The title says everything but I'll explain a bit.
I've got a braille display recently.
I knew in advance that I will use it for learning Hungarian, as I really do learn better when I use braille; and also for proofreading my code, especially in rare languages, for which there is no vscode plugin or other linter.
The best example is foma, which we use a lot when we create new language modules for RHVoice tts.
Also, sometimes I read some texts while I participate in work meetings. When I try to do the same with screenreader I either skip a part of conversation or cannot concentrate on what I read. With braille it works totally fine and I don't miss anything important.
Oh yeah, and also two or three games have braille support, so sometimes I connect the display when I open Eurofly or Transport World Simulator. Nearly useless, as you can get every piece of information with screenreader, but feels cool.

Maybe you also have a braille display and you use it for something else.
Please, share your experience in this thread.

I bought my Orbit Reader 20 to help me learn German. Unfortunately I haven't found any good Braille German books in which to learn, so I still have way more audio than Braille.

I complained to my library about so many errors in the two books they have, and that's being worked on. I suppose in another year the corrected books will be posted. That's a whole new story I reckon.

I had some interest in pairing my display with my iPhone, since I'm not confident enough to use Braille input, but to use the display and iPhone together is a nightmare. I have to make the iPhone forget the device every time. If I don't, the next time I connect the two together, it says they're connected but I get no response when I try navigating on the iPhone or when doing keystrokes on the display.

Anyway, I've rambled on enough I reckon. I had high hopes for the display but now it mostly just sits here by me.

By the way, I have no trouble connecting the display with my computer, and I've done it a few times.

I personally love using my mantis. Hoping the Optima comes out soon though

Since I go to school, I use my braille display every day for everything. Reading, doing math, .. I can't have headphones in school and I think it's impossible to solve mathematic problems with tts. Mantis Q40 by the way.

Oh, didn't really tried to deal with math with the display.
Thanks for idea! I don't need much math every day, but at least I should try and make my opinion about that.
-- (Jokyboy129):
Since I go to school, I use my braille display every day for everything. Reading, doing math, .. I can't have headphones in school and I think it's impossible to solve mathematic problems with tts. Mantis Q40 by the way.

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I'm actually wondering, is it possible to switch between two languages on a braille display? I use both English and Polish, English is UEB grade 2 and Polish has some special signs like ć, ę, ś, etc. Would it be possible to easily switch between the two tables?

AFAIK, there's some nvda add-on which is called braille extender or so, and it can do the thing.
Or you just press nvda+ctrl+b and switch tables there. But yep, it is more keypresses, so braille extender should be better.

Or, if you mean switching tables on the display itself, on Mantis you have a ctrl+alt+l hotkey, which can switch you between configured language profiles.
You can add and set profiles in settings in the corresponding menu.


-- (djsenter):
I'm actually wondering, is it possible to switch between two languages on a braille display? I use both English and Polish, English is UEB grade 2 and Polish has some special signs like ć, ę, ś, etc. Would it be possible to easily switch between the two tables?

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It seems harder to do on my Orbit Reader 20, so it depends on what display you have.

I forgot to tell!
Yesterday I found yet another way to use the display.
Hopefully it was connected to my PC when I've lost any sound output due to driver updates.
Yes, I caused this, because I wanted to update drivers for my Scarlett 2i2 soundcard and also wanted to repair equalizer apo installation on its microphone.
So, I've lost any sound, including other devices. I don't know why.
But luckily I was able to repair things via my display.
It was amazing, to feel myself like a sighted person who can use a computer even without screenreader in headphones :D
Very strange but very cool feeling :)

I'm studying computer science, so am dealing both with source code and with math a lot. For university, as well as in the office, I'm using my Braille display for everything. Using my laptop without speech is something that I'm doing pretty often and it's totally fine, but without Braille would be impossible for me. As for math, I recommend using LaTeX notation because you can simply type it using just normal keyboard signs and without any extra software - it only get's somewhat tricky when trying to read math content on websites, but the NVDA add-on Mathcat helps with that, it even recently got a LaTeX output settings added so that those who know it are already familiar with the output.

