's website.

LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco Recently Announced Holman Prize Applications to Open in January

The LightHouse for the Blind in San Francisco is thrilled to announce the return of the Holman Prize for Blind Ambition, their annual $25,000 award for blind adventurers and creators.

In 2017, the Prize's inaugural year, the LightHouse received more than 200 applications from 24 countries. The LightHouse says, "We couldn't be prouder of our three winners, who encompass a wide range of ambition and ingenuity." Last year's winners are described below:

Ahmet Ustunel is training to kayak Turkey's Bosphorus Strait, completely solo; Penny Melville-Brown is taking her YouTube baking show to six continents; Ojok Simon is teaching his fellow Ugandans to become self-sustaining beekeepers.

Named after the 19th century blind world traveler James Holman, the Holman Prize empowers blind men and women from around the world to complete the journeys and projects of their dreams.

Applications for the prize open on January 16, 2017, and the LightHouse encourages applicants to start planning ahead. The initial application is a quirky one: a 90-second YouTube video explaining what you would accomplish as a Holman Prizewinner (as well as a brief written questionnaire). Once applications close, a select group of semifinalists will be chosen to submit in-depth written proposals, and later, finalists will be interviewed by LightHouse staff.

Check out last year's finalists' video proposals to get acquainted with the types of projects you can pitch.

To learn more about the prize, please visit the Holman Prize website.

You can read more about the Holman Prize in the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, the BBC and PRi's The World.

If the FAQ page doesn't answer your questions, feel free to get in touch with Max Savage Levenson, Holman Prize Coordinator, at mlevenson@lighthouse-sf.org.

The American Foundation for the Blind Now Accepting Applications for its 2018 Scholarship Program

The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) administers 4 post-secondary education scholarships for up to 8 deserving students who are legally blind. The available scholarships for 2018 are detailed below.

The Rudolph Dillman Memorial Scholarship: Four scholarships of $2,500

Requirements:

Full-time Undergraduate or Graduate student

Studying rehabilitation or education of persons who are blind and/or visually impaired

The Paul and Ellen Ruckes Scholarship: Two scholarships of $2,000

Requirements:

Full time Undergraduate or Graduate student

Studying engineering or computer, physical, or life sciences

The R.L. Gillette, Gladys C. Anderson, and Karen D. Carsel Memorial Scholarship: One scholarship of $3,500

Requirements:

Female undergraduate student

Studying music

The Delta Gamma Foundation Florence Margaret Harvey Memorial Scholarship: One scholarship of $1,000

Requirements:

Undergraduate or graduate student

Studying rehabilitation or education of persons who are blind or visually impaired.

Visit the AFB scholarships website for further information and to complete an application.

Please direct all scholarship questions to:

Aaron Preece, Scholarship Coordinator
Telephone: 304-710-3034
E-mail: apreece@afb.net

Deadline Nears for National Braille Press Touch of Genius Prize.

The Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation was developed to inspire an entrepreneur, educator or inventor to continue the promotion of braille and tactile literacy for blind and deafblind people worldwide. The Prize can be granted for innovative, accessible computer software, Android applications, iOS applications, or tactile hardware that promotes braille and/or tactile literacy for blind people. The deadline to apply is January 12, 2018. For more information please visit the Touch of Genius Prize website.

In the Creators Update to Windows 10 introduced in the spring, Microsoft expanded its built-in accessibility options for users with disabilities. In the October 2017 issue of AccessWorld, Jamie Pauls reviewed the changes to Narrator found in this update. For basic information on Narrator, I encourage you to check out that article. This article takes a closer look at how Windows Narrator performs with a braille display.

General Information and Installation for Braille Display Users

As of the Fall Creators Update, it's not possible to use your braille display as a Plug and Play device like you can with VoiceOver on the Mac. To enable braille support for your device, follow the directions in Chapter 7 in the manual for the Fall Creators Update. Only serial and USB connections are supported, not Bluetooth. You must first set up braille support in Windows and then configure it with Narrator.

Although currently in beta, Microsoft offers support for 27 different display manufacturers. To verify that your device is supported, consult Appendix D of the Narrator manual. The displays are listed there by manufacturer, not seller. So, for example, the Refreshabraille is found in the list of displays associated with Baum because Baum designed and manufactured the Refreshabraille (though APH is the seller).

Braille support is still in beta, which means that you will encounter bugs and limitations. You may lose braille support for other Windows screen readers once braille support for Narrator is installed. This is documented in the Narrator manual in Chapter 7. If you wish to revert back to using your braille display with other Windows screen readers, this chapter also lays out how to do so.

Give Me Some Input: Typing Speed

Narrator supports several languages in contracted, uncontracted six-dot, and uncontracted eight-dot braille. It is also possible to set your input and output tables to a different braille code within that language if desired. Furthermore, there are options to have the cursor represented a few different ways.

There are two input modes for use with the braille keyboard: "Braille Commands," and "Text Input Mode." If you are typing and find the PC is not typing correctly, it is likely you need to switch modes by pressing Spacebar + K.

When typing in either six- or eight-dot uncontracted braille, typing text into edit boxes works well, as long as you type slowly. For example, I'm typing this sentence at around 25 WPM, and each letter is correct. If I want to get this article completed before next May, however, I must use a QWERTY keyboard to type at a reasonable speed. With contracted braille input enabled, the results are even more unreliable. Here is what Narrator does when I type "I'm typing contracted braille on my Refreshabraille to show how input is broken." quickly on a braille display: "I'm typing contracted rl on my refeshabrl to ow how rade input is k\5/an."

