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Chapter 1: VarioUltra First Look.
1.1
Top Side.
The top of VarioUltra features an 8-button braille keyboard, a refreshable braille display with cursor routing
buttons, 6 display buttons, 4 system keys, 2 thumb keys, and a 5-way navigation stick. Let's take a closer look.
1.1.1
Braille Keyboard.
The first thing you will notice about the braille keyboard is that the 8 keys are not laid out in a straight line. In fact,
if you place your hands parallel to each other you may miss dots 1 and 4, which sit further forward than the other
keys. But if you move the palms of your hands out toward the front corners of the device, you will find that the
curved nature of the braille keyboard lines up perfectly with your fingers. It all makes for an extremely comfortable
typing position that you will thank us for when typing for extended periods of time.
We refer to the braille keys throughout this manual as B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7, and B8. The outer keys (B7 on
the left and B8 on the right) are sometimes used when entering commands, all of which is explained later in this
guide.
1.1.2
Thumb Keys.
With your hands placed atop of VarioUltra, your thumbs should find themselves on top of two rectangular keys,
which we call thumb keys. These thumb keys are referred to as buttons B9 and B0 throughout this guide. In braille
display mode, both of these buttons are used as space bars. In braille notetaker mode, the left thumb key B9 is
used as a command key; the right thumb key, B0 is used as a space bar.
1.1.3
Navistick.
Located between the thumb keys is a 5-way navigation stick, which we refer to as Navistick. You use this button to
scroll left, right, up, or down by tapping the button in the desired direction. Pressing in on the Navistick selects
and/or confirms options within the menu structure of VarioUltra.
1.1.4
System Keys.
The system keys are small, circular buttons located along the front edge of VarioUltra. There are two on the left
side and two on the right. From the left front corner you will find system keys 1 and 2, then the left thumb key B9,
then the NaviStick, then the right thumb key B0, and then system keys 3 and 4. The four system keys are referred
to throughout this manual as S1, S2, S3, and S4. As you will learn throughout this guide, the S3 key is used to
access the main menu (long press) and command menu (short press within braille notetaker applications).
1.1.5
Braille Display and Display Buttons.
To the left and right side of the braille display, you will find three small, round buttons. These are the display keys,
which we refer to as D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, and D6. Think of these 6 buttons as a braille cell split in two, with D123
on the left and D456 on the right. These buttons are used to navigate the display left and right, up and down, and
used to control other devices such as an iOS device. For example, to move your iOS device to the home screen
you would press D1D2D5 together, just like a letter H in braille.
1.2
Left Side.
The left side of VarioUltra is where you will find USB ports, and two sliding switches. From the left rear corner of
the device you will find:
1. A standard USB Type A interface for connecting a USB memory stick.
2. A micro USB interface for connecting to a USB power supply, or for connecting to a Windows computer.
3. The Device Mode switch, which slides away from you to select Braille Notetaker mode, or toward you to
select Braille Display mode.
4. The Device Lock switch, which slides away from you to unlock the device, or toward you to lock
VarioUltra.
5. A carry strap anchor point. There is another anchor point on the opposing side of VarioUltra. These points
are where the carry strap attaches.
1.3
Right Side.
The right side of VarioUltra is where you will find the power button. A short press of the button toggles the device
between awake and asleep. If you press and hold the button for about 10 seconds, VarioUltra will restart. When
this is done, a progress bar of dots 7 and 8 will appear on the braille display as the restart takes place. Hold down
the S4 key and tap the power button once to power VarioUltra off completely.
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