Hi Jim and all,
I have used both devices. The Smart beetle (SB) I returned, the VarioUltra (VU)
I am currently trying. I have split this message into two parts. First, to
respond to your request, Jim, about the differences, and the second to say why
I gave up on the SB.
1. The obvious differences.
a. The SB sells for $1300 USD for 14 cells. The VU cells for $2500 USD for
20 cells and a greater amount for 40 cells, though obviously the 40 cell unit
cannot be compared to the SB.
B. The VU has note taker/file reader/timer functions, which are quite
good, but keep in mind that you can buy a note taker for $100 or less these
days. The note taker is icing, but it's nice to have a cake with icing. The
note taker generally works well.
C. Keep in mind that though both devices connect to multiple Bluetooth
senders, the SB will emulate a keyboard and a braille display, while the VU
will only work as a braille display. This is a serious shortcoming of the VU,
you are stuck with the limited set of braille commands provided by your screen
reader of choice with the VU, you are not so stuck with the SB. Further, if
your screen reader crashes, that's the end of your display's usefulness until
you bring it back up from the keyboard when using the VU. With the SB, you
switch to keyboard mode, bring your reader back up, and are back in business in
braille.
2. the non-obvious differences.
A. The VU's firmware is more reliable than the SB's code. The VU has never
rebooted on me, loses connection quite rarely, and otherwise behaves better.
This was the main reason I returned the SB, I've explained this in greater, I
hope not too painfully greater, detail below.
B. The support at Baum is, in my respectful view, better than that at
Hims. This is not so much a difference in the people, all the support people
I've dealt with, both at Baum and Hims, have been excellent and have done their
best, but Baum seems to be interested in supporting the device they have a list
on which many people from the company post, they return phone calls and emails,
and so on, whereas the people at Hims are doing their best but seem not to have
sufficient data.
C. The VU generally seems more polished and reacts more quickly to
commands than the SB. The VU works, at the moment, better with iOS devices,
though this advantage will, I hope, soon disappear with the SB being put in
Apple's roster of braille displays. See my third issue about iOS below for a
better explanation.
D. The vu has a lock function. The SB does not. I simply don't understand
what the people at Hims were thinking when they didn't include this.
E. The VU has poorer battery life than the SB. Note that both charge by
USB, battery life with the cheap and easy USB batteries out there is simply not
an issue for most people though it may be for people who want every inch of
space and want to lighten what they carry. Personally, I'm carrying three USB
batteries anyway (computer, FM system, iPhone).
F. The SB has fewer shortcuts, particularly for switching between devices,
than the VU does. Generally, the VU handles its keyboard better, there are
shortcuts for everything and they are simple enough to learn. The SB, though it
has fewer functions and could have put in shortcuts for them, generally
doesn't.
3. Personal preferences.
A. I like the size and shape of the keys more, they are larger and more
distinct, on the SB. I like the spacing and positioning of the keys, they are
more convenient to type on, on the VU. The VU designers had more space to work
with, and they worked with it well, the keys are laid out with the space under
the display, the keys above it, and shaped to fit the hand. On the SB, the
keys, though larger, feel like they are crammed in. The joystick on the VU is a
better navigational instrument than is available on the SB.
B. The braille is of a higher quality, in my view, on the VU. There is
nothing wrong with the braille on the SB, it's just that the braille on the VU
is better on my fingers at least.
C. I like the solidity of the VU it seems more solidly built than the SB.
I have yet to drop the devices on a concrete floor, and frankly don't plan to.
The SB feels chunkier than the VU, the VU feels thinner and may be a bit
lighter.
Here's what drove me away from the SB, which I initially preferred
because of price and size:
1. Most importantly, it didn't work properly. It would have a hard time
maintaining Bluetooth connectivity with one device, let alone multiple devices.
When I called Hims for support, I was informed that it had not been properly
tested with computers, but rather was expected to be used with smaller devices.
I was also informed that firmware updates while in the field were probably not
happening. I hope that's not true, but I didn't want to take the risk, there is
allot of room for changes in the unit and if Hims wasn't planning to make any
changes to the poor 1.0 they had, it wasn't worth the money. I was not given
specific instructions of things to try to make the connection more stable and
easier to get.
2. The SB's software is not stable. It would sometimes reboot without cause,
would occasionally disconnect without cause, and I generally felt like I was
walking on a tightrope whenever I used it.
3. on iOS, the SB would emulate an 18 cell display. This is problematic
because when panning, iOS would chop off characters. There may be a way to fix
this, and it will certainly be fixed when the SB is added to the iOS roster of
supported displays. I wouldn't have had too much of a problem with this, but
the poor firmware, support, and connectivity meant I didn't want the unit on
other grounds.
