Hi David,
Maria Was correct I work at APH. I was in on a lot of the decisions and product development for the product.
I will say for anyone who wants this to reach out to customer service and leave feedback! We do typically listen to a lot of what the customers want, and I would urge you to do so. If they see the numbers, then a decision could be made to change course on this! I do know, though, with recent Covid issues the price has already risen on this product since launch, and I’m not sure how much more room we would want that to go up, but feedback or feature suggestions can never hurt! Working here over the years I have seen us implement a lot of feedback and suggestions from customers. It really does Cary a lot of weight.
Sent from my iPhone
On Apr 28, 2023, at 9:24 PM, David Goldfield <david.goldfield@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Joseph wrote:
>To use the Bard API you have to pay a licensing cost that APH felt would have driven up the cost of the device.
I understand. May I ask where you obtained this information? I’m not doubting you but would just like to be able to know where this comes from.
David Goldfield,
Blindness Assistive Technology Specialist
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From: aphmantischameleonuser-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <aphmantischameleonuser-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of joseph hodge
Sent: Friday, April 28, 2023 6:39 AM
To: aphmantischameleonuser@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [aphmantischameleonuser] Re: Wondering Why the Mantis Q40 Lacks NLS BARD Download Capabilities
Hi David,
To use the Bard API you have to pay a licensing cost that APH felt would have driven up the cost of the device. I hope this answers your question.
Joe
Sent from my iPhone
On Apr 28, 2023, at 1:39 AM, sophia curtis <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
David - any chance you could pass me the details of the mantis you had the chance to purchase at a good price please? I have been searching for a used one in my price range for awhile but not really sure where to look. Thanks
Kind regardsSophia
On Friday, April 28, 2023, 5:09 am, Tim Noonan <tim@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
We are all just speculating, but I will note that the Mantis has different internal hardware than the Braillant devices, essentially it seems to be an earlier generation of chipsets, which no doubt was to meet a particular price point for the device. That may also mean a less capable version of Android to run device applications. NLS is incredibly strict regarding Bard access apps.
Tim
On 28 Apr 2023, at 1:08 pm, William James <wiljames72@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
It probably won’t happen but I would love to see a way to transfer a file from the phone or computer to the Mantis via bluetooth. That would be nice.
Sent from my iPhone Pro Max
On Apr 27, 2023, at 11:03 PM, William James <wiljames72@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
The Brailliant has it so why not the Mantis? I test-drove a Brailliant 20 and it had all three services: NLS BARD, NFB Newsline, and BookShare. From what I understand, the firmware released for the Mantis Q40, the Chameleon, and the Brailliant are all in the same file, so why not? I have the Mantis and love the QWERTY keyboard. I have stopped using a Perkins keyboard a long time ago and have graduated to a QWERTY keyboard for typing and prefer it. I’m like David Goldfield in that regard.
I also asked about EPUB support and was told a couple years ago that supporting that format was on the to-do list. Well, it’s not off that to-do list yet. We haven’t seen any updates or heard about anything new for the Mantis Q40 in almost a year.
Don’t get me wrong, I am still happy with this product and sing its praises when talking with our clients about braille displays. I am just a concerned user who is afraid the goings-ons of the eBRF format and the monarch has pushed the Mantis and Chameleon off to the back burner.
Sent from my iPhone Pro Max
On Apr 27, 2023, at 9:56 PM, Victor Lawrence <victorelawrence@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Yes, it’s definitely great that we all have choices. Personally, I don’t care if I can download bard books to a braille display or not, as I’ve never had that ability. When I had a braille display, I always used it with an iPhone, and iPad or a computer. I didn’t have a choice because the braille display I had could not download anything.
I want a Mantis because it will meet my needs for work and some other things. The fact that it cannot download bard books yet is not a priority for me because I can use the mantis with a mobile device.
My iPhone is my personal assistant. Using it in combination with a Mantis display would be the perfect combination for me. But these are the things that meet my needs.
Victor.
Sent from my iPhone
On Apr 27, 2023, at 6:50 PM, Rebecca Skipper <skipper8218@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
That is a fair question given the price point and the fact that BARD is on the Brilliant.
If I had to guess maybe assumptions were made about who would likely use the Mantis?
Your question could extend to the Chameleon as well.
From: aphmantischameleonuser-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<aphmantischameleonuser-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of David Goldfield
Sent: Thursday, April 27, 2023 9:05 PM
To: aphmantischameleonuser@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [aphmantischameleonuser] Re: Wondering Why the Mantis Q40 Lacks NLS BARD Download Capabilities
Rebecca, I understand your point and I get that having direct access to BARD is not a major priority for you. The NLS E-reader only has 20 cells and I like the idea of a QWERTY keyboard. The Brailliant units provide direct access to BARD and so I’m just curious as to why this was omitted from the Mantis.
David Goldfield,
Blindness Assistive Technology Specialist
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From: aphmantischameleonuser-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<aphmantischameleonuser-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Rebecca Skipper
Sent: Thursday, April 27, 2023 9:01 PM
To: aphmantischameleonuser@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [aphmantischameleonuser] Re: Wondering Why the Mantis Q40 Lacks NLS BARD Download Capabilities
NLS has a Braille eReader so why would this service be offered on other products?
If downloading BARD materials is a top priority for you se if you can get the NLS eReader.
I don’t care about downloading books to the device.
I’d rather use my PC and an SD card.
In fact, I find it easier to download talking books to my iPhone than the Victor Reader Stream second Generation because of the slower download speed.
From: aphmantischameleonuser-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<aphmantischameleonuser-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of David Goldfield
Sent: Thursday, April 27, 2023 8:44 PM
To: aphmantischameleonuser@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [aphmantischameleonuser] Wondering Why the Mantis Q40 Lacks NLS BARD Download Capabilities
I recently had a chance to purchase a slightly used Mantis for an excellent price. I decided not to purchase it and I’ll explain why. While I’m aware that Braille files from BARD can be transferred to the Mantis from a PC or an SD card I would much prefer that it offered direct access to BARD as it does with Bookshare. I got the sense that this was a deliberate decision and I’d really like to know the reasoning behind it and if BARD access will ever become a feature. If it did I’d be more inclined to purchase a Mantis.
David Goldfield,
Blindness Assistive Technology Specialist
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