When typing in contracted braille, the translator does not take context into account. If you type the word "word," the translator interprets it correctly. Let's say I hit a space then realize I want the word to be plural. When I move the cursor and add an "s," I'm left with "wordso." These issues occurred consistently with both the Refreshabraille and Braille Edge.

Keyboard Commands

There are many keyboard commands available to simulate keys found on a QWERTY keyboard including the Windows key, Tab key, and so on. A few commands also exist for keyboard combinations such as Alt + Tab, and Shift + Tab. You can also perform keyboard commands with modifiers. For example, to bring up the Run dialog, the keyboard command is to press and hold the Windows key + R. There is a command that will simulate holding down the Windows key, Spacebar with Dots 1-8, followed by pressing the letter R. There are some Narrator commands, such as toggling Scan Mode on and off, which are necessary to navigate effectively through menus and webpages. You can toggle this mode on and off by pressing the toggle for the Caps Lock key, which is Spacebar + Dots 6-8, followed by the Spacebar to turn Scan Mode on or off. For these keyboard commands to work, you must be in Text Input mode, which is not mentioned in the manual. If you don't wish to consult the manual for a list of braille display commands, pressing Spacebar + L will launch Input Learning, which allows you to press various braille keyboard combinations to get descriptions of their functions.

Navigating Webpages

You can use a wide range of keyboard commands to move quickly through webpages and documents. Using Microsoft Edge, there are commands to jump by different elements including headings, checkboxes, input fields, radio buttons, and links. There are even commands to jump to heading levels 1 through 9, though I have never seen a webpage use more than heading level 6. After loading the AccessWorld homepage I found navigation to be very consistent with Narrator. I was able to use the toggle for the Control key + L to get to the address bar and type a URL with no issues. Pressing Dot 8 activated a link as expected. In Gmail's basic view, I was able to easily move through messages using the command for checkboxes. None of these keyboard commands appear to work with the Extended Support Release of Firefox.

Mail

Speaking of email, I decided to test the Mail app that comes with Windows 10. It has an Outlook Express feel and works the same way. Many of the keyboard commands that work in Outlook also work in this app. The Mail app is free with Windows 10, and works with Narrator.

Conclusion

Given the wide range of keyboard commands simulating the keys on a QWERTY keyboard, multiple navigation options, and the fixes that have occurred since the Spring update, it's clear Microsoft has put a great deal of time and thought into developing braille support along with Narrator. When the bugs and limitations experienced inputting text on a braille keyboard are solved, Narrator will be a viable option for those who use a braille display without speech. It is my hope that plug-and-play support for braille displays on Windows will someday be an option for those users who can't hear or see the device well enough to go through the setup process. As this is the second beta, I'm encouraged by the work Microsoft has done up to this point, and look forward to the next update, which will hopefully bring even better braille support.

Comment on this article.

Related articles:

• The Current State of Windows Narrator: One User's Perspective by Jamie Pauls
• When Hearing Causes More Vision Loss by Deborah Kendrick

More from this author:

• Keeping It Portable: Comparing Braille Displays on iOS Devices, Part II
• Live on the Edge, or Have an Ultra Lifestyle?: An In-depth Review of HIMS and BAUM Braille Displays

In September 2017, Apple released updates for its iOS devices, Apple Watch, Mac computers, and Apple TV. The iOS update was described in the November issue of AccessWorld. The three remaining operating system updates have themselves been updated and will be discussed in this article.

Apple Watch

Apple released watchOS 4 on September 19. You must have iOS 11 on your iPhone prior to installing watchOS 4. Update your Apple Watch by first making sure it is at least 50 percent charged and on the same WiFi network as your iPhone. The watch must be on its charger during the entire update process. In the Watch app on your iPhone, go to General > Software Update and follow the prompts for the update. Here are some of the major changes.

Apple Watch Series 3

Along with watchOS 4, Apple began selling the Apple Watch Series 3. There are two versions of the Series 3: Apple Watch GPS and Apple Watch GPS + Cellular. The GPS starts at $329 and the Cellular model starts at $399. The Cellular version does not require that an iPhone be in Bluetooth range. Calls can be made and received directly from the watch. The watch must be connected to your wireless carrier and there will be an extra monthly fee for this service. You will need to set up cellular on your watch. Make sure you have your login information for your carrier.

New Faces

Apple has introduced some new watch faces. The Siri face automatically contains relevant information about your day including appointments, reminders, and weather forecast. There is a kaleidoscope face and a Toy Story face. On the Toy Story face, you can choose rotating characters or just Buzz, Woody, or Jessie. All the faces can be found in the Watch app's Face Gallery on your iPhone.

New Complications and App Layouts

Apple has added two new Complications: News and Radio. There are now two app layouts: the default grid view and the new list view. List view puts apps in alphabetical order. Select list view by first going to the apps screen. Then do a force touch in the middle of the screen. VoiceOver will speak the two options. No matter which option is chosen, you can scroll through the apps with the digital crown.

The Dock

The Dock can show recently used apps or it can show favorite apps. In the iPhone's Watch app, go to Dock and choose either Recents or Favorites. If choosing the Favorites option, app order can be arranged.

Activity

The Activity app can give more alerts to help meet your movement, exercise, and standing goals. You can receive messages during the day. For example, you can get a message suggesting how much longer you need to walk to reach your exercise goal. Activity messages can be controlled via the Watch app on your iPhone.

Workout

The Workout app has options for swimming in a pool or open water. High intensity interval training is now an option in the app. Simply double tap on any exercise in the Workout app and you will get a brief countdown and the timer will start. Flicking up and down on the listing for an exercise gives options to change your goal or to start exercising.

There are three pages in the Workout app once an exercise is started. The first page has controls to pause and end the workout. The current time is also displayed. The second page has metrics such as active calories and total calories. The third page has player controls if you are listening to music.

