FAQs
This Application is free
This application works on Android version 4.4 or higher
Our Braille is an app that works with the Orbit Writer and enables blind and visually impaired users to conveniently enter text in braille on their Android device and control it completely without having to use touch gestures.
It works in conjunction with the Talkback app to provide speech output.
Our Braille connects with the Orbit Writer via Bluetooth and allows the user to perform all actions including the following:
- Navigate to different screens and perform various actions using key commands
- Open and use various installed apps.
- Make phone calls and send text messages using various apps.
Type in braille in languages including English, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali and many others.
The Our Braille, go to the Google Play Store and install it using one of the following options:
Option 1: Use this direct link to the Our Braille app
- Next select “Install”
- Choose the device to install the app on and select “Install”
Option 2: Through the App Store
- Open the Play Store app on your Android device
- Search for “Our Braille”
- Select “Our Braille” from the search results and select “Install”
Before turning on Our Braille, it is necessary to turn on TalkBack. Here is a link to instructions for this:
To turn on Our Braille, follow the steps below:
- Open the Settings app
- Open Accessibility
- Go to Installed services
- Choose Our Braille, it will open its settings page
- On the settings page, turn on Our Braille
- Go back to Settings
- Select Bluetooth settings
- Turn on Bluetooth
- Select the Orbit Writer from the list of Bluetooth devices
- If the Orbit Writer isn’t listed, first make sure it is in pairing mode
- Then select “Search for devices”
- To use the Orbit Writer as a keyboard with your Android device, it is necessary to enable it as an input method and then select it.
- Android allows the use of only one input method at a time. Therefore, when you select the Orbit Writer, the on-screen keyboard will be deselected.
- To enable use of the Orbit Writer as a keyboard, one of the following methods can be used:
- Launch the Settings app and tap “Language and Input”. On this screen, the “Keyboard and Input Methods” section will show the currently selected (Default) input method.
- Check boxes will be available for each input method that has been installed.
- To enable the Orbit Writer, check the box labelled “Our Braille hardware keyboard”.
- It can now be selected at any time by changing the Default setting.
Method 2:
If Our Braille is already running, take the following steps. Go to Our Braille’s Actions screen and tap “Switch Input Method”.
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- This will bring up the Android Input Method Picker, which will show radio buttons corresponding to each input method that has been enabled.
- If you don’t see a radio button for “Our Braille hardware keyboard”, this indicates that it has not yet been enabled.
- Tap the button labeled “Set up input methods” to bring up a screen showing each installed input method.
- Check the box labeled “Our Braille hardware keyboard”.
- Tap the “Back” button to go back to the “Language and Input” screen.
- On this screen, locate the “Keyboard and Input Methods” section and set the “Default” to “Our Braille hardware keyboard”.
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- Yes, it is possible to use word wrapping.
- Turn word-wrapping off or on for text that doesn’t fit on a single braille line. By default, word wrapping is on.
On-screen searches allow the user to move quickly to an item on the screen.
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- Press Space + Dots 3 4 (this activates search mode)
- Search mode displays the letter “S”, followed by a colon
- When invoked the first time, a tutorial will open to show what keys to use while navigating
- To search, type what you want to search for. While typing, items that match the search appear on the display, similar to a traditional Google search
Use the navigation keys to move to the previous or the next search result
Please write to us at techsupport@orbitresearch.com