Hi, Kim.
Yes, the Braille Lite 40 was a fabulous machine. Its command structure
was incredibly intuitive and easy to remember. I'm not sure the name of
the round serial connector and whether cables with that connection can
still be purchased but my guess is that they likely could be.
On 4/7/2019 12:25 AM, kstarrett5@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
--
Oh, the braille lite was a wonderful product. I still have my braille lite 40and wish it was usable, though until I spend some time figuring out connectors etc. that isn’t the case. In my opinion, the braille lite was a far superior product to any of the PacMates that came after it.
Kim
*From:*blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> *On Behalf Of *David Goldfield
*Sent:* Saturday, April 6, 2019 11:19 PM
*To:* blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
*Subject:* [blind-philly-comp] Re: The Orbit Reader is Still Available, if You are Willing to Pay a Bit More
Hi, Lillian.
As I used to work for the company which produced the Braille 'n Speak there is a very special place in my heart for that wonderful product. Blazie Engineering also produced a series of products with refreshable Braille called the Braille Lite. It essentially used all of the commands used by the Braille 'n Speak but it contained either 18 or 40 refreshable Braille cells.
Using a bluetooth keyboard with the iPhone is an interesting experience. It is unlike any screen reader you've used in Windows but it is certainly possible. I rarely use one except for when I sometimes travel so that I can compose emails on my iPhone.
On 4/6/2019 12:57 AM, Lillian Way wrote:
Hi, Robin;
Thanks. I appreciate you or anyone on this list helping me understand
gadgets unfamiliar to me. Yes, I used to own a Braille and Speak. It died a
long time ago. It was portable in that it could be carried in a normal sized
back pack.
My I-phone instructor bought a folding keyboard from Amazon a few months
ago. He doesn't recall its name, so I can't purchase one like it. It's not
Braille. It shouldn't be too hard to use once I learn what keys it has. Thanks
for explaining how Braille keyboards function. Take care.
Lillian
-----Original Message-----
From:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Robin Frost
Sent: Saturday, April 6, 2019 12:13 AM
To:blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-philly-comp] Re: The Orbit Reader is Still Available, if
You are Willing to Pay a Bit More
Hi,
I'm not David but thought I'd jump in and help. No in theory you don't lose
any lines of text because they reside in the code of your file whether it's on
the braille display or they reside on your pc or smart phone so just like you
can move up and down between lines on your pc with arrow keys so too you can
with these devices so if you wanted to review the line above you'd just press
one of the corresponding buttons to move the device's focus back to that line
and the refreshable dots would refresh themselves to display that content
again. I don't know if you ever held a braille n' speak in your hands but some
units can be similar in size to it having similar keys in a brailler key
configuration for your data entry and or control of the unit via cord commands.
These displays can come with as few as 12 cells for on the go use to 14, 18,
20, 32, 40 and even desktop models that sport a whopping 80. There have been
rumblings about a multi-line display forth coming that I believe only al
lows for reading documents not necessarily editing but not sure it's made
it to market yet.
I hope that helps.
Robin
-----Original Message-----
From: Lillian Way
Sent: Friday, April 5, 2019 11:46 PM
To:blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-philly-comp] Re: The Orbit Reader is Still Available, if
You are Willing to Pay a Bit More
Hi, David;
Thanks. I have a clearer understanding of how those devices work now. When
you move to the next line of Braille, you don't lose the line above you already
read, in case there's something you want to double check for better
clarification. Have I got that right? Also, is this Orbit portable, compared to
the standard size of a regular keyboard that may contain Braille markings or
symbols relating to what those keys do? Thanks again in advance of your
response. Take care.
Lillian
-----Original Message-----
From:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of David Goldfield
Sent: Friday, April 5, 2019 4:53 PM
To:blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-philly-comp] Re: The Orbit Reader is Still Available, if
You are Willing to Pay a Bit More
Hi, Lillian.
Normally, when you read Braille it consists of several separate lines on a
page and you move your fingers from one line to the next in order to read the
contents of the page.
However, there are devices which can present Braille dots electronically,
as opposed to dots on a page. This is done by tiny little pegs or pins which
can pop up on an otherwise flat panel which simulates the tactile feel of
Braille. As an example, if you had the letter L, which consists of dots 1, 2
and 3 the pins would pop up through this panel to resemble those dots. These
pins aren't sharp to the touch but feel exactly like, or at least similar to
how dots would feel on a piece of Braille paper.
Unlike a piece of paper which might be able to hold 24 lines of Braille a
Braille display is much smaller and only holds one line of Braille. This then
begs the question of how can we have more than one line of Braille on a device
which only allows for one line of Braille at a time. With these devices, after
you have finished reading a line of Braille you push a button and the pins
electronically refresh, meaning that they reconfigure themselves to show you
the next line of Braille, which you would then feel from left to right. This
may sound like it would be an awkward way to read but the buttons to go back
and forth to the next or previous line are located in very convenient and
strategically positioned places, making it easy to advance the display to the
next line as you're finishing the line you're currently reading.