In the Watch app on your iPhone, go to the Workout app. There are new customizable features including the ability to change which metrics are displayed for each exercise. Select Workout View in the Workout app. Then choose the exercise and select which features you want displayed.

You can now set a playlist to start playing as soon as you start your workout. On the iPhone's Watch app go to Workout and select Workout Playlist. Unfortunately, Siri cannot shuffle the playlist (since you are not in the Music app).

If you do not want to be disturbed during your workout go to the Watch app on your iPhone and select General > Do Not Disturb. The first control is Workout Do Not Disturb. You will not receive any notifications when the Workout app on your watch is running. Once the app is closed, you will again receive notifications.

Heart Rate

After you have been inactive for 10 minutes, the Heart Rate app can now notify you if your heart rate has remained above a designated number of beats per minute. On your iPhone, select the Watch app and go to Heart Rate. Choose the number of beats per minute.

Music

If you are an Apple Music subscriber or have an iCloud music library, you can now stream music with your Apple watch. The main screen in the Music app has your playlists. You will need to choose a sound destination. For example, I selected my AirPods. Once the playlist is selected, the next screen will have the standard controls: Previous, Track, Play, and Next Track. The next control is a button labeled Track List. Activating this button does more than just display the list of songs. It also gives you options to Shuffle and Repeat.

There is a new Radio app that includes NPR, ESPN, Apple's Beats 1 radio station, and numerous other radio stations.

Email

You can now send an email directly from your watch. Open the Mail app and perform a force touch. A New Message button will appear. Selecting the button will bring up fields for selecting recipients, adding a subject, and composing a message. Siri cannot send a message from your watch.

My Experience

I initially installed watchOS 4 on my Series 1 Apple Watch. There were no problems with the way the watch worked with the new update. I then purchased a Series 3 GPS + Cellular. This watch is significantly faster than the Series 1. Cellular calls are very clear and the watch is very responsive. It is very convenient not to need my iPhone to make and receive calls.

Mac

Apple released macOS High Sierra on September 20. Upgrade by going to the Mac app store, check for the update, and download macOS High Sierra.

At Apple's World Wide Developers Conference in June, Craig Federighi, VP for Software Engineering, explained, "High Sierra is all about deep technologies that provide a powerful platform for future innovations on the Mac. But we couldn't help ourselves; we also added some refinements." Here are some of the main changes.

New File System

High Sierra introduces Apple's new file system, APFS, for the Mac. This system is also in iOS 11. APFS is secured with encryption and has built-in crash protection. It is significantly faster than the previous file system. Files on the Mac are converted automatically during the installation process.

Safari

There is a new feature in Safari called Auto Play. It is active by default. When you go to a website that tries to play audio immediately, the audio will be blocked. If a video is playing, its audio content will be blocked. If you want audio content to play, this feature can be disabled in the Websites tab of Safari Preferences.

There is an option in Safari to set the Reader for all websites or just specific sites. By default, the reader is turned off. You can still activate the reader whenever it is available on any website.

Reading PDF Documents

For the first time, Mac users are able to read accessible PDF documents unless they are in graphics format (such as jpg). By default, Apple uses Preview, a pre-installed app, to read PDFs. Users can navigate the document and read labels.

VoiceOver and Different Languages

VoiceOver is now capable of reading many different languages, such as Spanish, French, Chinese, and Hebrew, in addition to English. You can customize a different voice for different languages. Only one voice can be added per language. Check out the speech section of the VoiceOver Utility. There is a button to add a language and a table listing the many languages.

Braille Support

According to Apple's vision accessibility page, "In macOS High Sierra, you can edit seamlessly in Grade 2 Braille, viewing your edits in the context of the actual line of text. Converting between braille and text happens automatically so you see only Grade 2 Braille. VoiceOver is also the only screen reader that supports more than one braille display at a time. So in a meeting or class, you can present what's on your screen to multiple braille users simultaneously. And for sighted users who sit alongside you, there's an onscreen braille panel that displays both braille and plain-text versions of the descriptions spoken?by?VoiceOver."

Changing Speech Parameters

The key combination for changing speech rate, voice, pitch, intonation, and volume has been changed and made more cumbersome. The Shift key must now be added. Therefore, the combination is Shift + VO + Command + Right Arrow or Left Arrow to cycle through the options and then Shift + VO + Command _ Up Arrow or Down Arrow to make the adjustment. The original commands are now used for the VoiceOver rotor.

iTunes and Apple Music

Although the latest version of iTunes was not released at the same time as High Sierra, iTunes has undergone a significant change. There are now only five main pop-up menu options from which to choose: Music, Movies, TV Shows, Podcasts, and Audio Books.

Some new settings in the Account menu relate to Apple Music. The Choose Artists for You option first provides a list of genres and then has a list of artists in whichever genres you select. A new option, Start Sharing with Friends, is also in the Account section. This feature lets your friends know what you are listening to allows you to share playlists.

Quick Nav

In Safari, VO + Q will toggle single-letter navigation. Make sure Quick Nav is on before using this command.

tvOS 11

The update for Apple TV was released on September 19. Get it by launching the Settings app on your TV. Then go to System > Software Updates > Update Software and follow the prompts.

Apple TV 4K

This new version of Apple TV costs $179 for the 32 GB model and $199 for the 64 GB model. These new TVs have support for 4K and high dynamic range color. This means the picture is significantly more detailed, there is more texture, and colors are more vivid than on older televisions.

AirPods

It is no longer necessary to go through the paring process with the Apple TV and your AirPods. They will now be listed as a speaker option if the TV is linked to an iCloud account.

