I’m not a fan of specialised technology usually.
There generally way over priced for what they do and with the popularity of Smartphones and tablets either running Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS blind people have more access to information at a fraction of what traditional access solutions cost.
As good as all these options are sometimes we forget about braille access and how vital it is for a blind person in today’s rapidly changing world.
Speaking personally braille has played an intricate part in my life. It has made me a more confident player both inside and outside my community not to mention reaching my goals as a young man.
Braille devices have dropped in price but the majority of them are still astronomically expensive for the average blind individual.
Enter the Brailliant braille from HumanWare.
This sleek display comes in either your choice of 32 cells, 40 cells, or 80 cells.
Design:
The Brailliant is a wonderfully crafted piece of equipment. Made out of high quality aluminium and with a brushed silver finish it’s definitely a headturner.
HumanWare’s iconic thumb keys grace the front of the device. If you’ve spent time with the brailleNote line of products you know what to expect. Suffice it to say it’s a dream to use.
At either end of the display you have 6 vertical keys these keys correspond to the 6 dots of braille. For example press dots 1 and 3 to bring up the search box in Windows 7 if your using JAWS as your screen reader.
Please note: these commands very between screen readers consult your screen readers help system.
Setup and configuration:
It was a breeze to use the display with JFW on my Mac running Windows via VMware. If your running Window-eyes version 7.0 or later the drivers are automatically installed.
On the Mac it’s truley plug and play support as the drivers are included with Mountain lion.
I really enjoyed the chrisp braille cells and the equally responsive braille keyboard. Being able to use all most any mobile device including the iPhone is a fantastic bonus.
Technical support and wrapup:
Tech support is provided via HumanWare’s website, the user guide, or phone support.
I have found Miss Ramona Mandy senior blindness product consultant to be excellent when it comes to matters of support.
For International customers call: 18007223393 or visit humanware’s support website.
In summary HumanWare has produced another piece of great hardware perfictly blending price and functionality.
Rating:
5 stars Excellent.
Where to buy?
Price as reviewed:
AU$2750 32 cell, AU2950 40 cell.