We are developing a braille display keyboard for iOS, and have some questions

By kevinlam38, 10 May, 2019

Forum
Braille on Apple Products

Hi all,

We are developing a braille display keyboard for iPhone and iPad, during development, we found that there is a "delay" between the letter voices out and shows on screen. Let say I'm typing "a" (Dot 1), iOS voices out "a" immediately but then shows it on screen after a few seconds.

Is there any setting in iOS that can change/cancel this "delay" time? If not, do you think this delay is significant for most of the blind people during their typing?

Thanks and regards,
Kevin

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Comments

By alex wallis on Saturday, May 25, 2019 - 21:08

well given that your probably quite likely to be totally blind if your typing in braille, therefor either unable to use the screen or even have screen curtain switched on as most of us do I doubt the visuals make any difference. How will your keyboard differ from other offerings like mbraille or braille screen input.
also just to correct you the terminology you use isn't right, I mean a braille display is for outputting text from a device as physical dots, the clue is in the word display. your developing a braille keyboard to allow inputting of text, not a display.
and there is as far as I know no setting under ios for anything to do with a delay, but you can find all voiceOver related settings under accessibility then VoiceOver. I mean I assume your not actually developing a physical braille display?
Are you planning to open your keyboard up to public testing?

By kjw810 on Saturday, May 25, 2019 - 21:08

I have seen this delay on other braille displays as well. Yes, it can be frustrating and I wish there was a way around it, but I'm not picky. I am just happy to be able to use a Braille display with my phone.

thanks for your reply Alex, you are right, we are just developing a braille keyboard, without the physical braille display. I call it braille display because we are using a Braille display HID profile in this device. I cannot find any related settings in VoiceOver under accessibility, that's why I doubt that it is a text input style in iOS for voiceover.
at the moment we don't have any plan to open the keyboard to public testing yet, but will gather some blind people to do in house testing first.

By Matthew Whitaker on Saturday, May 25, 2019 - 21:08

Wow I'm super excited. I can't wait until we can test the product. Hope everything goes well.

By MarĂ­a on Saturday, May 25, 2019 - 21:08

Hi Kevin and all,
what you you mine for "Braille isplay keyborad"', only a perkins keyboard, or a Braille Display with a perkins Keyboard?. This subject interess me really a lot. INfat, in this time I'm looking for a Braille Display with 18.20 cells (no more because I need it to go everywhere with it) with a perkins Keyboard but which could work well with my Ma, specially that I need it's a device which lets me to transfer files from Mac into device in normal formats as rtf, or word, and not only in txt. I'm lloking for it but I have no found anything with these caracteristics, so, someone could help me?, Kevin, the device which you are developping could resolve these things or answer to these needs? If it can be useful, I offer all my disponibility. I'm trnaslator and Braille is very imoprtant for me, and my Mac and "aplleworld" become very very important too.
Many thanks and best regards:
MarĂ­a

Hi Kevin and everone,
many thanks for your message.
I'm really super exiced about this keyboard, of course, I understad very well taht you can tell us more about it. However, when it will became a realty I would be and I will be very interested in it., on the one hand for me as person, and on the other hand because although I live in Spain, Iam member of a ery little association in Italy, and I am sure that it would be really great know about it, so, please, Kevin, when this keyboard becomes a real thing, tell us, please.
ON the other hand, I would like to make you anotehr suggestion, related with this keyboard and Iphone cyrlic keyboard, I try to explian what I mean.:
I study russian, and I have a lot of problems to write in this language, because keyboard on computer is completely different as our "latin" kyboard, and sincerelly, I'm not going to learn the russian keyboard only for a few homeworks a year. So, the only possibility that I have, is writting with Iphone russian keyboard, with my lovelly Virtual Braille Keyboard. Of course, it's fine, but although I write very fast with this keyboard, it's ok to write a message, an email, etc. but not for a long text in which you have to read again, make corrections, etc. So, it would be wonderfult that, in this new keyboard which you are developping, it would be possible to use this braille keyboard to write not latin letters (so in this case, cyrlic letters), if on the iphone is activated russian keyboard. I don't know if I explain myself, please, if you don't understnad me, tell me, and I wuill try to explain it better.
Many many thanks again, and please, when it will be aready, don't forget us!
MarĂ­a

Hi again,
sorry, when I wrote my previous message I didn't have read all the comments and so, I know that unfortunatelly, YOu are developping only a Braille Keyboard, but not a Braille Display with Perkins Keyboard. But I wonder me and I would like to discuss about this with you: why a Braille Keyboard?, I mean, Iphone, and I think Ipad too, they have the Virtual Braille Keyboard that, in my opinion is really the best thing that Apple did for blind people. In my opinion there is nothing faster and confortable thant this Virtual Braille Keyboard, and so, why an external one?.
It would be different, in my opinion, of course, if we talk about Brailly Display with Perkins Keyboard.
Unfortunatelly all Braille Display which I saw on market dont' work well with Mac: some of them don't see the Macwhen they j(Braille Display) work as external USB, and the few one which can see it, allow only transfer files on txt format. ON the other hand, I think that, for example 14 cells are not enough to read long text as books, etc.
So I really would be excited if I could find a Braille Display with perkins Keyboard of 18, 20 or 24 cells, (not more because it would be very big) which allows to transfere files from the Max, and not only in txt format, but word or rtf too. Or as laternative thing, it would be interesting, if it would be developped a program or something to convert various text at the same time from rtf or word into txt, in order to transfer them afterwards into Brialle Display.
So, please, do you know something about this on the market?, I realy need for my work.
Many many thanks.
MarĂ­a

