Hi all!
As some of you may know, Apple Support has a list of "supported" braille displays on their website. I have been looking at it over the past few months or so, and have noticed that the list doesn't look like it has all the right info.
The list says that to get the right info on which display you can use (in other words, if you can use the list) you need to have the latest version of IOS. I have also seen on the official apple discussion forums about not being able to connect a braille display, then the apple community specialists jump in and say "Make sure the display is supported" followed by the link to the list. Then there's usually a comment from the original poster about how if it's on the list, that it's been able to pair to other devices, or if it is, that it is and still won't pair.
I have also experienced some confusion myself, as a few weeks ago I got a new iphone running iOs 15.5 and was able to pair to my Brailliant BI40X (not on the list, I might add) just fine. And in all the time that it hasn't shown up on the list, I have unpaired the display a few times from my other devices, and taken it in for service once, and then—guess what? It pairs just fine!
In case anyone hasn't seen the list the link is
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202514
Does anybody else think this list is outdated and, if so, should Apple know about it?
By Lily Rose, 24 September, 2022
Forum
Braille on Apple Products
Comments
Sent to Apple
If anyone is interested I sent it to Apple at the Case-ID 844642
Supported braille display list outdated
I think that the list is outdated also. I have a brailliant bi 20X and that display wasn't on the list of supported displays. But it paired with my iPhone just fine. I think (and correct me if I'm wrong) that the list says that the braillenote mPower is still compatible with Apple devices. So I do think the list is outdated and Apple should put the correct information on the list.
Well hmmm
This post was from a long time ago then I sent it to apple and it was updated. Now, I'm off to go see it's state now
Emily
It was updated on January 4th 2023 and I don't see much wrong with it, that you're saying, but where the heck did the Orbits go?
!
Hmm. Lots of incorrect info here. First of all, they list displays from GW Micro. Though GW sold the older Braille Sense models, they were never under any kind of brand with the Braille Sense as far as I'm aware. Also, Handitech is now Help Tech. The Actilino is also missing from that section. Under HIMS, how about the Qbraille? How about the Braillenote Touch and Touch plus from Humanware? What about the Braille me? Orbit Readers? Orbit at all? I'll let the CEO of Orbit Research know that their devices aren't listed, though maybe they have already told Apple? Yep, I had better contact them. Interestingly, the Pronto v. 4 is listed, but I guess the BN PK never made it to version 4 of the Baum firmware...
What Exactly is the HumanWare eReader?
Hi people. Very good discussion here, and reading through it has me thinking about something. As most if not all of you may be aware by now, I ordered and received my HumanWare eReader back in April and have some issues with it. I read elsewhere on here something which indicates that the eReader is separate from any other Braille device manufactured by HumanWare. This is all well and good, but it doesn't seem like there is any consensus between NLS and HumanWare as to who exactly will handle tech support for these devices. Furthermore, it seems I'm playing phone tag with a Utah representative about this. I contacted my subregional library here in Illinois and was told to contact this guy in Utah. So I left him an initial voicemail last week and he ended up leaving me a voicemail, as I was with someone when he returned my call. I have his email address and am going to try contacting him that way, but I guess what I'm wondering is this. Which type of Braille display are these eReaders? Are they the Brailliant series, or something else manufactured by the company. I hope I'm making sense here. My eReader seems to work as advertised, at least for the most part. My brother has a HumanWare device, but it looks a bit different from mine and I don't believe he is an NLS patron. Perhaps he is though and I'm unaware of it. If I'm missing something here, I apologize for that.
2 NLS E-Readers available
There are 2 NLS E-Readers out there. It seems that most states have decided to go with the Humanware model, which is actually in the form of a Brailliant BI 20X. However, some states are going with the other model, made by a company called Zoommax. No idea how well that one works with iOS, since I've only ever messed with one for a few minutes. I guess what I'm saying is that it's not organized as far as I can tell in terms of who offers what support, but I would assume any issues with the device should be handled by NLS, since they are the entity distributing these. By NLS, I don't mean the service in DC, but whatever state talking book library you use. This is because they were the ones who decided which device to hand out... The one from Zoomax or the one from Humanware.