Charles, what kind of German books are you looking for? I mean I live here, maybe I know where you get them or can help you with eBooks - ah yes, I'm using my Braille display to read books, forgot to mention. When I want to read something, I find a place online where I can buy the ebook unencrypted (or buy it and then use a tool like DeDRM to remove encryption, since eBooks are that popular these days you basically get most of what you want). Therefore I'm using the scratchpad built into the Focus.

I used when I was learning English. Reading text in another language than my main was better on the Braille monitor when i was during learn process of the language.

The most recent German book I got was from DZB. They can't or won't send the audio. Well, they sent the audio to my American library, but it was in a format that they couldn't use since the CD or CD set was not in my library's possession. Also, that book is in German ASCII so a bit hard for me as an American to understand. The workbook portion is all in German so I really need the audio.

On an unrelated topic to this post, I think math could be more easily done on a Braille display with more than one line, actually, the more lines the better for math.

Wait, what do you mean saying encrypted and unencrypted books?
Really don't understand what do you mean. Maybe this is some kind of protection used in Europe but not known in Russia?

-- (Fcnjd):
Charles, what kind of German books are you looking for? I mean I live here, maybe I know where you get them or can help you with eBooks - ah yes, I'm using my Braille display to read books, forgot to mention. When I want to read something, I find a place online where I can buy the ebook unencrypted (or buy it and then use a tool like DeDRM to remove encryption, since eBooks are that popular these days you basically get most of what you want). Therefore I'm using the scratchpad built into the Focus.

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Oh yeah! Multiline braille display would be soooooo awesome!
But the only display I know is some grafiti, which costs more than all my body parts together :D


-- (thespyde):
The most recent German book I got was from DZB. They can't or won't send the audio. Well, they sent the audio to my American library, but it was in a format that they couldn't use since the CD or CD set was not in my library's possession. Also, that book is in German ASCII so a bit hard for me as an American to understand. The workbook portion is all in German so I really need the audio.

On an unrelated topic to this post, I think math could be more easily done on a Braille display with more than one line, actually, the more lines the better for math.

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I suppose more competition will eventually drive the cost down. Well, we can always hope...

Multiline displays are really cool, had the abillity to try one out in May and it was really amazing what you can do with them.

OK I like the way this topic goes: Multiline Braille displays (or let's say tactile displays in gemeral as this opens much more possibilities then just reading) are definitely an interesting and upcoming thing. I'm working for Inventivio (maybe some of you already know us) - we're right now building a tactile display. It's not released yet (however we're already selling our Reader, which works with embossed graphics), but we're working on it and it will be coming - to an affordable price, like an 80-cell Braille display. If you're interested you can read about it online on our website:
https://www.tactonom.com/en/tactonom/

Cyrmax: As for the DRM encryption I meant, it doesn't exist on all online eBook shops - but on a lot of them, Amazon Kindle being the most famous distributor, as well as others using software like Adobe digital editions. For example Amazon: When you buy a Kindle ebook, you get it to read in the Kindle Windows software - but you don't get a plain epub format to download. That's where the DeDRM comes in place: Those proprietary formats come with an encryption, it needs to be removed before my Braille display can open it (of course, since it hasn't any internet connection). Yes, you may argue that this is a gray area and you're right, but as I never use this to give ebook files to others, but just to read on my own preferred device, I consider it OK. How is it for you in Russia?
And Charles: I'll PM you to not go to far off topic here, have some ideas which you could check out.

Btw, how they work with NVDA for example?
Or do you have to stick to JAWS for such?
Would be cool to use one in future, but AFAIK there are no known locations for blind people where we can try these multiline displays.
Usual ones are available in libraries for blind and in schools.


-- (Jonathan):
Multiline displays are really cool, had the abillity to try one out in May and it was really amazing what you can do with them.

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