Category: accessible Devices
I am adding this to my future wishlist. Anyone that has experience with these sort of devices please post. I'm mostly thinking of a companion to mobile phones.
*Smile,* this is a pretty pricy investment, so I want to buy the best on the lower end of the price scale. There are a few to choose from.
Thanks all!
A Braille Connect 12 will deliver 12 cells of refreshable braille, an 8 key keyboard, and a bluetooth connection to your phone. Is this what you're after?
There is a research project that was presented at CSUN, the braille glove. Basically you can wear a sort of a glove and then use your hands on any wurface to write braille and a blue tooth connection gets the letter back to a receiver on a device. It is still in testing and prototype stage, but there has been some progress and if all goes well I´d hope to see it in a functional form in a year or two, that´d be very cool.
sjtaylor, that is just what I mean. There seems to be a few 12-cell models though. Have you used one of these? How'd you like it?
Wildebrew, that sounds wild. It would be so fun to use!
A little side note, remember finger math? It would be cool if you could use the glove for that as well. Lol!
Ok, so maybe there is only 2 models...?
The braille connect 12, by Humanware and Baum? Are there differences in these two?
Also there is the VarioConnect 12, is that the same as above.
Then from Euro braille, there is the Esys 12.
Some things I like about the Esys 12 is both bluetooth and USB connectivity, and it supports a mini sd card, so I could easily transfer text files. I don't know anything about this Eurobraille company though.
The prices of these 2 units are the same, just shy of $2000.
Any further thoughts or input? *smile*
Lol, I have found: Easy Link 12.
http://www.optelec.com/en_GB/product/braille-computer-access/easylink12
Not sure on the price though.
I have also found an 18 cell model from APH. There price is $1700.
Anyone know why that one is cheeper?
Sheesh, one of these years I need to get to a convention, where these sort of things are displayed.
I hear you about needing to get to a convention before I die. LOL I have a PAC Mate Braille Display, with a PAC Mate. Please tell me I can finally get some use out of this thing by connecting to the iPhone under IOS 4? Or not? LOL
Many of these companies do not go to conventions anymore, or go to different ones, so it can be tricky to catch all of them, but you should be able to catch some of them at any one exhibition.
EuroBraille is a French company, I have tested their 40 cell product and spoekn with their reps and I recommend them as far as my experience goes.
Seika braille displays, sold by Perkins, are by far the cheapest, but not sure if they have anything under 40 cells, but that with bluetooth is $2200 I think, so a 12 cell model should, or one can hope, would cost $1200 or so.
Braille support is still too expensive, but prices seem to be going down a bit in the last couple of years.
Prices are deffinitly slowly but surely coming down. Even the focus 40 blue is $2795.