Home Screen Sync

If you have more than one Apple TV in your home on the same iCloud account, all the TVs can have the same home screen. You can arrange the apps on one screen and they automatically will be arranged the same way on the other Apple TVs in your house. This feature is an On/Off toggle. Go to Settings > General > Accounts > iCloud > Home Screen Sync.

Conclusion

These updates are worth installing. Since their initial release, they have themselves been updated and Apple has fixed some bugs.

Comment on this article.

Related articles:

• Apple's 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference by Janet Ingber
• Exploring and Using Apple AirPods Cordless Bluetooth Earbuds by Janet Ingber

More by this author:

• The 2017 AFB Leadership Conference Report
• A Tour of Apple's iOS and tvOS TV App Plus Remote Options for the Apple TV

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

Comment on this article.

Related articles:

• Not Yet the Holy Grail: A Review of the ElBraille Braille-Based Portable Computing Device from VFO by Deborah Kendrick
• 2016: The Year of Braille by Jamie Pauls

More by this author:

• Keeping It Portable: Comparing Braille Displays on iOS Devices, Part II
• Live on the Edge, or Have an Ultra Lifestyle?: An In-depth Review of HIMS and BAUM Braille Displays

This article supplements Deborah Kendrick's October 2016 article on the basics of the Orbit Reader 20, providing more detailed information concerning the display's performance as a notetaker and as a terminal connected to other devices.

The Orbit Reader Refreshable Braille Display

The Orbit Reader is intended primarily as a braille display for reading braille files and for connecting to external devices. With a much lower price point than other 20-cell displays, the Orbit Reader does not have onboard translation options, cursor routing buttons, or many of the other features found in braille devices that cost thousands of dollars more. The Orbit Reader also does not offer applications for scheduling appointments, performing calculations, keeping track of the time, or opening formats other than BRL, BRF, and TXT.

Physical Description of the Orbit Reader

The Orbit Reader measures approximately 6 inches wide by 4 inches deep by just over 1 inch high. With the device oriented so the braille display is closest to you, the layout is as follows. At the front of the device is the 20-cell braille display. To either side of the display, you will find the panning buttons, which can be pressed up or down. Above the display, you will find orientation dots above cells 5, 10, and 15. Behind the display, from left to right, you will find Dot 7, the Spacebar, and Dot 8. Directly behind the spacebar are four Arrow keys with a round Select button in the center. Behind the Arrow keys is the 6-dot Perkins-style keyboard. These keys are oval-shaped, and arranged straight across from one another. On the back of the device are, from left to right: the power button, an SD card slot with a card already inserted, and a Micro USB connector for charging the Orbit Reader and connecting to devices via USB. On the front of the Orbit Reader 20 you will find two holes, one on each side, for attaching a strap or lanyard to the display (a strap is not provided).

Flipping the device over, you find many screws, four rubber feet, and the plastic battery door. The battery door is removed by unscrewing two screws.

Braille Display Performance

A few things stood out immediately concerning the braille display itself. One of the things that makes the Orbit Reader such an affordable option is the technology it uses for refreshing. Instead of refreshing all cells simultaneously, the display refreshes cell-by-cell. Though there is a slight delay in refreshing when connected to external devices, there is almost no delay at all when using the internal reader. The refreshing of the braille cells is a bit noisy, but no worse than a rather loud laptop. To hear for yourself, check out this recording presented in Braillecast Episode 4. Reading on an external device seems to produce about the same amount of noise. Inputting text in braille while connected to an external device is a bit louder.

Internal Features of the Orbit Reader 20

The File Manager

The File Manager allows you to browse and interact with the contents of an SD card. The user has the ability to create new folders, mark documents, sort files in multiple ways, rename files, or move them.

Using the Standalone Reader

The Orbit Reader operates in two modes: Standalone or Remote. In Standalone mode, it has a File Manager, Reader, and Editor. The Reader is fully functioning but supports only plain text and digital braille files. There are options to save bookmarks, find text, and scroll by larger chunks of text. The reader preserves your place in a file upon exiting with dot 7. Loading of braille or text documents is nearly instantaneous. An 857 KB BRF file from Bookshare and a 989 KB text document each loaded in less than half a second.

The Orbit Reader 20 does not support formats such as Rich Text, Microsoft Word documents, ePub, and the like. The manual recommends using a utility for Windows called Send To Braille, which adds an option to the Windows context menu to create an unformatted braille file that can be copied to an SD card. For Mac users, running the Braille Blaster program is the only suggestion given to get BRL or BRF files. On either platform, you can also use the online document conversion tools on Robobraille to convert various file formats to digital braille or text.

The Editor

The Editor is the Orbit Reader's basic notetaker. When running Editor in the background, loading your most recently edited file will take about a second. If you are in the File Manager, or reading a book you wish to take notes on, you can quickly jump to the last file in the Editor by pressing Spacebar + Dots 1, 2, 4, and 6.

Though the Orbit Reader has some unique commands, many follow the conventional keyboard mapping on a braille notetaker. For example, pressing Spacebar with Dots 1, 2, and 3 will jump to the top of the file. You can also use block commands in the Reader and Editor, with options to cut, copy, and paste. When you wish to save your changes, press the Select button twice to exit the Editor. If you switch off the Orbit Reader without saving your changes, it retains the modifications you have made as long as it doesn't crash or lose battery power.

If you write the name you'd like to use for your file at the top of your document, the Orbit Reader 20 will automatically add it as the file name. When you reopen a file using the File Manager, it opens in the Reader. To continue editing your document, press Spacebar + E. You can verify that you are in the Editor, as a cursor will be visible.

