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American Printing House for the Blind Braille Plus 18 User Manual

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Introduction
Measuring less than 6.5 inches by 4.1 inches and just over one inch in height, Braille Plus 18 combines a
high-quality braille keyboard and refreshable braille display with an advanced mobile platform and
specialized accessible software to create the world's first Android smart phone designed for blind
students and professionals.
Improve retention, enjoy privacy, and increase literacy with the 18-cell refreshable braille display.
Quickly move the cursor or click on a button with one of the 18 cursor routing keys located above
each braille cell.
Easily understand the human sounding speech.
Use the 5 megapixel (MP) camera and flash to quickly and accurately convert menus, papers, and
books into braille or speech.(1)
Use GPS to determine current location, discover nearby businesses, and get directions.
Efficiently start apps or find information with the Google search technology that is built into the
platform.
Maintain privacy and convenience with the separate braille navigation stick.
Read books and periodicals from the National Library Service (NLS), Learning Ally (formerly
RFBD), and bookshare.org.
Create, edit, and read documents in multiple formats and change them to braille with the Word
Processor.
Take full advantage of the Internet including compatibility with HTML5, Flash, and plug-ins,
including Readability, which strips clutter from Web pages.
Read and write email messages with the email program compatible with both POP3 and IMAP
protocols.
Automatically read everything in contracted braille.
Schedule appointments and alarms with the calendar and clock.
Record lectures or music with the built-in stereo microphones and the recorder.
Play music on the device or from the cloud with the music player.
Connect to Wi-Fi hot spots with wireless "N" technology.
Enjoy stereo playback through the speakers or with a Bluetooth headphone.
Share media and documents with the full size SD card or USB port.
Send and receive text messages.(2)
Make and receive phone calls.(2)
User's Guide
Copyright 2011, 2012
American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.
2012/7/6

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  • Page 1 2012/7/6 Introduction Measuring less than 6.5 inches by 4.1 inches and just over one inch in height, Braille Plus 18 combines a high-quality braille keyboard and refreshable braille display with an advanced mobile platform and specialized accessible software to create the world's first Android smart phone designed for blind students and professionals.

  • Page 2: Getting Started

    If you don't already know Android, this documentation gets you up to speed quickly, so you will soon be productive with your computing and organizational needs. In the Box The box contains the following: Braille Plus 18 AC Adapter USB charging cable Earbuds...
  • Page 3 This documentation refers to the device as Braille Plus. There are actually two models of the Braille Plus. They are the Braille Plus 18, which includes an 18-cell braille display, and the Braille Plus, which is audio only. With the exception of the braille display, these two units operate identically, and they are both documented in these pages as simply Braille Plus.

  • Page 4: Other Resources

    Orientation Place the Braille Plus 18 on a surface in front of you with the keys facing up. Orient the device so the wider front edge with the slots for the SD card and SIM card is closest to you.
  • Page 5 Braille Plus 18 Left Edge USB On-The-Go and Charging The smaller USB port is located toward the back of the device on the left edge. On-The-Go means the port works both as a client and as a host. Use this port to charge the device or to connect it to your computer for transferring files.
  • Page 6 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm On the face, the Space Bar flanked by Shift and Alt are closest to you. The Space is the widest key. To its left is Shift, and to the right of Space is Alt. The Shift and Alt also serve as dots 7 and 8 when typing with 8-dot braille.
  • Page 7 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm Pressing Space+H on the braille keyboard activates the Home key. Pressing Space+M activates the Menu key. Back and S1 To the left of Menu are two buttons, one above the other. The top key is Back, and the bottom key is S1. The Back key backs out of a program or activity, and the S1 key dials a phone number.

  • Page 8: The Right Side

    http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm There are three buttons on the front edge. The buttons on the left and right side reverse or advance the braille display, respectively. Braille Joy Stick The center button on the front edge is a joy stick with four directions and a center Select. Use this to move the braille display in the direction of the key you press.

