Hi Carolyn!
I'm like you in that I wanted an Optacon ever since I knew about them.
That's a technology I took to right off. I have been an optacon user for
about 34 years.
Debby
At 08:29 PM 12/22/2016, Carolyn Arnold wrote
I got overwhelmed by the different gestures for an iPhone - way too many
for me to want to bother with. However, I have never had problems with an
Optacon. I wanted one more than I ever wanted any thing in my life, and am
so thankful to have had one for 42 years now, of course not the original one.
Bye for now,
Carolyn
-----Original Message-----
From: optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Bruce Noblick
Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2016 7:56 PM
To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [optacon-l] Re: a question regarding the ergonomic design and
mechanics of the optacon III
Hello Debby,
I have an iPhone and an Android Tablet. Most of the iPhone gestures are
fairly logical but some of the Android gestures for Talkback are awkward
for me. For example, the two part gestures like up and left, down and
right or whatever combination you use. I end up cutting the corners. I
have to go up, stop then go right to prevent this and I don't often get
the gestures to work. I even sometimes have trouble with the double tap
gesture on both devices with more of a problem on the Android tablet.
You sound like you are very articulate with accessibility issues and I try
to be as well so it embarrasses me a bit to admit how much trouble I have
with this interface. I almost wonder if part of my problem is that I
didn't learn to write when I was young. I think I could easily do a
diagonal swipe or a curved one but those two part gestures like those that
access the local and global context menus rarely work for me.
Any way, I am hoping that we both can overcome our awkwardness with these
devices because there is (in my case) a certain amount of frustration that
goes along with not being able to do what should be simple gestures.
Sorry for veering off topic.
Enjoy the day,
Bruce
On 12/21/2016 12:26 AM, Debby Franson wrote:
Hi Chuck!optacon mode.
I can't seem to get used to a touch interface. I have an iPad, Android
Galaxy, I think it's called and an iPod Touch, and I find them all
frustrating.
Debby
At 07:14 PM 12/14/2016, C. Pond wrote
Personally, if I had my druthers, I would like just a simple, small,
straightforward, uncomplicated optacon without these extras.
However, although I have done no formal studies, it just seems by all
accounts that such a preferable device would not take serious flight.
So, it seems that an optacon must be a modular part of an access
device, with the default mode being the nice and straightforward
they work fine as they are.
I wouldn't say things are speeing up; I'm simply working with what I
have, when I can, until more favourable winds blow. I meet soon with
a certain bank to take steps in finally setting up a legal/financial
accountable entity to receive money to take the optacon/braille
display to the finish line. Production and sales is a different
matter, of which I know basically nothing.
The main technical challenge is reducing the power consumption, and
making the power pack smaller than its at least 6 D-cell batteries
minimum. There is a completely suitable alternative energy solution
which I have developed for such things as transportation, but at this
point there might be legal issues which prevent me from dropping it
very simply into the optacon and easily doing away with the portable
power problem m. Although several materials are being studied to
improve the displays' efficiency (which would not be noticed by the
user), these efforts and strategies are to reduce power consumption,
and even if they don't happen, I'm not worried about the displays;
directly and with far, far less resource fuss.
The basic optacon software itself is straightforward, and it could be
programmed or written to be run on anything really: a tablet, a
smartphone, a handheld computer. I'm thinking that rather than using
an off-the-shelf, small motherboard and with the braille display and
optacon as its peripherals--in addition to the board as a standard
computer--why tie the purchaser to one's version of the computer,
when one cann simply use a prefered tablet or whatever. I have not
yet tried to program the basic optacon functions in Android or use
them with a tablet or smartphone. I have bypassed any operating
system, and programmed two boards using C++ and the required
assembler. I kind of wonder about the need for these portable O/S
platforms, when well-designed software can drive the computer boar
standard laptop but with the power and portability of a laptop.Of course, if there ends up being one module as the braille display,
its keyboard, another for the basic optacon, and then one fits in
their prefered portable computing device for its own accessible use,
this raises the issue of streamlined ergonomics--the form factor.
The use of a touch tablet, however, would open up some interesting
possibilities, not to mention making the device more in line with
consumer products and more easily updated.
In and of themselves, the braille display and standard notetaking
functions, and the optacon, do not require a standard computer mother
board or even a tablet or smartphone, although they are useful and
convenient. Something like the French "Essytime" (it is called
something like that), which is a braille display built directly into
a standard portable computer with a perkins keyboard, and so their
accessible computer, not needing a built-in display as a lid, and
with no qwerty keyboard, is quite portable and smaller than the
package.The French use a standard computer motherboard, so it can be easily
updated and consumer compatible save for the braille display.
Several decades ago now, I took the design of Smith-Kettlewell's
"Note-A-Braille", refined it, added to it, and gradually migrated it
from a hardware bench device to mostly software using C++; it was a
test project for academic purposes, not an intended product, So, the
braille display module and its software / optacon combo can easily be
done without the need for a standard computer as part of the consumer
So, back to the modular approach: the software for the notetaker, the
braille display module and perkins keyboard which contains the
notetaker software (its board is like a small cracker) and advanced
optacon bells and whistles, the autonymous optacon module and its
nifty camera...and then
what: must there be an obligatory computer so it will sell because
one would have the full use of a fully accessible computer? It is
becoming too convoluted for my personal comfort. All of this stuff
so that our irreplaceable optacon will have a market? Yes, one could
use the braille/optacon combo as a peripheral for whichever computer
they have and this as it should be of course, but this again raises
the ergonomics issue.--does it?