Miscellaneous Comments

The orbit Reader does not ship with a case. One is available for purchase through Executive Products for $78.95. If the Orbit Reader goes completely dead, you must revive it using the power supply that came with the display, though it seems to handle other power supplies just fine as long as the battery is not completely flat. If you wish to update the Orbit Reader, you will need to do so using a Windows computer, as there is no way to do so on the Mac.

Connecting the Orbit Reader 20 to External Devices

The Basics

The Orbit Reader 20 allows the user to connect through USB or Bluetooth. To configure the various options associated with either Bluetooth or USB, from anywhere within Orbit Reader, hold down the Select button and press the Up Arrow. Then, move through the various options with the Up and Down Arrow keys until you find your desired option. TO change that option, use the Right or Left Arrow keys to select the choice that best suits your needs. With USB, the menu option is simply called "USB." You can connect in HID, Mass Storage, or serial port modes. Mass Storage allows you to plug the Orbit Reader into a Mac or PC and modify the contents of the SD card.

For the Bluetooth settings, you can choose to pair by using an option called "just works" or "confirm code." "Just works" does not require a PIN, while "confirm code" will require that you verify that the code shown on both devices is identical. To verify a code on the Orbit Reader, press Dot 8 when prompted. An option below "pair" of equal importance depending on your screen reader is the "Emulate" option. When turned on, this will trick the screen reader in to thinking the Orbit Reader 20 is a Refreshabraille 18. This is done so that the Orbit Reader is compatible with devices that do not natively support the Orbit Reader. For users of JAWS, any version of NVDA before 2017, Mac OS 10.11, iOS 10.2, or BrailleBack, it will be necessary to turn this on. The good news is that you have support for older screen reader versions and operating systems, but the somewhat bad news is that you only get 18 cells of braille. While this is a drawback, 18 cells of braille are certainly better than 0. It wasn't possible for me to test all configurations and all of the supported screen readers, but I do cover several in this article: VoiceOver on iOS and Mac, NVDA, JAWS, and VoiceView on the Kindle Fire HD tablet.

Connecting to iOS

An iPhone SE running iOS 11.2 was used to connect to the Orbit Reader. As with all of the Bluetooth connections, I chose to use "just works" because… it just works. I will not walk the reader through the pairing process of each device, as the Orbit Reader User guide details the steps for each device. The one exception is the Kindle Fire; more on that later.

As mentioned earlier, typing on iOS is a bit louder than typing in the internal Editor. There is also a slight delay when panning the braille display, though it wasn't so pronounced as to cut into productivity. All keyboard commands function as expected; it's a decent enough experience. Not having cursor routing buttons was an adjustment, but I was able to use the rotor to get past their absence. This did cut into productivity when editing, but the rotor in VoiceOver gives you access to enough ways to navigate that editing text is possible. While I grew used to pressing a cursor routing button to activate an item, I was still able to do this using the Select button. Even without a select button, I could have pressed Spacebar + Dots 3 and 6 to select an item. You can also navigate around iOS with the Arrow keys. Each of the Arrow keys performs the equivalent of a one-finger flick on the touchscreen.

Connecting to Mac OS

I connected the Orbit Reader 20 to a mid-2013 11-inch Macbook Air running Mac OS High Sierra. When connected via USB, the refresh time is very slightly slower than it is in the internal Reader and Editor. There was an additional challenge with Mac OS over iOS. While Spacebar + Dots 5 and 6 will take you to the next element in the rotor, Spacebar + Dot 3 or Dot 6 will not move the cursor by the selected unit. In defense of Orbit Research, this bug is a shortcoming only Apple can fix. Anyone using Mac OS 10.8 and later with any braille display experiences this bug, it just has a bigger impact on people using devices that don't have cursor routing buttons. True, you can take your hands off of the display to flick up or down on the trackpad or press either the Up or Down Arrow key on the keyboard, but this can also slow you down in a lot of ways, since you have to take your hands off of the braille display to manipulate your work. While this may not impact people who receive both speech and braille together, for those only using braille, this can significantly drop productivity. That said, many keyboard commands are available, and it's possible to map your own keyboard command to various functions of VoiceOver. If you don't like reading manuals, you can always press Spacebar + K to launch keyboard help. If you are the type who reads manuals, Apple has a chapter dedicated to braille displays in their VoiceOver User guide. Though the Orbit Reader is not listed as one of the supported devices, it is supported with both USB and Bluetooth.

Connecting to NVDA

NVDA 2017.3 was used to conduct this part of the evaluation. One thing that stands out using NVDA is that you don't need additional drivers when you're connecting the Orbit Reader 20. Another thing that stands out is that the user who utilizes NVDA has a free screen reader with developing braille support. The biggest issue I've found with this setup is that when contracted input is selected, NVDA will sometimes decide to stop accepting braille input from the display. This is not an issue unique to the Orbit Reader, but is worth pointing out. Restarting NVDA will bring input back.

Contracted braille input can be slightly tricky on NVDA, because the text you type is not translated until you hit the Spacebar. It's also a bit tricky since, like with earlier versions of iOS and Mac OS, the translator does not take into account the context of what is being typed when editing. For example, I missed the letter "n" when typing the word "on" in the preceding paragraph. I moved to where I needed to insert the letter, did so, and received "onot." Other contractions are not yet being used properly with the UEB table, such as the word "it's." At the moment, it is always translated as "x's." It's translated correctly with US contracted braille, though.

Unlike other displays on the market, and unlike on Apple products, NVDA has a very limited set of keyboard commands for navigation. The only commands you have allow you to move up or down a line, to move forward or backward by character, or to press Enter. While these are useful commands, it would be nice to see a more substantial set of commands to help offset the lack of cursor routing buttons. It is my hope that the developers of NVDA and Orbit Research will work together to offer a more robust set of keyboard commands in future releases of NVDA. It's also worth noting that NVDA's support for contracted braille input is only a few months old, so further development will hopefully occur.