Some electronic Braille devices or Braille displays have a built-in
keyboard, allowing you to type into the device to store your own notes or other
writings so you can read them in Braille, either as you're writing or when
reading or reviewing what you've written. Many of these devices allow you to
transfer documents from your computer to the device so you can read and edit
them on the Braille device. As John has already stated many of them can allow
you to use a screen reader, such as JAWS, to read what's on your computer
screen in Braille, along with or instead of listening to them.
I hope this explanation helps.
On 4/4/2019 9:38 PM, Lillian Way wrote:
Hi, David;
I have a question. What is "refreshable Braille?" Thanks in advance for
your answer. Take care.
Lillian
-----Original Message-----
From:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<mailto:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<mailto:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of David Goldfield
Sent: Thursday, April 4, 2019 5:46 PM
To:blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<mailto:blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> <mailto:blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-philly-comp] The Orbit Reader is Still Available, if You
are Willing to Pay a Bit More
BlindBargains.com<http://BlindBargains.com> <http://BlindBargains.com>
<http://BlindBargains.com> <http://BlindBargains.com> -
Latest Buzz - Wednesday, April 3, 2019 at 8:52 PM
The Orbit Reader is Still Available, if You are Willing to Pay a Bit More
Despite a slightly higher cost and new way to obtain it, the Orbit Reader
is still available for purchase, according to the company.
Recent events have caused the American Printing House, a primary
distributor for the display, to cease carrying the unit.
According to a message posted on behalf of the APH Executive Leadership team to the
OR20 mailing list, "Negotiations between Orbit Research and the Transforming Braille
Group are still underway and there is no resolution in sight." This was part of a
message posted on the Orbit 20 mailing list, which is also being discontinued.
Orbit Research responded on the @OrbitResearch1<http://www.twitter.com/OrbitResearch1> <http://www.twitter.com/OrbitResearch1>
<http://www.twitter.com/OrbitResearch1>
<http://www.twitter.com/OrbitResearch1> Twitter account:
The Orbit Reader 20 is in active production and we continue to develop and support it with firmware updates, warranty service and repairs. It is available through our website: orbitresearch.com/product/tactil<http://orbitresearch.com/product/tactil> <http://orbitresearch.com/product/tactil>
<http://orbitresearch.com/product/tactil>
<http://orbitresearch.com/product/tactil> and via phone: 888-606-7248
The price has been raised slightly to $599 for all orders from Orbit
Research.
In a podcast recorded at CSUN,<https://www.blindbargains.com/b/20022> <https://www.blindbargains.com/b/20022>
<https://www.blindbargains.com/b/20022>
<https://www.blindbargains.com/b/20022> APH Director of Sales Dave
Wilkinson reaffirmed the company's commitment to braille.
We are committed to low-cost Braille, but at the same time, we are also
committed to providing refreshable Braille to our customers and our students
and folks who expect that from us, and we will do anything we have to to make
sure that we can provide refreshable Braille for our clients.
User Buddy Brannan has set up a new mailing list to discuss Orbit Research
products.](https://groups.io/g/orbit-reader) It is not endorsed by the
company, though staff will monitor the list, according to its description.
We will post more updates if they become available.
Here's the original post from the Orbit Reader mailing list:
[Or20] Orbit Reader Mailing List Update
Michael McDonald mmcdonald at aph.org<http://aph.org> <http://aph.org>
<http://aph.org> <http://aph.org> Tue Apr 2 18:57:28 UTC 2019
I have been asked to post this message on behalf of the APH Executive
Leadership team:
Effective April 2, APH is discontinuing the Orbit Reader 20 listserv. We
are taking this step as we remove the Orbit Reader 20 from our shopping site.
Negotiations between Orbit Research and the Transforming Braille Group are
still underway and there is no resolution in sight. Supporting documentation,
like the Orbit User Guide and user videos, will remain available to customers
who have purchased an Orbit Reader from APH. Orbit Research is expected to
honor the warranty and continue repairs for already purchased Orbit Readers.
Any requests for repairs should continue to come through APH. APH is committed
to providing students and customers with reliable, refreshable braille devices,
and we will be providing an array of options while this situation is resolved.
Please visit our shopping site and our social media pages to learn more.
Update:
APH has posted a statement to the Fed's Head
blog<http://www.fredshead.info/2019/04/orbit-reader-20-removed-from-aph-catalog.html>
<http://www.fredshead.info/2019/04/orbit-reader-20-removed-from-aph-catalog.html>
<http://www.fredshead.info/2019/04/orbit-reader-20-removed-from-aph-catalog.html>
<http://www.fredshead.info/2019/04/orbit-reader-20-removed-from-aph-catalog.html>
with additional information.
Category: News<https://www.blindbargains.com/bargains.php?cat_id=33>
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<https://www.blindbargains.com/bargains.php?cat_id=33>
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J.J. Meddaugh is an experienced technology writer and computer enthusiast.
He is a graduate of Western Michigan University with a major in
telecommunications management and a minor in business. When not writing for
Blind Bargains, he enjoys travel, playing the keyboard, and meeting new people.
https://www.blindbargains.com/b/20023
David Goldfield
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