Handy Tech, APH, and at least a couple of others from Europe whose names escape
me right at this moment. Oh yes, don’t forget the Braille note taker from
National Braille Press.
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com <macvisionaries@googlegroups.com> On
Behalf Of Jonathan Cohn
Sent: Sunday, April 29, 2018 11:39 AM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Braille Displays
Wow, now we are getting political. VFO owns the companies that are now or were
formally called:
• Freedom Scientific
• AI Squared
•GW Miccro
• The Paciello Group
• Enhanced Vision
• Optelec
So what Blind technology firms are still out there?
• HiMS
• Humanware
• A company with Bristol in its name that is about to create a 40 x 9
refreshable display
Anything else that is still actively competing with the Shark company?
Best wishes,
Jonathan Cohn
On Apr 29, 2018, at 12:27 PM, E.T. <ancient.ali...@icloud.com
<mailto:ancient.ali...@icloud.com> > wrote:
Donna,
This is actually a concern I have. It goes back to the time when Freedom
Scientific came to life and took over what, 3 companies, including Blazie? But
we do not have many choices in the AT field. Yes I will certainly share my
experiences.
>From E.T.'s Keyboard...
ancient.ali...@icloud.com <mailto:ancient.ali...@icloud.com>
Many believe that we have been visited
in the past. What if it were true?
On 4/29/2018 9:10 AM, Donna Goodin wrote:
ET,
I'll be curious about your impressions of the Focus 5. VFO is what used to be
Freedom Scientific. Time was when I was a huge fan of theirs, but that hasn't
been the case for over ten years now. If you check out the new Focus, please
do share your impressions with the list.
Cheers,
Donna
On Apr 29, 2018, at 11:08 AM, E.T. <ancient.ali...@icloud.com
<mailto:ancient.ali...@icloud.com> > wrote:
Mary,
I suppose I am out of touch with the AT business so am not up to snuff on who
markets what. VFO for example is new to me.
I briefly looked at a display last week that has a touch screen. I don't
remember what brand that one is but I passed on it. But who knows, maybe I will
keep an open mind. The Focus 5th is now of interest, got the user guide so will
look at it.
>From E.T.'s Keyboard...
ancient.ali...@icloud.com <mailto:ancient.ali...@icloud.com>
Many believe that we have been visited
in the past. What if it were true?
On 4/28/2018 6:16 PM, Mary Otten wrote:
Baum USA was the distributor for the United States. So if you live in the US,
you are out of luck unless you’re willing to buy a used display from someone. I
assume the same might be true for Europe, but I wouldn’t want to say that for
sure. This whole thing is sad, but it really depends on whether somebody is
willing to pump more money into that company in order to make it viable. If I
were buying up display now, I would not buy a baum display, no matter how good
they are.
Sent from my iPhone
On Apr 28, 2018, at 5:59 PM, Donna Goodin <doniado...@me.com
<mailto:doniado...@me.com> <mailto:doniado...@me.com>> wrote:
ET,
So far as I know. I bought directly from them. For best info on this I
suggest you email David Bradburn. The only email I have for him is
dbradb...@baumusa.com <mailto:dbradb...@baumusa.com>
<mailto:dbradb...@baumusa.com>. Alternatively, you could reach out to him on
the VU list. I believe he still reads it.
Cheers,
Donna
On Apr 28, 2018, at 4:40 PM, E.T. <ancient.ali...@icloud.com
<mailto:ancient.ali...@icloud.com> <mailto:ancient.ali...@icloud.com>> wrote:
Donna,
You mean, Baum USA was the only vendor? That changes things. That is indeed
unfortunate. I will look into the new Focus and learn more. Appreciate your
input.
>From E.T.'s Keyboard...
ancient.ali...@icloud.com <mailto:ancient.ali...@icloud.com>
<mailto:ancient.ali...@icloud.com>
Many believe that we have been visited
in the past. What if it were true?
On 4/28/2018 10:50 AM, Donna Goodin wrote:
ET,
You cannot purchase them new. You would have to find someone who wants to sell
theres, which is why I suggested the VU list.
Cheers,
Donna
On Apr 28, 2018, at 11:42 AM, E.T. <ancient.ali...@icloud.com
<mailto:ancient.ali...@icloud.com> <mailto:ancient.ali...@icloud.com>> wrote:
Mary and Jason,
Good question on availability. I will need to look into that.
The new Focus sounds interesting. In general how well has the Focus line held
up? That auto scroll feature is intriguing. I may see if I can get one to look
at.