Connecting to JAWS

JAWS version 18.0.4350 was used for this evaluation. As written above, you must emulate a Refreshabraille 18 for the Orbit Reader to connect. While this limits you to 18 of the 20 cells of braille, the good news is that JAWS already has a large set of keyboard commands that work with the Orbit Reader. Whether working in, and manipulating, multiple windows, editing documents, or doing research on the Internet, JAWS and the Orbit Reader have you covered. Contracted braille input is a pleasant experience, as the translator correctly interprets typing. Further, JAWS takes context into account when editing, which makes for a more expedient editing experience than working with NVDA. That pleasant experience does come with a price tag of $895.00.

Connecting to Kindle Fire OS

A Kindle Fire HD 8 (7^th generation) running Fire OS 5.6 was used to evaluate the Fire OS. Though the Orbit Reader manual does not discuss how to pair Fire tablets, Amazon has a page dedicated to braille that details how to enable VoiceView and pair with supported braille displays.

Once paired, as the page indicates, you have a lot of options for keyboard commands that will let you navigate the operating system. Some will be familiar to braille users, while others will be completely different. For example, Spacebar + H will take you to the Kindle's home screen, Spacebar + Dot 1 takes you to the previous item, while Spacebar + Dot 4 will take you to the next item. Unlike the other configurations covered in this review, the Select button doesn't have a function in Fire OS. Instead, you must press Spacebar + E (the Enter key) to activate an item. If you plan to navigate the home screen without speech, in order to show which of the items is highlighted when you press Spacebar + E to activate, you must go into Settings>Accessibility>VoiceView>Braille and check the box called "Show Accessibility Focus on Braille Display." If this is turned off, there could be up to three items on the display at once and unless you use speech, there is no way to tell which application is selected. However, if left turned on, when you open a book, for example, Dots 7 and 8 always show up underneath the text. Further, after restarting the Kindle Fire HD, I had to reconnect the Orbit Reader each time using speech. Because of these two shortcomings, the Kindle HD is not something I could recommend for a deaf-blind user who is entirely reliant on braille. Note that this is not a problem specific to the Orbit Reader; other devices require the same re-pairing.

Text input works fairly well in contracted and uncontracted braille. When writing an email using contracted braille, the translator unpredictably missed typed letters.

Reading books on the Fire HD is a wonderful experience with the Orbit Reader. Buying content from the Kindle Store is easy to do, and you can then read that content with no trouble using this display. You can also read email and browse simple webpages. At the time of writing, an HD with 16 gigabytes of memory cost $79.99, making it the most affordable option currently on the market.

Conclusion

Once the Orbit Reader 20 is available for purchase, it will be a very economical option. With a compromise in price, there comes a small compromise in features. Certainly, the Orbit Reader is not the quietest display on the market, nor does it have cursor routing buttons. It will, however, have a built-in notetaker, the ability to read braille and plain text files, and the ability to connect to many external devices. At $449 the Orbit Reader will be a very budget-friendly option for many. Orbit Research and the rest of the Transforming Braille Group are to be commended for keeping the price of this display as low as they have with just a few compromises. I hope the Orbit Reader will soon be available for purchase, as it will bring braille into the hands of many more people.

Product Information

Product: Orbit Reader 20
Price when available: $449
US Distributer: American Printing House for the Blind

Comment on this article.

Related articles:

• The Orbit Reader 20 by Orbit Research: a Review by Deborah Kendrick
• The Quest for "The Holy Braille" Full-Page Refreshable Braille Display: An Interview with Alex Russomanno by Francesca Crozier-Fitzgerald

More from this author:

• Keeping it Portable: Comparing Braille Displays on iOS Devices, Part I
• Keeping It Portable: Comparing Braille Displays on iOS Devices, Part II

Whether you are a person with excellent vision or someone who is totally blind, chances are good that the devices you use in your everyday life are becoming increasingly intelligent. From the phone you keep in your pocket to the tablet in your briefcase, all of our smart devices keep getting new features that make them increasingly difficult to survive without. The same is true for the dedicated notetakers used by blind people all over the planet. Gone are the days when a note-taking device developed for blind people could only run specialized software designed only for that particular device. Today, the blind community expects to be able to use technology that is on par with that of their sighted counterparts. Companies that have long catered to the needs of the blind community are hearing the call and are meeting the challenge of today's technology requirements.

One company that has long been a trusted leader in the blind community is HIMS Inc. For years, the company's BrailleSense notetakers have been seen in offices, schools, and coffee shops all over the world. Whether you live in South Korea—home base for HIMS—or the United States, you might be reading this article on a BrailleSense product right now.

In June of 2017, with its release of the BrailleSense Polaris, HIMS joined a list companies, including Humanware, who now offer braille notetakers that are Google certified and run a fairly new version of the Android operating system. Google certification means that not only does the notetaker contain a suite of software designed by HIMS specifically for the blind, but the device also contains many stock apps from Google including Google Docs, Chrome, Hangouts, and YouTube, just to name a few examples, and more can be downloaded from the Internet.

I recently had the privilege of evaluating the BrailleSense Polaris for AccessWorld. What follows are my impressions of the newest offering from HIMS, Inc.

BraileSense Polaris: What's in the Box and What's Under the Hood?

