Braillecast

The Braillists Foundation
Braillecast

Celebrating braille and keeping braillists informed with exclusive interviews, independent reviews, comprehensive demonstrations, clear presentations, thought-provoking commentary and up-to-the-minute braille news.

  1. 4 NOV · BONUS

    Untangling the Wires: Why Connecting and Charging your Braille Display with USB Doesn't Always Work

    USB, or Universal Serial Bus, has been a feature of braille displays for over twenty years. Originally a standard for connectivity, it has evolved over time to also provide power and charging capabilities. However, if USB is supposed to be Universal, why are some chargers faster than others, and why won’t some chargers and cables work at all? On Tuesday 29 October 2024, we unravelled the answer to this far from straightforward question. Along the way, we covered: A brief history of USB Common USB connecters and how to tell the difference between them How and when the USB cable you use may impact performance What happens behind the scenes when you connect your braille display to a USB charger What to look for when buying replacement cables and chargers Whether or not a power bank is a viable solution for charging your braille display on the go Things to try if your braille display won’t charge The session was presented by Mobeen Iqbal from Taira Technology, an independent provider of bespoke and specialist hardware, software and support solutions. Mo has over fifteen years’ experience working with hardware of all shapes and sizes, from custom-built desktop and laptop computers to TV set top boxes and remote controls, and has a passion for improving the ease of use of technology for blind and partially sighted people. Links from Mo About Taira Technology Energrid Accessible Power Banks Comments in the Chat from Andrew Flatres There are trade offs with having replacements batteries. In addition most braille displays have to have a medical certification which also plays a big role on deciding a replacement battery. EU parliament has voted on a law that will require User replaceable batteries. I believe this should be in force by 2027. From a HumanWare perspective, we want to ensure products have a good life battery span and made light. An approach like the BI 20x where the battery is replaceable but held with two Phillips screw. We also have to consider battery collaboration. To respond to the medical certification, I will try and get a response from our team on this. This is a really good discussion.

    1h 30m
  2. 23 SEPT · BONUS

    Braille Screen Input: What's New in iOS and iPad OS 18?

    Braille Screen Input has been overhauled! iOS and iPad OS 18, released on Monday 16 September, include the biggest refresh of Braille Screen Input since the feature was first introduced in iOS 8. Although you can, for the most part, still use Braille Screen Input as you always have done, the new functionality in Apple's latest flagship operating systems is a source of much excitement throughout the blind community and will almost certainly take your Braille Screen Input experience to the next level. Join us in this episode as Matthew Horspool talks us through what's new. Summary of New Features New gestures for entering and exiting: double tap the far edges of the screen with two fingers to enter. To exit, pinch outwards or inwards, or perform a two finger scrub. BSI is also still available in the rotor and if this is enabled, the rotor gesture still works to exit, but it does not work if BSI is removed from the rotor. You can now braille a for sign. There are keyboard clicks and haptics during text entry, the same as those for the QWERTY on-screen keyboard. When searching for apps on the home screen, you can now use grade 2. You now have access to a Braille Item Chooser from within Braille Screen Input. It works in a similar way to searching for apps on the home screen, but functions within apps. You can now enter Braille Screen Input automatically when encountering a text field. Braille Screen Input now uses the Braille Table options in Settings, Accessibility, VoiceOver, Braille to determine whether input is contracted, uncontracted etc. Swipe up with two fingers to change braille table. There is a new Command Mode, accessible via a three finger swipe left or right from within Braille Screen Input, or a tripple tap with two fingers at the far edges of the screen from elsewhere. Gestures in Command Mode are akin to braille display commands with the space bar held down, e.g. type the letter h in Command Mode to go to the home screen. You can also move the cursor and perform text selection with one finger and two finger swipe gestures. When using the Braille Item Chooser or searching for apps on the home screen using Braille Screen Input, you can opt to remain in Command Mode when swiping right with two fingers rather than exiting Braille Screen Input altogether. When in Command Mode, if the setting to enter Braille Screen Input when encountering a text box is enabled, VoiceOver will automatically switch from Command Mode to Braille Entry Mode when a text box is encountered. There are new sounds for entering and exiting Braille Screen Input, calibrating the dots and changing between Command Mode and Braille Entry Mode. There is now a setting to determine whether translated text appears on the screen whilst Braille Screen Input is active. All Braille Screen Input gesture assignments, plus the assignments for entering Braille Screen Input, can be customised. Braille Screen Input now supports Japanese braille. N.B. if the master toggle for VoiceOver sounds is switched off in Settings, Accessibility, VoiceOver, Sounds and Haptics, the new Braille Screen Input sounds will not play. Supported Devices iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max, 2024 iPad Pro (M4), 2024 iPad Air (M2), 2024 iPad Pro 11-inch 5th generation, 2024 iPad Air 6th generation, 2024 iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, 2023 iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, 2022 iPad Pro 12.9-inch 6th generation, 2022 iPad Pro 11-inch 4th generation, 2022 iPad Air 5th generation, 2022 iPad 10th generation, 2022 iPhone SE 3rd generation, 2022 iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max, 2021 iPad Pro 12.9-inch 5th generation, 2021 iPad Pro 11-inch 3rd generation, 2021 iPad 9th generation, 2021 iPad mini 6th generation, 2021 iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max, 2020 iPad Pro 12.9-inch 4th generation, 2020

    1h 12m

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Celebrating braille and keeping braillists informed with exclusive interviews, independent reviews, comprehensive demonstrations, clear presentations, thought-provoking commentary and up-to-the-minute braille news.

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