Personally, if I had my way, why not just a simple, nicely updated
and straightforward optacon and that would be that. It appears that
reality requires a more encompassing solution.
Chuck
-----Original Message-----
From: Debby Franson
Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2016 3:34 PM
To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [optacon-l] Re: a question regarding the ergonomic design
and mechanics of the optacon III
Hi Chuck!
I'm glad your progress is speeding up. That's exciting.
I agree with you about tacking on the smart display would probably
make a clunkier design, being the worst of the options.
Could a cover be made to put on to cover the "fat domino" space,
similar to the cover that is placed over the spot on the optacon II
when the battery pack is removed? That cover would protect whatever
the opening leaves exposed and keep dust out.
I agree that one versital unit would be best.
Debby
At 02:13 AM 12/12/2016, C. Pond wrote
An optacon III ergonomic mechanical question if I may in order to
make it marketable, accompanied by a pre-amble for its context:
As things stand now, the optacon IIIâs display has evolved from a
rmeree
dumb display (a mere vibrotactile output device which feels
something like a fat domino)) to a stand-alone display into which
the nifty camera and power and whatever can be plugged. This way,
the camera and the smart-display can be mechanically connected to
form a crude one-handed optacon with room for improvement, or they
can be used each in one hand as we traditionally have done.
Although I am still really concerned about the power monster, and
Iâm working with tuflon and a few other
r
experimental strategies to reduce power consumption, Iâm not
worriedd
about a vibrotactile display. We have a two-handed optacon---even
in its basic formââÂand since Mr. Noel Runyan recommended a
none-handedoption, we
now have that as well. So be it. Having said these things, it is
my âsenseâàor belief that a simple up-to-date small optacon
simply willll
not sell, take wings and fly. no matter the zeal of present optacon
users. I could be wrong, given proper education of blind people,
especially children, but that is how it looks realistically from
this userâs vantage. If no new optacon users come along, ten
syears from noww
will show a very different optacon-user landscape compared to today.
Therefore, from this line of reasoning, I have combined the basic
optacon III with a small, standard computer (around the size of a
Braille Sense U2 32-cell model; smaller than a Braille Lite 40) and
a built-in 32-cell braille display (which unfortunately and to my
chagrin and sincere regret and wish for the contrary is proprietary
at this time, and this goes against Every sentiment and wish within
me to have it so!). The braille display can be built by hand for a
few hundred dollars, and likely would be less costly if produced by
automation and in numbers greater than 99 per batch. At this point,
the optacon IIIâs
ns
display fits nicely behind the spacebar and between dots 1 and 4 of
the deviceâs perkin
n
s keyboard. So, along one long edge at the front is the 32-cell
display (built with banks of 4 braille cells per bank, smaller than
bimorph-based cells), and the optacon IIIâs display is right at
the back edge,,
between dots 1 and 4, and therefore in the middle of the edge. The
device has as many useful functions as any hand-held computer with a
robust braille display and good accessibility. However, if the
optacon IIIâs vibrotactile display is built into the hand-held
computer withh
its inexpensive and robust braille display, several questions come
to mind for which I do need feedback.
1. Although the smart display could be made mechanically to slide
in and out of its place, like the old PCMCIA cards, when the display
is removed and connected to its camera, a rectangle-like void about
the size of a fat domino would be left in the hand-held computer
with its braille display. So, what to do in order to prevent this
mechanical oddity or use the empty display space?
2. Is there a better way to design the mechanics of the device?
The only reason why Iâm evolving toward solidifying the optacon
sIIIâs
¬â¢s
design as part of an encompassing system is that on its own, a new
optacon likely would not sell, so other things must be added.
Likely enough, most people would use the braille display and
computer more often than the optacon IIIâs vibrotactile display.
dThe only two reasons I can see forr
being able to detach the optacon IIIâs display from the hand-held
in the first place.d
computer are:
1. To connect it to its camera for one-handed use.
2. To use it as a stand-alone, small, versatile optacon.
Otherwise, and if a stand-alone optacon would indeed sell, this
stuff about a hand-held computer with a built-in braille display
would not be an issue.
If the smart display were merely tacked onto one end or the other of
the hand-held computer, that would solve nothing and would make
ergonomic design and use even worse.
I doubt a market exists for two optacon III versions: a one-handed
optacon and a two-handed optacon, and also not likely for a simple,
stand-alone optacon III. If I had my way, I would build the
detachable optacon III into an encompassing system, and find a good
use for that fat domino void, or find a way so it doesnât happen
.
message to:.
So, please, any thoughts and suggestions? No doubt the mechanicalto view the list archives, go to:
solution for this is simple and straightforward.
Chuck
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