Four Hybrid Braille Displays

The Tech Doctor Blog and Podcast

In this podcast, the tech doctors compare and contrast four forty cell Braille displays. All four are known as “hybrid” Braille displays. The term hybrid is used because these displays have some basic capabilities when not connected to another device but the built-in functions are not as robust as you might find in a standard Braille notetaker. For example, these devices have a basic text editor but if you need to do sophisticated word processing in Braille, you will need to connect the display to a computer, smartphone, or tablet to make use of that devices word processing capabilities.

The tech doctors are excited about this hybrid approach because computers and smartphones are much more capable of doing the heavy lifting than are traditional notetakers. They are also excited because the interface between Braille displays and other devices is improving.

Allison and David share their experiences and perceptions of the
Mantis
Which is available from
The
American Printing House.

The Mantis is the only one of the four displays that has a QWERTY keyboard rather than a Perkins style Braille keyboard.

Robert and David are experienced users of the
QBraille
from
Hims Inc.

The QBraille is unique in that it as a Braille keyboard for data entry along with QWERTY function and navigation keys. Therefore, the QBraille can act as both a Braille display and a QWERTY keyboard when connected to a computer.

Robert discusses the
Orbit Reader 40
from
Orbit Research.

Thanks to new and more affordable Braille Display technology that was developed by Orbit Research, the Orbit Reader 40 is an excellent hybrid display but at half the cost of the other three.

Robert expresses appreciation to Roger Behm of
Adaptive Information Systems Inc.
for loaning him a Brailliant BI 40X which is a major player in the current generation of hybrid Braille displays. The Brailliant BI 40X is manufactured by
HumanWare.
It can be purchased either from Adaptive Information Systems or directly from HumanWare. I have had excellent experiences purchasing from Roger at Adaptive Information Systems.

The tech doctors hope you enjoy this rather fast paced and lively comparison. These new displays have much to offer and they are all unique making it likely that at least one of them will meet your particular needs.