  • Page 9: First Time Use

    http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm Earphone/Video Jack The earphone/video jack is the jack closest to the back edge. Use standard 8 MM (1/8-inch) earphones to connect earbuds or earphones. Use the included video cable to connect to a television display. Microphone Jack Use the microphone/aux-in jack to connect external stereo microphones or a stereo aux cable for recording directly from another device.

  • Page 10: Battery Usage And Charging

    http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm Press the Down Arrow to highlight Power Off, and then press Select. Another alert explains that you are about to power off. Press Select to finish the power down process. Reset In the unlikely event that the software ever hangs, and your device does not respond, press the Reset button.
  • Page 11 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm additional items to the Home screen, or you may remove existing applications. For a list of all the applications on your device, see the All Applications folder on the Home screen. To select an option on the Home screen, use the arrow keys to move from item to item. As you move, the Home screen announces and shows on the braille display the item that is highlighted.
  • Page 12 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm Punctuation Level controls how much punctuation is spoken. Key Echo adjusts how much speech feedback you get with each key or word typed. Braille Table adjusts the translation table for braille. Search and the Home Screen Android includes a powerful search function that, at first, may take getting familiar with but proves incredibly useful.

  • Page 13: Connect To Wi-Fi Network

    http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm Enter Space+dots 4 6 Backspace Space+B Line up Space+dot 1 Down Line Space+dot 4 Next Word Space+dot 5 Previous Word Space+dot 2 Next Letter Space+dot 6 Previous Letter Space+dot 3 Top of File or List Space+dots 1 2 3 End of File or List Space+dots 4 5 6 Open Help...

  • Page 14: Video Output

    http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm 7. To connect to one of the networks in the list, move to it, and then press Select. Android responds with the Network Connection screen. 8. If a password is required, enter it here. 9. Press the Down Arrow until you get to the Connect button. 10.

  • Page 15: Context Menus

    http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm and update notifications. These events occur from both external sources such as an incoming call and internally running applications such as the calendar or alarm. When an event occurs that requires a notification, the app plays the notification ringtone, and the speech announces the notification.

  • Page 16: About Networks

    http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm you are editing a document, for example, the context menu includes options to work with the text you are editing. Context menus customize their options based on both what you are doing and what state the activity is in. If, for example, you had selected some text before opening the context menu, it would also include options related to working with selected text such as copying, cutting, or pasting.

  • Page 17: Cellular Networks

    http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm network, its security setting, and a Connect button. 6. Press Down Arrow until you get to the Connect button. 7. Press Select to press the Connect button. Braille Plus responds by connecting to the network. Cellular Networks Cellular networks are nationwide networks operated by cellular companies such as AT&T or T-Mobile. To use them, you must subscribe to the service for a monthly fee.

  • Page 18: Make And Receive Calls

    http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm Go to Settings / Wireless and Network Settings / Mobile Networks The first option on the Mobile Networks screen is a checkbox called Enable Data. If this item is checked, Braille Plus uses the cellular data when Wi-Fi is not available. If Enable Data is not checked, it fails when you try to access the Internet without a Wi-Fi connection.

  • Page 19: Call A Contact

    http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm To return a call, press Up Arrow to move to the Tabs at the top of the screen. Phone responds, "Phone" to let you know you are on the Phone tab. Press Right Arrow to get to the Call Log. Use the Down Arrow key to move through the list of incoming and outgoing calls.
  • Page 20 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm Ringer Volume and Vibrate Press the Volume keys to raise or lower the ringer volume. As you lower the volume, a beep sounds to provide an indication of the volume level. When you reach the second to the lowest volume setting, the device vibrates.
  • Page 21 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm Word Processor starts with a blank screen on which you type text. The program creates a new document that is either braille or text depending on the Grade Setting accessed with Evolve, G. If you are using the Computer Braille setting, the program creates a text based document. If the translation level is set to Grade 1 or Grade 2, the program creates a braille document.
  • Page 22 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm Create a New Document: Alt+N Word Processor lets you edit several documents at once. You may create a new file and switch between the two files. To create a new document, select New from the File menu or press Alt+N. Word Processor responds by clearing the screen and creating a new document.
  • Page 23 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm 2. Open the context menu. 3. Pick Select Text. 4. Use the arrow keys to move to the end of the text to select. Use any of the normal cursor movement commands to move the cursor to its destination. As you move, the braille display raises dots 7 and 8 and the speech announces the letter, word, or line you select along with the word, "selected."...

