Fact of the day:
Human saliva has a boiling point three times that of regular water.
Hyphephilia are people who get aroused by touching fabrics.
If you lift a
<http://www.thefactsite.com/2012/12/awesome-kangaroo-facts.html> kangaroo's
tail off the ground it can't hop.
An Evaluation of the iBrailler Notes Braille Notetaking App from iBrailler
LLC
Jamie Pauls
Ever since the introduction of the iPhone 3G and Android devices people who
are blind have been on a journey of discovery as they explore the landscape
of smartphones and tablets. One bump in the road for many travelers with
visual impairments has been typing on devices with touchscreen keyboards.
Any blind person who has ever listened to s sighted person type a text
message at lightning-fast speed knows that the touchscreen typing experience
for the visually impaired community is quite different. Bluetooth keyboards
have eased the pain for some, but setting up such a keyboard is not always
convenient in settings where one must quickly respond to a message and then
put the phone or tablet away. Voice dictation has its unique set of issues
as well: a crowded room can make accurate translation from voice to text
difficult, and people often do not want to talk to their smart devices when
they are in a group of people.
Recently, several apps have been developed to allow people who are blind to
use a touchscreen to type in braille. With the release of iOS 8, Apple
<http://www.apple.com/> offered its own solution in the form of built-in
braille screen input, which lets you quickly jot down a note, respond to a
text message, or answer an e-mail using the touchscreen for typing. Even
more significant is the ability to transition from braille screen input back
to a more traditional keyboard where text can be easily edited. With the
introduction of Apple's braille screen input, is there a need for separate
apps to allow for the writing of text in braille? At least one developer
thinks so.
Taking a Look At iBrailler Notes
iBrailler Notes by iBrailler LLC is an app designed to allow ten-finger
braille entry using an iPad. Placing all ten fingers on the screen
calibrates the keyboard for use. If your hands begin to drift from their
original position, you can simply recalibrate and keep typing. Thumbs are
used for the space key, the left pinky accesses the Backspace key, the right
pinky activates the Enter key. A simple flick left or right with one finger
moves the cursor one character at a time, a two-finger flick moves by words,
a three-finger flick moves by sentences, and a four-finger flick moves by
paragraphs. Downward flicks with various finger combinations control the
reading of text. You save a note by performing an inward pinch gesture; the
text selection menu is accessed through an outward pinch gesture. Drawing
half circles counterclockwise and clockwise will move you to the beginning
and end of the note, respectively; full circles undo and redo actions.
A restricted version of the app is available for free. A $39.99 in-app
purchase is required to access functionality such as saving an unlimited
number of notes, exporting your notes to Dropbox, and copying text to the
clipboard for use in another application. Finally, the app developer
suggests that the user disable the multitasking gestures feature of your
iPad when using the app, but this does not appear to be an absolute
necessity.
Using iBrailler Notes
I evaluated the free version of iBrailler Notes using a 2014 iPad Air. I did
not disable the multitasking gestures setting as mentioned above when
testing this app, as I could not see myself actually doing this if I wanted
to simply jot down a quick note and then return to normal use of my iPad.
iBrailler Notes runs in landscape mode and opens with a start-up wizard that
can be disabled at any time. The application help for this program is quite
thorough and easy to follow. I had no difficulty learning the fundamentals.
I found calibration of the keyboard to be quite straightforward, and typing
in braille was a pleasure. It is possible to type in grade 1, contracted or
computer braille. I used contracted braille exclusively for this evaluation.
iBrailler Notes runs in conjunction with VoiceOver, and I heard the familiar
voice of Alex as I typed. I received quite a start, however, the first time
I backspaced over a mistyped character and heard a very loud, high-pitched
female voice that I didn't recognize. This happened every time I performed
the backspace command. I was used to Apple's implementation of character
deletion, which is different from that used by iBrailler.
If I typed the phrase "crazy dog" and realized that I actually meant to type
"lazy dog," using Apple's standard keyboard I would place my cursor to the
right of the letter "r" and hit the delete button twice. Using iBrailler, it
is necessary to move to the letter "a" before backspacing to delete the
letters "r" and "c." This was not a problem, but did take some getting used
to. I found mastery of the inward pinch gesture to save a note to be quite
tricky and took a lot of practice for me; drawing circles on the screen to
undo and redo edits was also quite a challenge for me. The developers of the
app have deliberately chosen not to make menus visible on the screen so that
as much real estate as possible can be devoted to typing on the braille
keyboard.
Final Thoughts iBrailler Notes
As stated earlier, I found the experience of typing on the iBrailler Notes
keyboard to be quite enjoyable, and I had no trouble recalibrating the
keyboard when my fingers drifted from their original position as I typed.
Mastering gestures such as an inward pinch and drawing half circles on the
screen was quite difficult, and in some cases, impossible for me to master.
The help system is quite good, and I believe that the developers of the app
have put quite a bit of thought into its design, although it would be
helpful if there were a way to access function menus in a more standard
fashion. For example, a double-tap-and-hold gesture might bring up a menu
for saving, exporting, and other common actions.
For anyone who frequently uses their iPad and enjoys typing in braille,
iBrailler Notes deserves consideration. The $39.99 price tag for the
full-featured app definitely gives me pause, as I am quite comfortable with
Apple's current implementation of braille screen input. The advantage of a
stand-alone app such as iBrailler Notes is that it can be updated quickly,
while Apple's braille screen input will be updated only when the operating
system itself receives an update. The fact that you can try a free version
of iBrailler Notes is definitely a plus. Finally, the loud, high-pitched
voice that is heard when backspacing over a character is quite jarring, and
should definitely be looked into.
Although I will personally stick with Apple's native braille screen input, I
am glad that I took the time to test drive iBrailler Notes, and encourage
others to do so as well. Be sure and send feedback to the app developer so
that this program can become even better over time.
Product Information
Product: iBrailler Notes <http://www.ibrailler.com/>
http://www.ibrailler.com/
Developer: iBrailler Notes LLC
Available from the iTunes App Store
<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibrailler-notes/id929976332>
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibrailler-notes/id929976332
Price: Free in restricted mode; an in-app purchase of $39.99 unlocks all
features.
"If any- one is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed
away; behold, all things have become new."
2 Corinthians 5:17,
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Robert Acosta, President
Helping Hands for the Blind
(818) 998-0044
www.helpinghands4theblind.org
