BrailleTouch - Available on the App Store on Thu January 31

By BrailleTouch, 28 January, 2013

Forum
iOS and iPadOS
Greetings from BrailleTouch! I am very excited to announce that BrailleTouch will be available on the App Store on Thu Jan 31 worldwide. We offer a free trial version, which lets you type in braille on your touchscreen and hear the letters or words spoken as you type them. If you like BrailleTouch and find it useful, you can purchase a full upgrade from the app which will allow you to send text messages, tweets, and emails directly from the touchscreen braille keyboard. You can also copy the text you type in braille and paste it into any other app on your iPhone. The trial version of BrailleTouch is free to download from the App Store. The full upgrade is available for US$20 as an In-App Purchase. However, in appreciation of the overwhelming support we have received from the blind community, we are offering the full version for US$15 through Sunday February 3. We would like to express our gratitude to all of the generous volunteers who tested the app, to Accessible Devices, AppleVis, and Macneticos for their podcasts, and to everyone who has emailed us and posted on the VIphone and AppleVis forums and Twitter with helpful feedback. You can read more about BrailleTouch including a User Guide and FAQ at our website: http://brailletouchapp.com/ The initial version of BrailleTouch supports Grade 1 uncontracted braille, based on the North American English standards. It includes upper and lower case letters, numbers, and most punctuation. Grade 2 contracted braille is our top priority for a future upgrade. We also hope to be able to support languages other than English in the future. BrailleTouch requires iOS version 5 or later, and will run on iPhone 3Gs or later and iPod touch 3rd generation or later. We recommend using a case with your iPhone or iPod touch, as this will help you grip the phone while typing and will keep you from covering the speaker on the iPhone under the Home button with your hand. If you use headphones, we recommend a right-angle headphone plug or Bluetooth headphones. Feel free to forward this post to anyone you know who may be interested. We welcome any questions, comments, or feedback you may have. When the app comes out, we would love to hear your story about how you use BrailleTouch. You can contact us at: http://brailletouchapp.com/contact.html Many braille instructors have contacted us about using BrailleTouch as a teaching tool. We hope the free version of BrailleTouch is helpful for learning the six-key braille keyboard. If you are a braille instructor or student, please let us know your experience using BrailleTouch. We hope you like BrailleTouch and find it useful. Please download the free version on Thursday and try it before you buy it. And let us know what you think! Best wishes, Caleb http://brailletouchapp.com/ http://twitter.com/brailletouch

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Comments

By Darrell Bowles on Wednesday, January 23, 2013 - 06:46

I understand that this product has been in developement for a long time, as I heard about from a disabilities director at Pelissippi State comm college. However, I am astounded at the price for this product. As fleksy is also a typing solution, and at a lower price I can not seem to justify such a steep price. Perhaps if and when the program does grade 2 braille, but until then...

By Michael Hansen on Wednesday, January 23, 2013 - 06:46

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team
When Fleksy was first released, the starting price was $14.99. And a lot of people expressed displeasure about the price--and yet it sold...Bigtime. Shortly after the release of Fleksy, I wrote a blog post in which I said, "...the unfortunate reality about many (if not all) of these apps developed specifically for people who are blind is that they won’t be bestsellers on iTunes—or even come close—because there is such a low demand in the grand scheme of things." I think the same philosophy applies here--perhaps even more so given the current low Braille literacy rates. It is also worth noting that the developers of BrailleTouch are not a huge assistive technology giant. They are a group of graduate students who took out loans and developed this in their spare time. In that same blog post, I concluded that what is important to one person isn't the same as what is important to another. And that is also true here. Just because I think BrailleTouch is worth every bit of $20 because it revolutionizes the touchscreen typing experience on my iPhone, that doesn't mean it's going to work out for everyone. It's all about what you're comfortable with.

Michael Hansen great post, because the top two posters had me fired up. Seriously the attitudes of you two people annoy me more than words can describe. Simpley put if you don't want to buy it just don't. I can't aford Bonefish grill, but I'm not on there website complaining about there prices. People pay for it therefore they can stay in business. I'm just tired of this way of thinking. I guess your free to comment, but its dumb and pointless crying.

I am looking forward to testing the free version of Braille Touch. I am a gal who travels a lot, and I want a program that will allow me to update my facebook status and text message people quickly. I do have a BlueTooth keyboard for my phone, but I do not want to drag that keyboard while on the beach, on a boat, or in restaurants. If I find an app useful, I am all too happy to pay for the full version as it is costly in money and time to develop an app. I will support any developer who makes an app that is accessible. If I don't like the app, I simply will not buy it. It is a matter of choice and comfort.

I'm not at all fast with typing on a 6 key or else I'd be looking forward to this. I just read about the app and it sounds pretty incredible for those who are comfortable typing on a Braille keyboard. Kudos to the developers! Sure the price might seem steep and yes the blind community might have a hard time paying for "expensive" stuff. There's gotta be a way to get help from friends and family maybe with iTunes gift cards or something. I can assure you, having spent life as a sigh tie until I was 29, that sighted people have to pay out the rear end for stuff too, like car insurance and oil changes. Thanks to these developers,for making apps for the blind. I hope you know most of us are appreciative.

I was about to echo the same thoughts Michael posted. People complained about fleksy's price at the beginning but purchased it anyway. the volume of people paying for the app allowed the developers to lower the price. I can see the same thing potentially happening to Braille touch as long as development costs are met. the bottom line is, if its valuable to you, pay for it, doing so will help with future enhancements, if you want to complain go ahead you have that right! But, don't expect to get something for nothing!