Orbit q20 and Q40 announced... Qwerty keyboard brail displays
By Ollie, 19 March, 2024
Forum
Assistive Technology
Orbit have just announced a couple of new brail displays that, like the Humanwear Mantis Q40, use qwerty keyboards instead of a Perkins style keyboard. Please read more here:
Like the previous orbit brail displays, they are aggressively priced. It will be interesting to have a side by side comparison with the mantis q40 when the q20 and q40 orbits are out in the wild. I have the Mantis Q40 so will also be interested to seem what firmware updates Humanwear push to demand almost twice the price.
On paper, these sound neat. Everyone who has a Mantace seems to love it. But from what I've read here the different Braille cell technology that orbit uses seems to be hit and miss.
I like the idea of a qwerty keyboard and a Braille display together. I already have a 4th gen Focus 40 and a Logitech BT keyboard, although I don't like it.
I got my mantis through uni and, to be honest, I've not used it. I've got a little 20 cell thing I use to read books. The mantis is very windows centred and, for a very expensive machine, feels a little tacky. My smaller display is a Vario Ultra which is super nice, neat, brushed metal so, it's a pretty big comparison.
I've loved the Mantis but since I'm mostly an android guy that's a terrible fit for me. This seems like it may fill that same niche except be something I can actually use with my phone.
the thing I don't like about it is that it is a windows keyboard meaning there are no volume controls for iPad and the VO keys option and control, are split. It's just a bit weird and the plastic of the keys feels pretty cheap.
I'm tempted to sell the mantis and get something cheaper. The 20 cel Q20 Orbit does sound attractive. I really don't know if double the number of cells is worth double the price.
What's the connectivity like between the standard orbit perkins style devices and IOS? Do they connect quickly and are able to wake IOS from sleep? Might even look at just that for reading books.
I had a basic Orbit Reader, but didn’t like the slower refresh rate and the harder dots. When I was able to get my hands on an ElBraille, which includes the Focus 40, I ditched the Orbit in a heartbeat. If Orbbit could ever make a quieter display with faster refresh rate, I may be interested, but the dots on that thing after a while started to bother me. Plus, using it for radio wasn’t exactly ideal because of the noise of the sells refreshing. But that is a rather specific use case, and I know the Orbbit devices have helped a ton of people who could not get anything more expensive. Heck, I was part of that group until I met a person who had an ElBraille, didn’t like it, and it was just collecting dust, and he took an old macbook for it.
Comments
This is interesting.
Orbit has also come out with a computer thing like the mantis q, I think that's what it's called: http://www.orbitresearch.com/product/optima/
I'll definitly be taking a look at this stuff when I can.
Like the previous orbit…
Like the previous orbit brail displays, they are aggressively priced. It will be interesting to have a side by side comparison with the mantis q40 when the q20 and q40 orbits are out in the wild. I have the Mantis Q40 so will also be interested to seem what firmware updates Humanwear push to demand almost twice the price.
Pricing?
What is the price for these?
Thanks
Orbit Reader Q20 $995.00…
Orbit Reader Q20
$995.00
Orbit Reader Q40
$1,895.00
On paper, these sound neat…
On paper, these sound neat. Everyone who has a Mantace seems to love it. But from what I've read here the different Braille cell technology that orbit uses seems to be hit and miss.
I like the idea of a qwerty keyboard and a Braille display together. I already have a 4th gen Focus 40 and a Logitech BT keyboard, although I don't like it.
I got my mantis through uni…
I got my mantis through uni and, to be honest, I've not used it. I've got a little 20 cell thing I use to read books. The mantis is very windows centred and, for a very expensive machine, feels a little tacky. My smaller display is a Vario Ultra which is super nice, neat, brushed metal so, it's a pretty big comparison.
softer cells.
The more expencive braille displays seam to have softer more paper like cells, I think i prefer orbits harder signage ones personally.
I'll check this stuff out at sight villlage when I can.
I'm excited, might be my new display
I've loved the Mantis but since I'm mostly an android guy that's a terrible fit for me. This seems like it may fill that same niche except be something I can actually use with my phone.
The mantis works on all…
The mantis works on all platforms.
the thing I don't like about it is that it is a windows keyboard meaning there are no volume controls for iPad and the VO keys option and control, are split. It's just a bit weird and the plastic of the keys feels pretty cheap.
I'm tempted to sell the mantis and get something cheaper. The 20 cel Q20 Orbit does sound attractive. I really don't know if double the number of cells is worth double the price.
What's the connectivity like between the standard orbit perkins style devices and IOS? Do they connect quickly and are able to wake IOS from sleep? Might even look at just that for reading books.
I had a basic Orbit Reader,…
I had a basic Orbit Reader, but didn’t like the slower refresh rate and the harder dots. When I was able to get my hands on an ElBraille, which includes the Focus 40, I ditched the Orbit in a heartbeat. If Orbbit could ever make a quieter display with faster refresh rate, I may be interested, but the dots on that thing after a while started to bother me. Plus, using it for radio wasn’t exactly ideal because of the noise of the sells refreshing. But that is a rather specific use case, and I know the Orbbit devices have helped a ton of people who could not get anything more expensive. Heck, I was part of that group until I met a person who had an ElBraille, didn’t like it, and it was just collecting dust, and he took an old macbook for it.