Political? Sure sounds like it. I had no idea that VFO took over all
those companies. Kind of surprised that GW Micro is under that umbrella.
It makes me nervous because this changes the power exerted by
mergers like this. At the same time though, if done right, resources
could be maximized. Fingers crossed.
From E.T.'s Keyboard...
ancient.ali...@icloud.com
Many believe that we have been visited
in the past. What if it were true?
On 4/29/2018 9:39 AM, Jonathan Cohn wrote:
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?
--
The following information is important for all members of
the Mac Visionaries list.
If you have any questions or concerns about the running of
this list, or if you feel that a member's post is
inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators
directly rather than posting on the list itself.
Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You
can reach mark at: mk...@ucla.edu <mailto:mk...@ucla.edu>
<mailto:mk...@ucla.edu> and your owner is Cara Quinn - you
can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com
<mailto:caraqu...@caraquinn.com>
<mailto:caraqu...@caraquinn.com>
The archives for this list can be searched at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
--- You received this message because you are subscribed to
the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails
from it, send an email to
macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com
<mailto:macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com>.
To post to this group, send email to
macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
<mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com>.
Visit this group at
https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
--
The following information is important for all members of the
Mac Visionaries list.
If you have any questions or concerns about the running of
this list, or if you feel that a member's post is
inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators
directly rather than posting on the list itself.
Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can
reach mark at: mk...@ucla.edu <mailto:mk...@ucla.edu>
<mailto:mk...@ucla.edu> and your owner is Cara Quinn - you
can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com
<mailto:caraqu...@caraquinn.com> <mailto:caraqu...@caraquinn.com>
The archives for this list can be searched at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
--- You received this message because you are subscribed to
the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from
it, send an email to
macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com
<mailto:macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com>.
To post to this group, send email to
macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
<mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com>.
Visit this group at
https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
--
The following information is important for all members of the
Mac Visionaries list.
If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this
list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate,
please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than
posting on the list itself.
Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can
reach mark at: mk...@ucla.edu <mailto:mk...@ucla.edu>
<mailto:mk...@ucla.edu> and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can
reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com
<mailto:caraqu...@caraquinn.com> <mailto:caraqu...@caraquinn.com>
The archives for this list can be searched at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
--- You received this message because you are subscribed to the
Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from
it, send an email to
macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com
<mailto:macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com>.
To post to this group, send email to
macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
<mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com>.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
--
The following information is important for all members of the Mac
Visionaries list.
If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this
list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate,
please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than
posting on the list itself.
Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can
reach mark at: mk...@ucla.edu <mailto:mk...@ucla.edu>
<mailto:mk...@ucla.edu> and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can
reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com
<mailto:caraqu...@caraquinn.com> <mailto:caraqu...@caraquinn.com>
The archives for this list can be searched at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
--- You received this message because you are subscribed to the
Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it,
send an email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com
<mailto:macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com>.
To post to this group, send email to
macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
<mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com>.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
--
The following information is important for all members of the Mac
Visionaries list.
If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this
list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please
contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on
the list itself.
Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach
mark at: mk...@ucla.edu <mailto:mk...@ucla.edu>
<mailto:mk...@ucla.edu> and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can
reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com
<mailto:caraqu...@caraquinn.com> <mailto:caraqu...@caraquinn.com>
The archives for this list can be searched at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "MacVisionaries" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it,
send an email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com
<mailto:macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com>.
To post to this group, send email to
macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
<mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com>.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
--
The following information is important for all members of the Mac
Visionaries list.
If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this
list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please
contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on
the list itself.
Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach
mark at: mk...@ucla.edu <mailto:mk...@ucla.edu> and your owner is
Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com
<mailto:caraqu...@caraquinn.com>
The archives for this list can be searched at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "MacVisionaries" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it,
send an email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com
<mailto:macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com>.
To post to this group, send email to
macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
<mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com>.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
--
The following information is important for all members of the Mac
Visionaries list.
If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this
list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please
contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the
list itself.
Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach
mark at: mk...@ucla.edu <mailto:mk...@ucla.edu> and your owner is
Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com
<mailto:caraqu...@caraquinn.com>
The archives for this list can be searched at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
--- You received this message because you are subscribed to the
Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it,
send an email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
--
The following information is important for all members of the Mac
Visionaries list.
If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list,
or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact
the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.
Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach
mark at: mk...@ucla.edu <mailto:mk...@ucla.edu> and your owner is Cara
Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com
<mailto:caraqu...@caraquinn.com>
The archives for this list can be searched at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
--- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "MacVisionaries" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send
an email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
--
The following information is important for all members of the Mac
Visionaries list.
If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or
if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the
owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.
Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach mark
at: mk...@ucla.edu and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at
caraqu...@caraquinn.com
The archives for this list can be searched at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "MacVisionaries" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send
an email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com
<mailto:macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com>.
To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
<mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com>.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
--
The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries
list.
If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you
feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or
moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.
Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach mark at:
mk...@ucla.edu and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at
caraqu...@caraquinn.com
The archives for this list can be searched at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.