4. The SB's 14 cells are short. Again, I knew this going in, I just didn't
know it was going to be an issue. Were it not for the problems noted above, I
would have lived with it.
5. I don't know what Hims was thinking, but they didn't include a lock
function on the display. The whole reason for these sorts of displays is not to
have to enter into long processes/negotiations/discussions when wanting access
to braille. The quickest and easiest way is to keep the display more or less
constantly on. Keep in mind that these units are powered from USB, you can have
basically permanent power if you want it with external batteries. That, of
course, is assuming the battery in the unit won't last all day.
6. The SB's commands are mostly through menus. I didn't find enough
keyboard shortcuts. For example, to switch back and forth between devices, the
menus seem to be necessary.
If the above sounds like I am annoyed, it's because I am, the SB is a
beautiful concept absolutely destroyed by its execution. The BT keyboard/HID
profile along with the braille display function is nothing short of inspired,
whoever thought of that read my mind for the perfect device. The price, when
compared to the rest of the market, is excellent. The length is a compromise,
but I'm happy to live with it. The hardware isn't at all bad. Whoever thought
of this device thought well. Whoever programmed it should go back to school. I
have unreliable hearing, I need reliable braille. The SB doesn't give me that.
I wish it did. I would have been happy to pay more for it if it did. It might
work well for someone who has one Bluetooth and one USB device, but if you want
that, why not buy a Seika/Perkins unit, the focus if you can put up with its
braille, or a refreshabraille?
Aman
s anyone compared this to the Vario Ultra? I would love to know any major
> differences. Sent from my iPhone 6!
>
>> On Aug 13, 2015, at 10:22 PM, Andrew Lamanche <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> It's on special offer till 30 September from Sight and Sound in the UK for
>> £799, including a very nice and sturdy leather carrying case.
>>
>> Andrew
>>> On 13 Aug 2015, at 21:59, Devin Prater <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>> Wow, how much does this display cost?
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>>> On Aug 13, 2015, at 12:47 PM, Andrew Lamanche <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Listers,
>>>>
>>>> It's arrived: my new tiny, 14 cell refreshable Braille display produced
>>>> by HIMS. Nervous as I was ordering it from Sight and Sound in the UK, I
>>>> feel I'm gonna love it! it's small and the cells are nice. I've
>>>> already paired it with my iphone. And by the way, this Braille display
>>>> can remember 5 different Bluetooth devices to which one connects. It
>>>> also has a USB connection.
>>>>
>>>> I know it's going to be a steep learning curve and that I'm going to be
>>>> asking lots of questions but I've already managed to read using Smart
>>>> Beetle from Voice Dream Reader and ibooks. The pleasure of reading
>>>> quietly is intense! I'm delighted.
>>>>
>>>> At present it seems that I have to keep my iphone or ipad unlocked in
>>>> order to use my Smart Beetle. Is this the case in your experience too?
>>>> Also, Smart Beetle can connect via Bluetooth either as a Braille display
>>>> or as a Bluetooth keyboard emulator and it can also work in combo mode,
>>>> i.e. you can have it connected as a Braille display and as a Bluetooth
>>>> keyboard for more functionality. I can navigate home screens using it,
>>>> open and close applications, read text, I've written a text message
>>>> using it, I can use the rotor. However, when in Mail, I couldn't find a
>>>> way of deleting an email I didn't want to read and I was wondering
>>>> whether there may be an equivalent of a swiping gesture that Braille
>>>> display could imitate. I just wonder if you could share what else you
>>>> can do with your refreshable Braille displays and iPhone?
>>>>
>>>> Many thanks for any suggestions
>>>>
>>>> Andrew
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> 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 [email protected].
>>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
>>>> Visit this group at http://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 viphone
>>> list. All new members to the this list are moderated by default. 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. The archives
>>> for this list can be searched at
>>> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/.
>>> ---
>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
>>> "VIPhone" group.
>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
>>> email to [email protected].
>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
>>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/viphone.
>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
>>
>> --
>> The following information is important for all members of the viphone
>> list. All new members to the this list are moderated by default. 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. The archives
>> for this list can be searched at
>> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/.
>> ---
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
>> "VIPhone" group.
>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
>> email to [email protected].
>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/viphone.
>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
>
> --
> The following information is important for all members of the viphone list.
> All new members to the this list are moderated by default. 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. The archives for this list
> can be searched at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/.
> ---
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "VIPhone" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
> email to [email protected].
> To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/viphone.
> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
>
--
The following information is important for all members of the viphone list. All
new members to the this list are moderated by default. 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. The archives for this list can
be searched at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"VIPhone" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to [email protected].
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/viphone.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
