I am considering whether to try purchasing a BrailleSense 7 later this year, or to stick with an Android phone instead. I use an iPhone 16E as my main phone, but for years I have also had an Android device as well. Right now it’s a Pixel 9A. This is because there are always apps that work better on Android while others work better on iOS, and some apps that are only on Android like Google Lookout. Also, sometimes having two phones helps with multi-tasking. For example, there are a few GPS apps that do not work as well together, so it is sometimes useful to run one on the iPhone and another on the Pixel. This has also helped me when my iPhone battery has died, because I still have another device I can use.
However, now that the BrailleSense 7 is coming out, I am wondering whether that would be better as my Android device. It will have 18 hours of battery life and run Android 15, which is a very modern Android version, and it seems like it will have a high-performance CPU. I am already probably getting the BrailleNote Evolve, because it running Windows would make it much more useful for school and programming and everything else that I would use a computer for than any Android notetaker. However, the battery life on the Evolve will be 5 to 7 hours, which makes me want to have another portable device I can take around with me to get work done, and it seems like the BrailleSense 7's built-in applications will be pretty capable based on the manual for the BrailleSense 6 and their webinar for it.
However, when the Google AI glasses come out, they might require an Android phone like the WearOS watches do, and I'm definitely going to get those. Also, I wonder how much more than standard Android I would actually be getting with the BrailleSense, and it will likely not update to future Android versions for a few years at least. Having both an Android phone and a BrailleSense 7 seems redundant, since they both run Android. It would be like having both an iPhone and an iPad, and since I sold my iPad and upgraded my iPhone, I use my iPhone for everything I used to do on the iPad and it makes things easier having everything I do on iOS in one device.
So for people who have used the BrailleSense 6, does the BrailleSense screen reader make Android apps any more easy to use or efficient than TalkBack with Braille? Especially that TalkBack's Braille support is getting better, with navigation quick keys on web pages among other things. THERE is also TalkBack's image description, which I doubt the BrailleSense has. Also, what else would I be missing from the BrailleSense if I just stick with an Android phone? For example, are there any good accessible word processors for Android? Or Android email clients more efficient to use than Gmail?
Comments
Google Pixel user
I won’t be replying to your question, however I’m writing this comment so that whatever you do, won’t be afraid of change.
Personally I use my Google Pixel phone for everything, and when I say everythingI mean to such and extent that I stoped using iPhone.
I used iPhone for over 13 years but little over 3 years ago I made the complete transition to Pixel phones.
The most difficult part of the transition is when we want to exsicute the same task, actions and gestures on a operating system the function completely different.
Re: Google Pixel user
Okay, thanks. What email client do you use on the Pixel? And have you found a good Word processor for creating formatted documents or do you just do that on your computer?
Thunderbird!
I don't do word processing stuff on the phone, but for email I absolutely love Thunderbird. The Samsung Email app is also good, and can be installed on more than just Samsung phones, but if you already use Thunderbird on a desktop or laptop, importing your mail configurations is super easy.
Using braille withVoiceOver and TalkBAck
Personally, I find that Braille support works better on iOS than on Android.
I am currently using an iPhone 17 Pro Max with VoiceOver and a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra with Google TalkBack installed. To be clear: there is no doubt that you can use an Android device with a connected Braille display--in this case, a BrailleSense. However, it lacks certain commands and a smoother interaction with the navigation experience when the device is paired with Android.
VoiceOver is far more optimized and offers more efficient tools that make the Braille experience much more streamlined.
It is important to note that these are simply my own observations and do not necessarily reflect everyone's opinion.
Braille on Android
It's been a bit since I last used any Apple product. Braille on Voiceover was pretty good I felt, but I am in no way disappointed by the experience on Android. Part of the issue for both operating systems is programming for the wide variety of displays out there. For example, I have both a Focus 40, and the NLS E-Reader. The Focus has a ton more buttons, which should offer greater navigation flexibility. I wish I could figure out how to switch up what some of the buttons do in Talkback. It might be possible, but I haven't figured out how. But then you have things like the E-Reader that have the thumb keys, but no additional rockers or extras. So I'm sure that for either screen reader, coming up with a command set that is universal enough to work on all those devices is quite the challenge. I wouldn't want to be tasked with it. lol
All that being said, I'd be curious to play around with a dedicated Braille device running Android. It would be neat to see if their Braille implementation is any better than that of Talkback. But Talkback is great.
email clients
I use Gmail and microsoft Outlook as email clients
My google account is setup in Gmail app because I use gemini AI Pro and it offers me many features.
and I used Microsoft outlook app with couple of email accounts and believe me it’s very accessible, in fact it works even better than the Gmail app.
I’ll leave the link below.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details%3Fid%3Dcom.microsoft.office.outlook%26hl%3Den_US&ved=2ahUKEwj8uOu7hIeUAxXoEkQIHct0BxEQFnoECBkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2oc7Z9JTeRPHJeA3oFmzp_