>From E.T.'s Keyboard...
ancient.ali...@icloud.com <mailto:ancient.ali...@icloud.com>
<mailto:ancient.ali...@icloud.com>
Many believe that we have been visited
in the past. What if it were true?
On 4/28/2018 9:35 AM, Mary Otten wrote:
Can you even still purchase a v u? I didn’t think baum USA, which is now out of
business, even had any stock left. It’s a great display with a big learning
curve. I would really seriously look at the new generation focus if I were you.
It has multiple devices capability and will have some notetaking capability
later this year. A friend of mine just got one and says it’s very well-built,
and he really likes it a lot.
Sent from my iPhone
On Apr 28, 2018, at 9:31 AM, E.T. <ancient.ali...@icloud.com
<mailto:ancient.ali...@icloud.com> <mailto:ancient.ali...@icloud.com>> wrote:
Donna,
Good feedback. When I first got the Edge I was impressed with it. But I think
HIMS moves on rather too quickly and legacy products pile up. I think the last
update is from 2015.
There is no end to the learning curve so since you anticipated my desire to
join a VU list, I just joined! Thanks for that.
I do like the multiple Bluetooth concept. I found the user guide too so will
go through it over the next week or so.
Perhaps someone will take over Baum. If that happens, lets hope it does not
decrease in quality of product and support.
>From E.T.'s Keyboard...
ancient.ali...@icloud.com <mailto:ancient.ali...@icloud.com>
<mailto:ancient.ali...@icloud.com>
Many believe that we have been visited
in the past. What if it were true?
On 4/28/2018 5:59 AM, Donna Goodin wrote:
Hey ET,
I currently own both those displays--I replaced my Edge with the VU, and was
never able to sell my Edge.
This is a really hard question to answer. Erik is right, the bankruptcy issue
with Baum has real nightmare potential. Currently David Bradburn is providing
some repair support, but he's doing it as a side-gig. The only tech support is
the VU list. It's a lot of knowledgeable and very helpful folks, but that's
not the same as getting tech support from the company.
That said, the VU is the best display I've ever owned. The Braille Edge
frankly doesn't even come close. I'm not sure what happened with the Edge. It
has lots of coolness potential, but it's like HIMS started to develop it and
then just stopped. It has all these function keys, for example, but most of
them don't do much. The apps are also very limited. It has a sort of minimal
word processor and file manager, and a calculator, but it's all kind of like
something you'd find on an old flip phone.
The VU has a nice word processor with separate file manager, a PDF reader, and
an Excel spreadsheet viewer. And as Erik pointed out, can connect to multiple
bluetooth devices.
The VU also has by far the nicer form factor. It's funny, when the Edge came
out it felt relatively small, but it is very heavy and blocky compared to the
VU, which is small, and light, and sleek.
The VU has a significantly higher learning curve, but I wouldn't imagine that
that would be an issue for you.
One last thing to think about is that with the Edge, you transfer files onto it
with an SD card, which is pretty dated. With the VU, you can transfer either
via USB drive or you can connect it directly to a PC, and it functions as a
stand-alone drive. Unfortunately, that feature does not work on the Mac.
So, that's the sum of my wisdom on the subject. The VU is by far the better
display, but it depends on whether you want to get involved with the Baum
situation. Were it me, I'd probably still go for the VU, it's just that much
better. But I can certainly understand someone not wanting to take that risk.
If you want to try and track down a VU, I'd suggest joining the list and asking
there. The URL to subscribe is: varioultra-reque...@freelists.org
<mailto:varioultra-reque...@freelists.org>
<mailto:varioultra-reque...@freelists.org>. Put Subscribe in the subject line.
If you have any other questions, I'm happy to try and answer them.
Cheers,
Donna
On Apr 27, 2018, at 5:41 PM, E.T. <ancient.ali...@icloud.com
<mailto:ancient.ali...@icloud.com> <mailto:ancient.ali...@icloud.com>> wrote:
I have the opportunity to replace my Braille Edge. Donna, I hope you will
chime in.
I can choose just about anything but will limit my choice to either another
Edge or the Vario Ultra 40. Given that Baum is in bankruptcy, the question is
then what about tech support. Is the Vario Ultra still a good bet?
>From E.T.'s Keyboard...
ancient.ali...@icloud.com <mailto:ancient.ali...@icloud.com>
<mailto:ancient.ali...@icloud.com>
Many believe that we have been visited
in the past. What if it were true?
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