ibraille: my future for braille

By Mzrq, 1 September, 2012

Forum
Braille on Apple Products
Sitting here thinking about the braille edge 40 coming to ios 6, it seems like the perfect bridge between transissioning from a notetaker to a braille display. but then I kind of got to thinking about this slide out keyboard I saw on a droid my friend had. With its nice fat lite keys, I was able to type with under 5 minutes of using the thing with only 2 errors. I then thought about how excited I was to be getting a keyboard case for iphone that acts as a slide out keyboard. Then, I thought to myself about how braille displays really are not that portable, which hinders their capability of really merging with mainstream technology. Being without braille for 2 years, and being a hardcore braillenote and braillesense user from hi school, I understand and deeply morn for my loss of braille due to its hi price. You can't drive a car but for the same price you can read? How insulting is that? So as I continued thees thoughts, it was getting harder to sleep and I still could not get the little slide out keyboard out of my head. So I thought, what if you had a keyboard case with the same lite fat keys, only there were 6 keys, 20 touch cursors, and 20 cells of braille and a thumbbar for reading navigation? YOu'd slide your iphone into the tray and who bettter than to retell it then apple? It could be powered by a tiny recharjable battery. when you slide out, it lites up and when you slide in it dims. Liting up would show that it turns on and dimming lite would show that it is turning off for sited people to seee of course. We would feel the display go blank or pop up.I would really love to see this eventually be as low as 50 bux but I admit I have no understanding of the expense of braille, unless we have all been scammed by thees companies. But thats a whole nother topic for you guys to address in response of course. There could also be a quarty verssion as well.

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Comments

By bobby on Thursday, September 13, 2012 - 01:26

I think that's a great, I hope apple eventually will envent this, it would be awesome.

By synthesizer101 on Thursday, September 13, 2012 - 01:26

There is one thing you have wrong in this opinion. The companies who produce braille displays are not, in fact, scamming us. The braille displays are extremely difficult to manufacture, and there is a limited market for them. The batteries and bluetooth sensors cost money, and sometimes companies charge to include drivers, and the actual braille display panel has so many little pieces that don't just come from nowhere. $50 will get you very little braille indeed. However, the notion is sound. I think that this case would work. However, apple is not going to build it, case closed. They are not an accessibility tech vendor, and will not waste their time on a braille case for a small population. VoiceOver only takes software programming, but apple lets other companies build the keyboard cases, the protection cases, the external batteries, and other accessories, and apple concentrates on the phone. After all, do you know how apple actually made product decisions? Steve Jobs had an annual retreat where the "biggest" people in the company would find a list of ten top things to build. Jobs would cross the bottom seven off and the top three would go through. The little braille display phone case is not going to make it through, even if they don't do this anymore. If you're going for low-price, maybe a braille keyboard without the display could be made, and maybe some company that actually makes the displays should be recommended with this (Hims seems popular).

By Mzrq on Thursday, September 13, 2012 - 01:26

Glad u guys like the concept. Wasnt too excited about apple making it. How much would u guys pay for it?

By Eileen on Thursday, September 13, 2012 - 01:26

only 17 characters of braille could fit on such a device unless 2 lines of braille are offered. I agree that companies like executive products need to offer a case that allows the use of both the braille display and the phone at the same time. The touch screen combined with the braille display is far more powerful than either on its own. I became accustomed !carrying my braille lite everywhere in a backpack so switching to a 40 cell braille display isn't that difficult. What is harder is the lack of consistent connectivity between the braille display and the iphone. Some displays seem to be more reliable than others, but if the connection doesn't work then it's less than useless. I'm currently using a braille connect. If the battery is fully charged it connects in less than a minute. In contrast, a standard blue tooth keyboard has no perceptable wait. It seems to me that what you are asking for could be had with one of the 11 cell bluetooth braille displays and a custom case. The Refreshabraille 18, the Braille Vario Braille 12 or the Braille Pen could all be fitted with a custom case to hold the Iphone near the display. No need to reinvent the wheel.

By Blind I Am on Thursday, September 13, 2012 - 01:26

I'm not a Braille user, but having money tied up in an expensive case would have implications when it came time to upgrade your iDevice, as you just know that the case wouldn't be the right size for the shiny neI'm not a Braille user, but having money tied up in an expensive case would have implications when it came time to upgrade your iDevice, as you just know that the case wouldn't be the right size for the shiny new iPhone that you so want. There are also people who have multiple iDevices, so really you want just the one accessory that will work with all of them.w iPhone that you so want.

By Jessica Brown on Thursday, December 13, 2012 - 01:26

I like the idea of a braille keyboard with no display. It would be way smaller then a braille display. I think we should start contacting Hims and any other companies that we think may make this keyboard and ask them to please make it.