The BrailleSense Polaris, named for Google's Polaris office suite, is a 32-cell notetaker with a Perkins-style keyboard. When I unboxed my evaluation unit, I found a dedicated AC adapter, meaning that it is possible to plug the unit into AC power without needing to mess with a Micro USB cable and charger. My unit came with an extra battery, which I never needed to use, though I found the process of removing and replacing the battery to be quite easy. The case that came with the unit was lightweight and textured so that I never felt as though I might drop the Polaris. The strap that came with the case was easy to attach, and felt quite comfortable on my shoulder. The front flap of the case is held closed magnetically, so there is no need to fiddle with snaps or Velcro. I did not use the earbuds that were included with the unit, but I suspect they are what one would expect—not high quality by any means, but sufficient to get the task done. One really nice touch, in my opinion, was the inclusion of a braille quick reference guide that listed all of the keystroke commands for the Polaris. I found myself using this reference quite a bit. I did notice some odd formatting issues in the way keystrokes such as F1 were written. Sometimes the letter F was at the end of a line of text, and the number 1 was at the beginning of the next line—something I would have changed if I were preparing the document for brailling.

The BrailleSense Polaris runs on the Android Lollipop 5.1.1 operating system. It contains 64GB of internal storage with 3GB of RAM. It sports a 2.1 GHz Samsung Exynos 7420 processor, and a detachable battery that, according to HIMS, runs for about 18 hours when fully charged with the internal speaker set at mid-volume. Since I tend to keep my devices plugged in any time I am near an outlet, I never ran the battery down during a day's use. The unit's visual display allows a sighted person to read what is on the Polaris' display, and an HDMI port allows the unit to be connected to an external monitor. The unit allows for, among other things, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. The Polaris' sensors include GPS, an accelerometer, compass, and gyroscope.

Finally a 13-megapixel camera allows for tasks such as scanning documents with an application such as KNFB Reader.

Getting a Feel for the BrailleSense Polaris

It's important that any device, whether a new laptop or a dedicated notetaker for the blind, feels good under the hand. I personally like the feel of the Polaris' Perkins style keyboard. The keys were springy under my fingers, and the keyboard was about as quiet as any keyboard of this type can be, in my estimation. To the left and right of the Spacebar are, respectively, Control and Alt keys that can be used in Android apps as needed. Spaced farther left and right of these keys are four function keys. These function keys serve various purposes, only the most common of which I'll mention here. F1 takes you back to the main program menu, while F4 acts as an Escape key. F3 and Spacebar + F3 are Tab and Shift + Tab keys. It is also possible to use Spacebar plus Dots 4 and 5 to act as a Tab key, and Spacebar with Dots 1 and 2 to act as a Shift + Tab command. Finally, on each end of the unit are two capsule-shaped scroll keys that can be set to perform specific actions, such as panning by screen display, line, paragraph, and so forth. I left these keys set at the default mode of panning by screen display. These keys can also be used to move through menus, lists, etc.

The 32 braille cells found on the Polaris were clean and crisp under my fingers, and the device's cursor routing buttons were what I would expect.

Between the braille cells and the cursor routing buttons is a thin touch strip that can be used for flicking and tapping gestures in certain apps. I never personally found a need to use this feature.

The Polaris' LCD display, discussed earlier, takes up the top center of the unit. The sound quality of the Polaris' stereo speakers is quite adequate, and the internal stereo microphones make good recordings as well.

Although I have never used a BrailleSense U2, I am told that many of the Polaris' commands will be familiar to users of that product. More about some of those later.

On the right side of the Polaris is a USB 3.0 rapid data and Micro USB combination port. It is possible to charge the BrailleSense Polaris using the USB port as well as via its dedicated AC adapter.

Behind this port is the Polaris' SD HC card slot. Be aware that, when inserting an SD card, the ridged portion of the card should point up, rather than pointing down as is often the case with other devices.

On the left side of the Polaris, starting at the front, or nearest the user, there are two buttons for raising and lowering the volume of the device. I found that the case of the Polaris made depressing these buttons quite difficult. HIMS says they are working on a redesign of the case that will address this problem.

Behind the volume buttons are a stereo headphone jack and a stereo microphone jack. The stereo headphone jack is to be expected, but I found the inclusion of a stereo microphone/line in jack to be a nice addition. I did not test the microphone jack, but the headphone jack worked as expected.

Finally, farthest back on the left side of the Polaris is a USB host port for connecting USB drives, keyboards, and the like.

On the back right side of the Polaris is the AC adapter mentioned earlier. On the back left side is the HDMI port for sending visual output from the Polaris to a monitor.

Also on the left rear portion of the Polaris is a Kensington lock port that allows the user to physically lock the unit to a desk. I did not test either the HDMI port, or the lock port.

Some of my favorite features of the BrailleSense Polaris can be found on the front panel of the unit. On the far left is a 3-position slide switch that is used to either lock all the keys on the top panel of the unit, or to lock all keys and buttons everywhere on the unit. The third position of the slider unlocks everything. Anyone who has ever carried a notetaker around in a briefcase knows how easy it is to accidentally press buttons. In my opinion, HIMS deserves a lot of credit for adding the ability to lock everything down on their notetakers, rather than requiring the user to power down the device when traveling so as not to accidentally issue commands.

To the right of the lock switch is another 3-position switch used to change the function of the remaining controls on the front panel of the unit. Depending on the position of the switch, these controls can operate the Polaris' media player, operate its DAISY player, or be used to navigate around and perform actions in various apps.

Farther to the right on the front panel of the unit are the buttons mentioned in the previous paragraph. Assuming you are in media mode, the buttons control recording, navigation, and playback of audio. The Stop button has a very discernible dot on it. More about the media player later.

