Ok thanks. Looks like I will be more informed now than ever before.
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On 4/29/2018 9:56 AM, Jonathan Cohn wrote:
ET
Focus is what Freedom Scientific has called its Braille displays for
several years (maybe a decade).
Best wishes,
Jonathan Cohn
On Apr 29, 2018, at 12:53 PM, E.T. <ancient.ali...@icloud.com
<mailto:ancient.ali...@icloud.com>> wrote:
Donna,
Who actually develops the Focus line of products? Can you tell what
little I know? (smiles)
What I do like about the Edge is its not loaded down. I have a
Brailesense Plus (dead now) and I barely used its features. Having a
Mac, I can do heavy work there, and an iPhone, for quick access to
basic things. I read a lot of braille books on the Edge, and want to
use the display for backup if something happens to my hearing. That is
why the concept of access to multiple Bluetooth devices is so
attractive now.
While I am focused on the Focus 5th (smiles at self here), I will
take a closer look at the other brands. If I had understood that new
VUs is not happening, I wold have spent more time with the other
displays but will have another opportunity.
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On 4/29/2018 9:33 AM, Donna Goodin wrote:
Yep. Their last truly innovative product was the PacMate. That's
been a brick for a long time now, and they haven't done anything
since then--except eat other companies.
One thing I would suggest as a factor for consideration is the
notetaker component. I really like having a display that functions
as an independent notetaker. I use that feature a lot, either just
to jot down notes, or to read books when I don't want to be tied to a
phone or a computer. I would never again purchase a braille display
that didn't have a built-in word processor. I don't care about
having a calendar and all that because I do all that on my phone.
But having a word processor is non-negotiable for me.
Cheers,
Donna
On Apr 29, 2018, at 11:27 AM, 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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