  • Page 24: Scanning Tips

    http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm Scan Paper Documents Even in today's electronic world, it is easy to find daily examples of inaccessible paper documents. The camera and flash combined with the Look program allows you to snap a shot of a page, recognize the typed text (no handwriting), and convert it to text and braille.
  • Page 25 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm Press Menu and select Bookshare from the menu that appears. When Library starts, it shows a list of initial options that include the following: Recent Titles Authors Titles To resume reading a previously opened title, pick Recent Titles. Library shows the most recent title at the top of the list followed by other recent titles.
  • Page 26 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm Location and Navigation Determining one's place on earth has always been of extreme interest. When hunters and gatherers ventured out, they wanted to be able to return home. The earliest methods of position awareness used line of sight to recognize landmarks in the environment. Later, within the last few millennia, travelers began to use the position of the stars in the sky to help determine a rough position.
  • Page 27 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm Limitations While it is tempting to assume that location based software, such as Nearby Explorer, solves all the navigation and orientation barriers faced by blind travelers, there are a number of conditions that must be considered. To better appreciate these benefits and limitations, it is useful to obtain a basic understanding of how the technology works.

  • Page 28: External Gps Receivers

    http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm The compressed map data does not provide addresses to places. The places addresses are approximated, just like the street numbers. Changing conditions are not reflected in the maps. It is not unusual to see restaurants that no longer exist and not see new establishments.
  • Page 29 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm disadvantage, of course, is having to keep up with, carry, and charge another device. Often, though, it is worth it. To use an external GPS receiver on Android devices, you must "trick" Android into using something other than the device's internal receiver. This is accomplished with the use of a program to read a receiver and put its values in a mach location for the operating system.
  • Page 30 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm If the app discovers it has no map data, it checks to ensure there is a Wi-Fi connection and downloads the maps. You may use the app while maps download, but only limited functionality is available until the download completes. Starting When you start the application, Explorer displays the nearby screen and waits for positioning information from the GPS.
  • Page 31 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm City County State Heading Street Address Street Name Approaching streets Guidance Nearest point of interest Distance and direction to nearest POI Speed Accuracy Altitude Number of satellites Provider (GPS, Compass, Virtual, or Network) Latitude Longitude Distance and direction to a watch point In addition to checking the items to monitor by pressing Select, you may hold Select to show a menu of options related to the Nearby screen.
  • Page 32 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm confirmation tone and announcing the direction as obtained from the device's compass. In addition to the direction, the compass can also announce a list of streets that intersect a line in the direction you point. To enable this feature, check the Street checkbox on the Nearby screen. As you point in another direction, the compass silences speech, vibrates, and announces the new information about direction and streets.
  • Page 33 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm The street number and name announcements are some of the best ways to obtain the most detailed information about your location. When combined with the nearby places address, which is also approximated, you can easily determine on which side of the street you are and on which side the place lies.
  • Page 34 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm When a a city features a "loop" that routes interstate traffic around the heart of a city, the loop name is in the 200, 400, or 600 range and derives its number from the interstate that in branches from. In Dallas, for example, the LBJ Freeway is numbered I-635 because it loops around I-35.
  • Page 35 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm these steps: 1. Highlight the Approaching option in the Nearby screen. 2. Hold the Select key until the menu appears. 3. Uncheck the Continuous Distance Update item. Nearby Places and Places Distance The Nearby Places item on the Nearby screen indicates the nearest place to your current location. If you check the Nearby Places Distance checkbox, Explorer also announces the distance and direction to that point and continues to update that information as you approach and then leave that point.

