PocketDot 8-cell Braille display that MagSafe onto back of iPhone

By kevinchao89, 21 September, 2024

Forum
Braille on Apple Products

This morning while at Vista Center Ignite Pitch for blind accessibility innovation, I came across a really innovative and cool Braille display that is 8-cells, uses Braille HID, USB-C, and has 6-dot Perkins keys layed out in 2-colums and 3-rows (similar to BSI in screen away mode). I think it's cool because it MagSafe onto the back of iPhone and is about the same thickness, so fits into pocket easily and well. Price is suppose to be $250. It's a prototype now and they're looking for beta testers. I've signed up and you can to at: https://www.mypocketdot.com/

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Comments

By Ollie on Saturday, September 21, 2024 - 19:41

This is great. Hopefully not too thick so can remain attache. Not sure how they'll get around the camera bump though and may mean certain cases are out.

By kevinchao89 on Saturday, September 21, 2024 - 19:41

It's no thicker than the phone and isn't affected by camera bump. I was able to easily slide it attached into and out of my pocket.

By Ollie on Saturday, September 21, 2024 - 19:41

Did it kind of spill over the sides of the phone? I'm just holding my 15 pro and trying to work out how I could have eight keys on the back and space bar. Seems it would be very cramped. I'm thinking I might be misunderstanding how this works.

By kevinchao89 on Saturday, September 21, 2024 - 19:41

So, PocketDot has 9 keys in 3 by 3 grid. Left and right columns are braille dots, and buttons in the middle columns are for BACKSPACE, RETURN, and SPACEBAR.
This allows user to use phone and PocketDot in Portrait and Landscape mode.

By Buddy Brannan on Monday, September 23, 2024 - 19:41

Well...Dunno if I signed up for the beta or not. The form seems to just clear, giving no indication of whether the signup was successful or not. No confirmation email either.

By Ollie on Monday, September 23, 2024 - 19:41

Wait, is it a keyboard or a brail display, or both? This post says an eight cell brail display but the description of the nine by nine grid suggests a keyboard... I'm confuddled...

By Bingo Little on Monday, September 23, 2024 - 19:41

To me, this just seems to be too few cells. I remember having a Brailliant BI14 and foudn that too few cells. 20 is about right for a portable display, I think. But I laud the concept and I am willing to be told otherwise. So if you end up reading your newspapers on this thing I would be interested to know how that goes.

By Travis Roth on Monday, September 23, 2024 - 19:41

I've always wanted a physical keyboard on the back of my iPhone. I'd buy it for that alone. (Side note, I was tempted to get the Click keyboard but decided it'd make the iPhone too long to carry.) Eight cells isn't a lot but it'd be fine for texting or checking directions. Different devices for different jobs. Want to read a book? Get out a bigger display.

By Shawn T on Monday, September 23, 2024 - 19:41

I love most things braille, so I signed up.

By Lielle ben simon on Monday, September 23, 2024 - 19:41

Hi ,I love the idea.
A Braille Display sounds good.
I love the 8 cell for use an iPhone.
I'll check it out.
Just it's pitty teat it does 6 dots Braille.
I'll be happy to see a Display with 8 dots Braille.
Maybe I didn't undrstand correctly?
I'll be happy to understand more and to read more about that.
Thank’s

By Ollie on Monday, September 23, 2024 - 19:41

How many people use eight dot? I'm in the UK and think I've only ever used six dot. Am I correct in thinking eight dot was a Canadian enhancement? I'd be interested to know what the extra couple of dots allow for, aside from blinking cursors.

sorry, a little off topic.

By Ali Colak on Monday, September 23, 2024 - 19:41

In English at least, eight dot is for computer braille. I also prefered it for math when I was in high school.

By Ollie on Monday, September 23, 2024 - 19:41

Interesting. ONly used six dot for maths here. Guess it was because we were using perkin's style braillers.

I will be interested to see how useful just eight cells is though. It wouldn't even hold a phone number. One that ran the length of the phone would be able to take 20 cells, which would be epic. Maybe v2.

By Lee on Monday, September 23, 2024 - 19:41

Also, dot 7 is used for capital letters rather than a separate cell.

By Brian on Monday, September 23, 2024 - 19:41

If I am not mistaken, aren’t dots 3, 6, 7, & 8 use also for numbers? I seem to remember, back in the day, that JAWS used to ship out their CDs with the serial number brailled out this way. Where letters would use the traditional 6 dots, but numbers would be exclusively dots 3, 6, 7, & 8.

By Maya on Monday, October 7, 2024 - 19:41

Bonjour,
À quoi consiste le beta testeur d'un produit, de quelle destination vient le produit prêtée ?

By Maya on Monday, October 7, 2024 - 19:41

Si on a une pochette peut-on la garder ?
Sinon, je trouve le concept plutôt bien, je pense qu'il y a trop peu de cellules exemple pour écrire un sms mais pas pour un mail.
J'ai une plage braille de 14 caractères et ce n'est pas mal.
Par curiosité j'aimerai bien le voir c'est juste comme cela qu'on peut s'en faire une idée.

By Ayub Abraham Flores on Monday, November 4, 2024 - 19:41

Hi Friends,

Does anyone know when the PocketDot be released? Or in other words, do you'll know when it will be out of its beta stages? Please get back to me as soon as posible.

Thanks,
Ayub

By Ayub Abraham Flores on Monday, November 4, 2024 - 19:41

Hi again,

I'm confused of what this is. So, is this a 8-cell braille display? or is this an 8-dot braille display? I saw some people call it 8-dot Braille Display so that's why i'm asking.

By Brian on Monday, November 4, 2024 - 19:41

I believe it is a hardware braille keyboard that fits magnetically to the back of your iPhone.