Hi Linda,
I'm using an Alva BC640 with various iDevices and an iMac. I purchased mine
from the folks in Oregon and they are great to work with. The Alva is a
nice display with a lot of features. I use my display to write and to read
books and web articles. The Alva can be used as a stand-alone notetaker and
it isn't too big to take it with you. Battery life is good.
There is a learning curve with the Alva and most of the documentation is
written for PC's because the Alva was built to use with Windows. For
example, It has Windows keys: "CTRL, ALT, and Enter," not Mac keys:
"Command, Option, Control, and Return." You can use the Alva with iOS and
OS X. There are some iOS and OS X resources out there, but It takes some
looking to find them. I hope Optelec will write new documentation for iOS
and OSX Yosemitie.
The Alva works pretty well with iOS and I'm running version 8.4 on an
iPhone 6 and an iPad 2. There are some quirks with the Alva playing nice
with Voice Over. For example, the bluetooth pairing can be a challenge
unless you turn the Alva on first, wake-up your iDevice, and then go to the
home screen. The Alva should pair. You reverse the steps to shut down. If
you don't, the Alva may not pair the next time and you have to go to the
Voice Over settings and pair it manually. There are other settings you
will need to turn on or off to speed up braille translation, etc. If you
are looking to teach with the Alva and iOS, consider buying an iPod Touch.
It's an iPhone without the phone and they are only $199.
Having 40 cells on the Alva makes reading and writing very comfortable. I
also have a 12-cell braille display and I'm always panning the braille. The
Alva has extra keys to aid you in navigating your iDevice and they work
well in iOS. I really like having cursor routing keys wich really speeds up
editing with Voice Over.
You will need to decide what will work best for you. Buying a braille
display is only a portion of the total cost of ownership. Your time,
energey, and emotional capital should also be considered in the equation.
Base your decision on the features of the device, available resources,
warranty, and support.
I hope this helps.
Good luck!
Darrin
(From Idaho)
bluebrlr@xxxxxxxxx
On Wednesday, August 19, 2015, Linda Chung <lchung04@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hello everyone
I am considering purchasing an Alva Braille display and thought I’d join
this email list as there is no one in my area in Southern California that I
can find who is using one. I think the only US distributer is in Oregon.
So I thought folks on this list could share their thoughts with me.
I am visually impaired and a Vision Rehabilitation Therapist. I’ve worked
in Vermont and Kentucky the past 10 years and recently moved back to my
native California to begin a small nonprofit, Pacific Christian School for
the Deaf and Blind. Programs are primarily geared towards those who are
blind, visually impaired, deaf-blind, and their families. Mostly adults
and in the summers children, teens/transition, young adult and families.
Since I am starting out, I am renting space from different churches as
programs develop and am working out of my home.
I’m looking for a Braille display that’s fairly portable and that works
mostly with IOS (which I am sure just about everything these days does).
I’m setting up a small mobile assistive technology center of sorts with the
idea of a “retreat” type of setting- meaning that many pieces of equipment
may be multi functioning and I am using a lot of mainstream products and as
little blindness devices as possible. Such as using a lot of apps on iPads
for my students instead of having multiple hardware and software devices
for the blind/visually impaired.
Is anyone using the Alva BC640? That particularly interests me because
it’s just refreshable Braille and can run off of IOS. Will it also run off
of Windows or Mac for students who bring their own laptops and gadgets to
my programs?
I am also thinking of the smaller 12 cell device, but I’m thinking the
Braille cells are too limited on that and is more for on the go use.
Unless someone can multitask with one hand on their phone or iPad and the
other hand reading and scrolling the 12 cell Braille display. Who knows,
maybe it will be faster?
I’ve used other devices; Braille Lite 18, Braille Note, and Voice Sense
with the detachable Braille display. This is the first time I’m looking at
a device that works with mainstream products instead of a stand alone note
taker for the blind.
Thanks for reading and for your ideas.
Linda
Linda Chung
lchung04@xxxxxxxxx <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','lchung04@xxxxxxxxx');>
