Braille keyboards for input to an iphone.

Hable One has a comfortable layout similar to braille screen input in away mode. The main issue I’ve had is a few symbols are not the same as the Braille tables in iOS. Hable One uses its own Braille tables and pairs with your iOS device like a Bluetooth keyboard instead of a Braille display. Most people won’t encounter issues with the symbols being different in every day use.

I am also looking for a better solution with a full size Perkins keyboard.

The Orbit is far and away better than the Hable one. It has multi device support it uses proper braille tables because it isn't doing the translation on device. It also works on apple watch, Windows and the mac android and other devices according to the manual. I can confirm the apple watch because I've used on that and the iPhone. The Orbit is also only $99 where as the Hable One is at least $200 and up.

Is there a podcast on it? How small? $90? For some strange reason thought it was over $1000. Similar to the focus and mantas.

Dennis your podcasts used to advise we all get a hable one smile, so the orbit writer is better? the advantage with the hable is you literally can hold it and type whereas am guessing the orbit writer quite large.

I have never seen an Orbit Writer. So I don't know how much bigger it is than the Hable. I'd be interested to know the difference in size. Having said all of this, I've had the Hable since last year and I wouldn't be without it. The Hable isn't perfect, but no product is without bugs. I have a lot of confidence in the Hable and I would highly recommend it to anyone that is looking for a good solution to fully control their iPhone.

Yes I did used to recommend the Hable. I no longer can do so. The Orbit writer is a solid product and just works. Multi device pairing works. typeingg on Braille on iOS works as it should. and its $99 where the Hable is at least $199 if not more. You can type on the orbit wile standing up. I have mine on a Lanyard and do it all the time. One other advantage to the orbit is they use the commands most displays use so if you ever decide to get a display there is no learning curve. It also has a space bar where as the Hable doesn't. while most orbit commands use the space bar you have dots 7 and 8 so if you want to lock the screen and you wanted to use dots 2,5 you can't unless you want to change control center command which you could. . You could do something like 2,5,7 and that works. That is another advantage of the Orbit you can add your own commands. and you have dots 7,8 so you have a entire set of commands using those dots.

Just to note, it's micro USB charging.

Aside from that massive oversight, it looks really good. It's £129.99 here in the UK from RNIB though $99.00 in the states, which seems quite a leap.

You can still easily get a micro USB cable should you want your own. It also comes with one. Hear is an amazon link to a two pack of Micro USB cables from amazon.

It is worth noting you get a cable with the orbit writer. If you want your own Micro USB cables are easily gotten. hear is a link to a two pack from amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H91JTCD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
Note I use these cables to charge the orbit writer.

My point is, it's a modern piece of hardware. Nothing in 2024 should be sold with anything but a USB-C. Micro USB is fiddly, messy, unreliable, less water proof, fragile and awkward. I wonder if it was a cost saving choice as their other devices, the orbit reader plus 20 and 40 appear to be USB-C.

The days of having various cables for different devices is in the past in mainstream devices. It should be the same with specialised devices like this. I'll drop them a line, see if there is a USB-C version in the pipeline.

I'll do the same. You have to remember it came out in like 2018. So for the time they were using the standard.

So, I bought both, but don't use either. I found that the orbit Writer just wasn't all that reliable for staying connected, and the Hable was just crazy loud when I type. I just keep going back to Braille Screen Input, as I find it the easiest to use on a regular basis.
I think both are good products, but they just didn't work for my use case.

I have forwarded your comments on to Orbit and asked if there is anything that can be done to fix this and make it work better.

Ah, my bad. I thought the writer was a fairly new addition to their lineup. Likely, like the orbit reader, they will come out with the writer plus which, hopefully, will solve the connection problems too. It does sound like a compelling product. BSI is good for on the go, but a little keyboard to control an iPad, apple TV, etc, a master keyboard that one can pop in their pocket, does sound very good.

based on what they have done in the past I would agree. we'll just have to wait and see. I will say for when it came out the Orbit writer truly had everything.

Crazy to think that's six years. Covid/lockdowns really distored those intervening years.

email any and all suggestions to Orbit so they consider them. For example would you want an app so you could update the Orbit writer via app or to update via the PC? I would not want the PC method way to go away but I do see advantages of an app for those that don't have a pc.