Hi Kevin and everone,
many thanks for your message.
I'm really super exiced about this keyboard, of course, I understad very well taht you can tell us more about it. However, when it will became a realty I would be and I will be very interested in it., on the one hand for me as person, and on the other hand because although I live in Spain, Iam member of a ery little association in Italy, and I am sure that it would be really great know about it, so, please, Kevin, when this keyboard becomes a real thing, tell us, please.
ON the other hand, I would like to make you anotehr suggestion, related with this keyboard and Iphone cyrlic keyboard, I try to explian what I mean.:
I study russian, and I have a lot of problems to write in this language, because keyboard on computer is completely different as our "latin" kyboard, and sincerelly, I'm not going to learn the russian keyboard only for a few homeworks a year. So, the only possibility that I have, is writting with Iphone russian keyboard, with my lovelly Virtual Braille Keyboard. Of course, it's fine, but although I write very fast with this keyboard, it's ok to write a message, an email, etc. but not for a long text in which you have to read again, make corrections, etc. So, it would be wonderfult that, in this new keyboard which you are developping, it would be possible to use this braille keyboard to write not latin letters (so in this case, cyrlic letters), if on the iphone is activated russian keyboard. I don't know if I explain myself, please, if you don't understnad me, tell me, and I wuill try to explain it better.
Many many thanks again, and please, when it will be aready, don't forget us!
MarĂ­a

Hi MarĂ­a,

No worries and thanks for your valuable ideas. Sorry about that I cannot disclose too much about our Braille Keyboard here, but I can tell you that it is not only a Braille keyboard.

We don't have any plan to develop Braille Display with perkins keyboard since limited resource right now, hopefully, we can do it after launching Braille keyboard.

Best regards,
Kevin

By MarĂ­a on Saturday, May 25, 2019 - 21:08

Hi Kevin and all,
of course, I understand very well the misterious arround this keyboard, I would like to tell you that I', really super exited as a single person, do you have any idea about when could be launched on the market?, please, when it becomes a real thing, don't forget to tell us!., In adition, I woud be interested in writting because although I live in Spain, I take part of an little italian association which would be very interested too.
ON the other hand, as your are now developping this keyboard, i would like to make you another suggestion, and to ask everyone about it: I'm studying russian language as pleasure, because I love languages. Unfortunatelly I can not write russian with computer, because russian keybosrd is completelly different to our "latin" keyboard and sincerelly, I don't want to learn a complete keyboard only to do some homework, so in this moment, the only way to write in russian is with virtual Braille keyboard on the Iphone. As I said, I love this keyboard to write whats app, emails, etc. but for doing homework it's a little bit slow, and so I would like a Braille lkeyboard which could be able to write in russian, if I have on my Iphone russiasn keuboard activate. Do you know if it would be possible perhaps in this new keyboard?, someone has any suggestion or idea about how to resolve this problem?. Many thanks again. MarĂ­a

By MarĂ­a on Saturday, May 25, 2019 - 21:08

Goodmornin all,
a firend of me talk me yesterday about Polaris, a device which support Android and allows to access to Google Store, etc. so, I know that unfortunatelly I'm only dreaming but, would do you think if we could have a device, which a Braille Dislplay ad a perkins keyboard which would support Yos and so which could be sicronized which our Apple devices?, it would be the best on the wolrd, isn't it?, what do you think about?, if it's possible with Android, and it's a real thing, why not with Yos for us, aplle users too?, I'm only dreaming, but, it could be a realty whenever?. Have a nice day! MarĂ­a

Hi MarĂ­a, our keyboard is still at the early development stage, we target to launch it next year, ofcourse will let you all here know once launched. We are developing a 6 dots keyboard, it should satisfy most of the languages in the world as what we know, so Russian should be ok although we are not familiar with Russian. :-). Thanks!

Hi Kevin and all,
many thanks for your answer. Another good idea, in my opinion and as it's a keyboard without Braille display, would be that keyboard could be connected to a dispaly to, in order to be able to read what we are writing.
About russian, of course, if you need some test and I can help, of course, you have my disponibility.
I'm really courious (when the devie will be launched) to discover why it is more than a keyboard and not only a keyboard, as keyboard, as I said, in my opinon, the virtual Braille keyboard which contains the Iphone is the best thing in the world.
So, Kevin, I wait and expected really exited the lanunche of this device
Many thanks a good night: Maria