I'm in a similar situation. I own a Baum SuperVario 40 (from the days when they were distributed by HumanWare), but it needs cleaning of the cells, and it lacks a braille keyboard, which I want for use with mobile devices.
VarioUltra is probably what I would buy at the moment if it were available - but it isn't due to the bankruptcy issues. I agree with what has been said about the latest Focus displays from VFO. I've used one briefly, and it was fine, but they're so new that I can't comment on reliability other than to note that VFO engineers have sought to address it. Another option would be the active Braille or the Active Star from HandyTech - now distributed by HIMS North america if that's where you live. This display offers Active Tactile Control - touch-sensitive sensors integrated into the cells. You can, for example, configure it to advance the display automatically when you reach the end of the line. I don't know whether this is supported by VoiceOver either under iOS or Mac OS. HandyTech displays are supported, but, as you're probably aware, there are different levels of "support". Donna Goodin <doniado...@me.com> wrote: > Hey ET, > > I currently own both those displays--I replaced my Edge with the VU, and was > never able to sell my Edge. > > This is a really hard question to answer. Erik is right, the bankruptcy > issue with Baum has real nightmare potential. Currently David Bradburn is > providing some repair support, but he's doing it as a side-gig. The only > tech support is the VU list. It's a lot of knowledgeable and very helpful > folks, but that's not the same as getting tech support from the company. > > That said, the VU is the best display I've ever owned. The Braille Edge > frankly doesn't even come close. I'm not sure what happened with the Edge. > It has lots of coolness potential, but it's like HIMS started to develop it > and then just stopped. It has all these function keys, for example, but most > of them don't do much. The apps are also very limited. It has a sort of > minimal word processor and file manager, and a calculator, but it's all kind > of like something you'd find on an old flip phone. > > The VU has a nice word processor with separate file manager, a PDF reader, > and an Excel spreadsheet viewer. And as Erik pointed out, can connect to > multiple bluetooth devices. > > The VU also has by far the nicer form factor. It's funny, when the Edge came > out it felt relatively small, but it is very heavy and blocky compared to the > VU, which is small, and light, and sleek. > > The VU has a significantly higher learning curve, but I wouldn't imagine that > that would be an issue for you. > > One last thing to think about is that with the Edge, you transfer files onto > it with an SD card, which is pretty dated. With the VU, you can transfer > either via USB drive or you can connect it directly to a PC, and it functions > as a stand-alone drive. Unfortunately, that feature does not work on the Mac. > > So, that's the sum of my wisdom on the subject. The VU is by far the better > display, but it depends on whether you want to get involved with the Baum > situation. Were it me, I'd probably still go for the VU, it's just that much > better. But I can certainly understand someone not wanting to take that > risk. If you want to try and track down a VU, I'd suggest joining the list > and asking there. The URL to subscribe is: > varioultra-reque...@freelists.org. Put Subscribe in the subject line. If > you have any other questions, I'm happy to try and answer them. > Cheers, > Donna > > > On Apr 27, 2018, at 5:41 PM, E.T. <ancient.ali...@icloud.com> wrote: > > > > I have the opportunity to replace my Braille Edge. Donna, I hope you will > > chime in. > > > > I can choose just about anything but will limit my choice to either > > another Edge or the Vario Ultra 40. Given that Baum is in bankruptcy, the > > question is then what about tech support. Is the Vario Ultra still a good > > bet? > > > > From E.T.'s Keyboard... > > ancient.ali...@icloud.com > > Many believe that we have been visited > > in the past. What if it were true? > > > > -- > > The following information is important for all members of the Mac > > Visionaries list. > > > > If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if > > you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners > > or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. > > > > Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach mark at: > > mk...@ucla.edu and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at > > caraqu...@caraquinn.com > > > > The archives for this list can be searched at: > > http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/ > > --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > > Groups "MacVisionaries" group. > > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > > email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > > To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. > > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. > > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > -- > The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries > list. > > If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if > you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or > moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. > > Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach mark at: > mk...@ucla.edu and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at > caraqu...@caraquinn.com > > The archives for this list can be searched at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries list. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach mark at: mk...@ucla.edu and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com The archives for this list can be searched at: http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
