Hi! Yes the VarioUltra was a lovely device. If I could afford one I would love the Monarch or the help tech activator. /A
> 11 maj 2025 kl. 16:16 skrev 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries > <macvisionaries@googlegroups.com>: > > I absolutely loved my VarioUltra. The form factor is the best I’ve ever > seen. However, here are some things to be aware of: > 1. It has no wireless connectivity > 2. Baum went under about ten years ago. Some of the former employees have > tried to resurrect it, but with limited success. They don’t have much of a > presence, and the price of the Vario has gone up substantially. As of my > last information, which is a couple years old now, the Vario hasn’t had any > updates since around 2015, so it’s a very dated device. > 3. The command structure for the Vario is very different from other braille > displays, so it has a very steep learning curve. At the time it was totally > worth it, but I’m not sure I would want to put that much effort into a device > that is so dated. > > Just my thoughts. > Cheers, > Donna > > >> On May 11, 2025, at 7:57 AM, 'Jason J.G. White' via MacVisionaries >> <macvisionaries@googlegroups.com> wrote: >> >> One of my displays is a SuperVario 40 from Baum, purchased in or around >> 2005, and still working perfectly. The battery has been changed twice, and >> the cells have been professionally cleaned twice, with no other maintenance >> needed. >> >> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com <macvisionaries@googlegroups.com> on >> behalf of Jessica Barr <barr.jess...@gmail.com> >> Date: Sunday, May 11, 2025 at 02:22 >> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com <macvisionaries@googlegroups.com>, >> macvisionaries@googlegroups.com <macvisionaries@googlegroups.com> >> Subject: RE: I am done for now with the Mac. >> >> I tested several Orbit Readers for my braille and talking book library and >> had very bad luck with them. After only a few months on average, one or more >> of the cells had dot(s) that stuck up or down and had to be repaired. One >> unit only lasted a few weeks before this happened, and the one I had the >> longest lasted about eight months. I love the braille on these displays when >> they're in good working condition; I just wish they were more durable. I >> know some people have had good luck with Orbit Research products, but I also >> know I'm not the only one who has had problems like what I just described. >> Jessica >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: 'Sabahattin Gucukoglu' via MacVisionaries >> <macvisionaries@googlegroups.com> >> Date: Saturday, May 10, 2025 08:41 PM >> To: via MacVisionaries <macvisionaries@googlegroups.com> >> Subject: Re: I am done for now with the Mac. >> >> You're not wrong, honestly. Braille on macOS has always seemed to be >> vestigial, at best, in a way that even iOS Braille isn't. It's just tech >> debt, I fear, that keeps VoiceOver on macOS from being truly great, and >> nowhere is that more evident than with Braille, which it's better to have >> than not, but is clearly behind other screen readers. >> >> I am looking at a future Braille display that's not a Focus from Freedom >> Scientific, and it comes down to a toss-up between Humanware Brailliant >> BI40X and Orbit Reader 40. Astonishingly, macOS still doesn't support Orbit >> Reader using its native protocol, only through its VarioUltra emulation, as >> best I can tell. This is very disappointing, to say the least of it, >> although it gladdens my fleshy heart that Orbit Research implemented the >> feature in a display of such economical cost at all—so much so, in fact, >> that I might just wander off and buy one, in spite of that consideration. We >> must reward that kind of empowering work, I think. >> >> As for BRLTTY, yup, I use it every single day; my Mac is often connected via >> USB to my Focus but not driving it, and a VM with a textmode Linux >> environment is being used instead to do all the command line things. It's >> awesome. You want this over the paltry Terminal support in macOS if you're >> using Braille. >> >> Good luck on your travels in Windows land. I think you will find, >> inevitably, that it has downsides … but there's no denying the superiority >> of Braille support. >> >> -- >> 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. 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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 >> <mailto:macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com>. >> To view this discussion visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/macvisionaries/PH7PR20MB5307EB95E6E0C35AB0AB2AFACF94A%40PH7PR20MB5307.namprd20.prod.outlook.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/macvisionaries/PH7PR20MB5307EB95E6E0C35AB0AB2AFACF94A%40PH7PR20MB5307.namprd20.prod.outlook.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>. > > > -- > 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. 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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 view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/macvisionaries/5D36D417-D673-4C7F-B68F-7D039952B1E5%40pipkrokodil.se.
