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 MaxOn 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 iPhoneOn 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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