  • Page 36: Latitude And Longitude

    http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm political results include names of streets, street intersections, neighborhoods, townships, states, and even whole continents if there are no other places nearby. To change the radius that Nearby Explorer uses to identify the nearest place, follow these steps: Highlight the Nearby Distance item on the Nearby screen. To decrease the radius, press Left Arrow.
  • Page 37 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm useful in some situations. Once you leave the road network, these values still provide positioning information. Latitudes are equally distant horizontal lines that circle the earth with the 0 numbered "parallel" at the equator and the 90 parallel at the North and South poles. (Much of the U.S. and Canadian border lies on the N 49th latitude line.) As you move north or south from the equator, the numbers increase, and the position is expressed with N or S prefixed to the number that represents the value.

  • Page 38: Explore The Map

    http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm continue to travel westerly, the longitude eventually gets to 999 and then to W 85:43.000. At that change, Explorer announces the whole number. Use latitude and longitude change announcements in places away from the road network where you may want finer detail than street addresses or where you want to find a point in open spaces.

  • Page 39: Navigation Mode

    http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm Press Left Arrow to move south on the latitude or west on the Longitude. Press Right Arrow to move north or east. Navigation Mode Using the left and right arrow keys on the Latitude and Longitude items on the main screen is a quick way to make a few movements, but if you want to explore in more depth, use Navigation Mode.
  • Page 40 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm Watch The Watch is a place you wish to monitor. When you monitor a place, Nearby Explorer always shows the distance and direction to the Watch from your current position. To set a place as a Watch, follow these steps: 1.
  • Page 41 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm It is useful to give favorite places meaningful names that more precisely describe the marked position. When marking the door to a restaurant, for example, use exact wording to distinguish that favorite from the more general point of interest in the maps. "Side Door to Wendy's" distinguishes the entrance from the map data's more general "Wendy's."...
  • Page 42 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm Nearby Explorer uses Google Transit to provide public transportation information for several metropolitan areas. To use the transit feature, press Transit from the program's menu. Nearby Explorer's Transit screen shows a list of all the transit stops within 350 yards of your position with the closest stop listed first. To broaden the search radius, press Right Arrow.
  • Page 43 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm name of the point of interest, its distance and direction from your current position, and its address. Initially, the list shows all points in all categories, but you may restrict the list to more manageable subsets. To select categories of search results, follow these steps: From the Search results screen, press Menu.
  • Page 44 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm menu and check or uncheck the Pedestrian box. If you set a destination to a location that is not on the road network, Explorer guides you only to the nearest address in the network. From that point on, it can only provide a distance and direction to the point;...
  • Page 45 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm 1. 1st Street 100 yards north heading east 2. 2nd Street 50 yards north heading east and west 3. 3rd Street 20 yards south heading east and west 4. 4th Street 70 yards south heading east and west Explorer highlights the closest intersection to your current location, so when you open this view, the cursor would be on the 2nd Street or 3rd Street item depending on which is closest.

  • Page 46: Other Information

    American Printing House for the Blind, Inc. and its licensors (including their licensors and suppliers) on the other hand.
  • Page 47 OR CONDITIONS, WHETHER IN AN ACTION IN CONTRACT OR TORT OR BASED ON A WARRANTY, EVEN IF American Printing House for the Blind, Inc. OR ITS LICENSORS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. Some States, Territories and Countries do not allow certain liability exclusions or damages limitations, so to that extent the above may not apply to you.
  • Page 48 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm Entire Agreement These terms and conditions constitute the entire agreement between American Printing House for the Blind, Inc. (and its licensors, including their licensors and suppliers) and you pertaining to the subject matter hereof, and supersedes in their entirety any and all written or oral agreements previously existing between us with respect to such subject matter.
  • Page 49 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm Once you provide account information, the Email program starts with a list of messages in your Inbox. Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow to move through the list of messages. p> To read a message, press Select. Email responds by opening the Message screen. To reply to the message, select Reply from the menu.

