Hello everybody Earlier this week, I decided to bite the bullet and buy myself one of the Deluxe leather cases for my BrailleNote® Touch. I became tired of taking the thing out with me and having the case pop open every five minutes, putting the touch screen and keyboard is serious jeopardy.
I received the case, a rather expensive offering, (more about that shortly), on Tuesday morning. It was a really difficult task to insert the Touch into the case, as it’s very very tight fitting. Out of necessity I guess, but it’s a good job I have strong hands. Anyway, the new case doesn’t accommodate the Braille keyboard, so I dispensed with that a little reluctantly as, until this week, I’ve had no joy with the Braille virtual keyboard. However, for whatever reason, that “No Joy” situation changed radically on Tuesday. Suddenly, I found I was able to use the virtual keyboard as though it were second nature, and I’ve very much enjoyed using it since that time. The whole device looks, and feel, so much more elegant and slick with the new case. It’s also far more secure when being carried on my shoulder. This case doesn’t pop open at all, and it has a lot of padding and protection which gives the whole device a real facelift. The case is constructed from hard, premium quality leather. It’s very well made actually, and all seams are double-stitched. All ports and control elements are exposed, so it’s not necessary, for example, to remove the case to use the camera with the KNFB Reader which is now bundled with the Touch as a free product. All you do is unlock it, and it’s automatically registered with your device. The rear of the case has a thick rubber pad, which makes it really comfortable to carry for prolonged periods of time. This is the way I believe the device should be sold. The unfortunate thing, as I’ve already mentioned, is the fact that the case costs a staggering £125.00, which would be around $140.00 US. But now that I’ve parted with my money, I have a device which, to be honest, is a joy to use. Being Android-based, it offers many application which are available in the Google Play Store, many of which are accessible. The Touch’s two modes, (Explore By Braile, and Explore By Touch” are intuitive when put together in the one package. To start using standard Android gestures, all you need to do is press two thumb keys simultaneously, and to toggle back to the default Explore By Braille mode, you simply toggle it on in. The same way. I personally very rarely use speech on the device, as Braille has always been my preference. The same is true of my ElBraille under Windows 10, and I’m even finding that I am starting to prefer using the Braille keyboard when I use a standard computer as it means I can control everything without taking my hands away from the Braille display. Already though, I’m wondering how I ever worked with the Touch with its physical keyboard. And I can’t see me using it again for quite some time. Using the Touch as a true tablet is really the way this device was meant to be used and I reckon that it would be better for HumanWare’s customers if they were to ditch the keyboard, and just sell the device in its leather case. There’s a pocket in the lid of the leather case, just as their is on the standard Nylon cover, but this one is far more secure. You can, if you really want to do so, store a small portable keyboard in there so you could use it as a standard QWERT device. I personally keep a couple of spare SD-XC cards in that pocket, as they contain copies of my work files which I would prefer not to lose. I guess there are advantages and disadvantages with every device of this nature. I am very fortunate in as much as I have a variety of devices which I can call on in different situations. I still use my ElBraille an awful lot, as it gives me access to functionality not available on Android. But for the Touch user, if you can do so, I would thoroughly recommend the purchase of one of these leather cases for your device. It has certainly changed the way I use the tablet, and given me piece of mind as far as security is concerned. This, without a doubt, is the way the BrailleNote® Touch was meant to be! ======================================== My compliments and kindest regards Gordon Smith: <[email protected]> Accessibility & Information Technology Support Specialist.. This Message Was Created Using 100% Recycled Electrons. If you can avoid printing it, please do so. Think of the environment, save a tree! Contact: Twitter: @maciosaccess • UK Free Phone: 0800 8620538 • UK Geographic / Global: +44(0) 1642 688095 • UK Mobile/SMS: +44 (0)7804 983849 • Vic. Australia: +61 38 82059300 • US/Canada: +1 646 9151493 ----------------------------------------
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