Farthest to the right on the front of the Polaris is the Power button. When the unit first starts up, youll hear the familiar musical chime found on all HIMS notetakers. This sound can be disabled if desired. A quick press of the Power button locks and unlocks the screen of the Polaris. I found this process to be very responsive. As a musician who keeps set lists in braille as I play, I would have no trouble unlocking the screen in a reasonable amount of time if it locked during a performance. The unit's small size (9.66 inches by 5.66 inches by 0.39 inches; 1.65 pounds) would make it quite easy to place on a small stand or table near my keyboard.

Getting Up to Speed with the BrailleSense Polaris

When you first start up the device or after a firmware upgrade, you are presented with a short tutorial and quick start wizard that takes you through various settings including time and date and preferred braille entry. I chose to use Unified English Braille (UEB) on the Polaris and never needed to use any other braille code such as computer braille unless I chose to. This is especially good for someone who only learns one braille code such as UEB.

The BrailleSense Polaris user guide is available from the main menu screen, or it can be downloaded from the Internet. This allowed me to put the user guide on my Braille Edge and read from that device while I was setting up the Polaris. Although the user guide is adequate, it does not teach someone to use the Polaris in the same way that a tutorial such as those produced by Mystic Access do. HIMS has provided some YouTube videos on various aspects of using the Polaris, but both the presenter and the Polaris sound muffled and faint in the videos. This could be a real challenge for anyone who has significant hearing loss.

The BrailleSense Polaris Menu

Pressing F1 at any time takes the BrailleSense Polaris user to its main menu of programs. The Polaris' file manager is quite sufficient to do all of the tasks one would expect including the ability to mark multiple files for manipulation—copying, moving, etc. It is also possible to zip and unzip files, among other more advanced options.

The Polaris' word processor allows one to read TXT, BRF, RTF, PDF, EPUB, and Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. You can save documents in a variety of formats including DOCX, RTF, BRF, and more. It is also possible to insert braille math equations into a document that can be viewed as regular math equations by a sighted person.

I was less impressed with the Polaris' email program. Although I was able to synchronize with my Gmail account using IMAP, I found the time it took for the Polaris to show my list of messages after I had deleted a message to be quite slow. I was not able to delete a message I was reading without backing out of the message itself first. A daily email I receive from my favorite political analyst did not read well, showing a lot of extraneous formatting information; this was the case even when I opened the message in the Polaris' Internet browser.

On a brighter note, my favorite part of using the BrailleSense Polaris was its media player. I enjoyed using the FM radio—one must use the cord from their earbuds as an antenna—and I was able to pick up all the radio stations in my area. I enjoyed making presets of my favorite stations, labeling them with the actual station name rather than just the frequency. I was able to make playlists of my favorite songs that were stored on an SD card, and the media player operated in the background so I could listen to music while performing other tasks on the unit.

The buttons on the front of the Polaris made moving around in media files a breeze. Supported file formats include ac3, asf, asx, m3u, mp2, mp3, mp4, mpa, mpg, ogg, pls, wav, wax, wma, flac, midi, and wmv.

It is also possible to play DAISY content from sources such as Bookshare on the Polaris. From the Extras menu, there is an online DAISY option that allows for downloading of content from CNIB and Vision Australia.

The Organizer includes tools such as a contacts manager and an appointment calendar. I was able to synchronize both the account manager and calendar with my Google account, but I found it less intuitive to quickly browse upcoming appointments than I would have liked.

I found the Polaris' Internet browser to be adequate. While this might not sound like a ringing endorsement, I am not a fan of mobile browsing on any device, although I do more than my fair share of it. That said, I could easily see myself regularly using the Polaris on the Web with speech turned on, although I generally use braille notetakers with braille only. The use of speech at a fairly fast clip would negate any slow response time for me, and there are plenty of options on the Polaris for moving by heading, link, next block of text, and the like.

There are a host of other tools on the Polaris, including a calculator, compass, and stopwatch. One really clever feature of the Polaris that might be easily overlooked is the ability to say "Hey Polaris" from anywhere in the room, and have the unit play a tone so you can locate it. I used this feature for real at least once during my evaluation of the product.

Using Android Apps with the BrailleSense Polaris

For this article, I mostly tested the apps that were specifically designed for the Polaris. Depending on the accessibility of any third-party app either included on the Polaris or downloaded from the Internet, your mileage will vary regardless of what notetaker you use. That said, I did try out Google Docs, with only mild success. When typing in a document, I often found myself thrown into a menu rather than the document I should have been in. Reading documents was more pleasurable. That said, I would prefer to use the Polaris' included word processor anyway.

YouTube was much more enjoyable on the Polaris, and I listened to the HIMS videos on using the Polaris from the unit itself.

The Bottom Line

In my time of evaluating the BrailleSense Polaris, I found the product to be enjoyable to use. If I had previously been a BrailleSense product user, it would have taken me less time to get up and running with the unit than it did. An interactive tutorial would help greatly in this regard.

I found the Samantha TTS voice included on the unit to be quite easy to understand, and very responsive with no stuttering at all. Although there were a few things I wasn't crazy about such as slow performance using email, and a really long firmware upgrade time with not much feedback for part of that experience, I recognize that this product is still quite early in its development cycle. I love the size and portability of the unit. The media player is a pleasure to use, and the specialized suite of software programs included on the unit will meet the needs of student and office professional alike. I especially appreciate the fact that I could use Unified English Braille everywhere on the unit, but I could choose another braille code if I desired. I personally used computer braille in the calculator, although I could have chosen Nemeth braille or UEB math instead.

Those who are fans of HIMS products, and those who are looking for a specialized notetaker running a mainstream operating system and who are able to use accessible mainstream apps should definitely consider taking a look at the BrailleSense Polaris.

Product Information

Product: BrailleSense Polaris
Manufacturer: HIMS INC., 888-520-4467, hims@hims-inc.com
Price: $5,795.00

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