  • Page 50: Multiple Windows

    http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm Search To search the web, simply type text to find and hit Enter or Select. Go to Another Page As with searching, the Browser lets you move to another page just by typing the address to which you wish to move, then press Enter or Select. Multiple Windows h2>...
  • Page 51 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm Check this checkbox to turn off all the wireless radios that transmit voice or data. This may be necessary in areas where wireless radios are not permitted. Wi-Fi The Wi-Fi checkbox turns on and off the Wi-Fi radio. You may wish to turn off this radio to help conserve battery power.
  • Page 52 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm To remove a previously used but no longer needed access point, follow these steps: 1. Highlight the access point to forget in the access points list. 2. Press Select to open its information. The Settings application responds by displaying information about the access point along with two buttons--Forget and Cancel.
  • Page 53 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm Move to beginning of line 1-2-3-4 Alt+Left Arrow Move to end of line 1-4-5-6 Alt+Right Arrow Move to previous page 1-2-3-4-5 Shift+Space Move to next page 1-2-4-5-6 Space Move to top of file 1-2-3 Alt+Up Arrow Move to end of file 4-5-6 Alt+Down Arrow Read current line...
  • Page 54 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm 2-5-6 2-3-5 2-3-5-6 2-3-6 1-5-6 < 1-2-6 1-2-3-4-5-6 > 3-4-5 1-4-5-6 1-2-7 1-4-7 1-4-5-7 1-5-7 1-2-4-7 1-2-4-5-7 1-2-5-7 2-4-7 2-4-5-7 1-3-7 1-2-3-7 1-3-4-7 1-3-4-5-7 1-3-5-7 1-2-3-4-7 1-2-3-4-5-7 1-2-3-5-7 2-3-4-7 2-3-4-5-7 -1-3-6-7 1-2-3-6-7 2-4-5-6-7 1-3-4-6-7 1-3-4-5-6-7 1-3-5-6-7 2-4-6...

  • Page 55: Fcc Compliance Statement

    http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm 1-2-5-6 1-2-4-5-6 4-5-6 1-4-5 1-2-4 1-2-4-5 1-2-5 2-4-5 1-2-3 1-3-4 1-3-4-5 1-3-5 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4-5 1-2-3-5 2-3-4 2-3-4-5 1-3-6 1-2-3-6 2-4-5-6 1-3-4-6 1-3-4-5-6 1-3-5-6 2-4-6-7 1-2-5-6-7 1-2-4-5-6-7 4-5-7 FCC Compliance FCC Compliance Statement NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits of a Class B digital device,...

  • Page 56: Certification Information (Sar)

    http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.

  • Page 57: Product Specifications

    http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm body worn operation, this model phone has been tested and meets the FCC RF exposure guidelines Product Specifications Software Operating System: Android 2.3 Synthetic Speech: Ivona 2 -- Kendra (US), Joey (US), Amy (UK) Cellular Phone: integrated -- Supports GSM/CDMA Optical character recognition: ABBYY FineReader software GPS Navigation: GPS software developed by APH Electronic book reader with Internet search and download, developed by APH: Supports...
  • Page 58 http://tech.aph.org/plus_doc.htm Processor: ARM-type Internal solid-state storage: 32 GB System flash memory: 1 GB Application memory: 512 MB RAM External storage socket: Full size SD/HC compatible (supports up to 32 GB of user-supplied cards) Communications Cellular receiver: internal CDMA/GSM 3G voice and data -- 800, 900, 1800, 1900, 2100 MHz GPS receiver: internal Wi-Fi: B/G/N Bluetooth: 2.1...

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