Orbit SpeakTM User Guide

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12th August 2026

Version 0.18

 

 

1      Table of Contents

2      Introduction and Orientation. 15

3      Quick Start 19

3.1        Conventions in This User Guide. 19

3.2        Orbit Speak Features. 20

3.3        Turning On and Off, Restarting and Putting Orbit Speak into Sleep Mode. 20

3.4        Speech Rate. 21

3.5        Speech Volume. 21

3.6        Knowing Your Battery Status. 21

3.7        Exploring the Home Screen. 21

3.7.1     First-Letter Navigation on the Home Screen. 23

3.7.2     Clock and Time Management Group. 23

3.7.3     Tools Group. 23

3.7.4     Settings Group. 23

3.7.5     Help Group. 24

3.8        Internet Connection over Wi-Fi 24

3.9        Disconnecting from a Wi-Fi Network. 25

4      General Navigation and Operation. 25

4.1        Main Navigation Keys. 26

4.2        Home Screen Navigation. 26

4.3        Moving Through Lists. 26

4.4        First-Letter Navigation. 27

4.5        Context Menus. 27

4.6        Dialogs. 28

4.7        Buttons. 28

4.8        Edit Boxes. 28

4.9        Combo Boxes. 29

4.10      Checkboxes. 29

4.11      File Picker Dialog. 30

4.12      Confirmation Dialogs. 30

4.13      Message and Status Updates. 30

4.14      Selecting Items. 31

4.15      Shortcuts. 31

4.16      Long-Press Commands. 32

4.17      Using Back and Home. 32

4.18      Sleep and Wakeup. 32

4.19      Turning Orbit Speak Off or Restarting. 32

4.20      General Navigation Tips. 33

5      File Manager 33

5.1        Opening the File Manager 34

5.2        Navigating Through Files and Folders. 34

5.3        File Manager Menu. 34

5.3.1     Menu Structure. 34

5.4        Searching for a File. 35

5.5        Renaming Files or Folders. 36

5.6        Creating a New Folder 36

5.7        Copying, Moving, and Deleting Files. 36

5.7.1     Copy and Move Dialogs. 37

5.8        Marking Multiple Files. 37

5.9        Protecting Files (New) 37

5.10      Sorting and Ordering Files. 38

5.11      Compressing and Extracting Files (New Feature) 38

5.12      Exiting the File Manager 39

6      Editor 39

6.1        Your First Document 39

6.2        Contracted Braille support 40

6.3        Opening and Saving an Existing Text or Braille Document 41

6.4        Editor Menu. 41

6.5        Editor Commands. 42

7      Book Reader 43

7.1        Opening the Book Reader Application. 44

7.2        Choosing What to Read. 44

7.3        My Bookshelf 44

7.4        Adding Books. 45

7.5        Downloaded Books. 46

7.6        Recently Read. 46

7.7        Context Menus in Book Reader 46

7.8        Book Reader Context Menu. 46

7.9        Bookshelf Context Menu. 47

7.10      Recently Read Context Menu. 48

7.11      Reading a Book. 48

7.12      Reading Commands. 48

7.13      Movement Units While Reading. 49

7.14      Find and Go to Dialogs. 50

7.15      Reading View Context Menu. 51

7.15.1       File Actions. 51

7.15.2       Go To Actions. 51

7.15.3       Reading Actions. 52

7.15.4       Bookmark Actions. 52

7.16      Bookmarks. 52

7.16.1       Setting a Bookmark. 52

7.16.2       Jumping to a Bookmark. 53

7.16.3       Deleting a Bookmark. 53

7.16.4       Bookmarks List 53

7.17      Book Reader Settings. 53

7.17.1       Automatically Read. 54

7.17.2       Preferred Reading Mode for DAISY Books. 54

7.17.3       Heading Level Navigation. 54

7.17.4       Saving or Cancelling Book Reader Settings. 54

7.18      Book Reader Speech Options. 55

7.18.1       Engine. 55

7.18.2       Language. 55

7.18.3       Speech Rate. 55

7.18.4       Pitch. 55

7.18.5       Volume. 55

7.19      Closing Book Reader 56

8      Online Libraries. 56

8.1        About Online Libraries. 56

8.2        Opening Online Services. 56

8.3        Adding an Online Service. 57

8.4        Logging Out and Removing Online Service. 57

8.5        Browsing an Online Library. 58

8.6        Searching for Books. 58

8.7        Book Information. 59

8.8        Downloading Books. 59

8.9        Streaming Books. 59

8.10      Borrowing or Returning Books. 60

8.11      Context Menus in Online Libraries. 60

8.12      Reading Downloaded Books. 61

8.13      Closing Online Libraries. 61

9      Newspapers (Magazines) 62

9.1        Introduction. 62

9.1.1     Opening the Newspapers category. 62

9.2        Adding a newspaper (subscribe) 62

9.3        Opening and reading an issue. 63

9.4        Managing newspapers and issues. 63

9.5        Notes. 64

10        Braille Reader Application. 64

10.1      Introduction. 64

10.2      Locating and Opening the Application. 64

10.3      Opening and Reading the Book. 64

10.3.1       Open from the Braille Reader menu. 64

10.3.2       Open from File Manager 65

11        Media Player 65

11.1      Opening the Media Player 66

11.2      Choosing What to Play. 66

11.3      Library. 67

11.3.1       Recently Added. 67

11.3.2       Artists. 67

11.3.3       Albums. 67

11.3.4       Songs. 68

11.3.5       Genre. 68

11.4      Folders. 68

11.5      Recently Played. 69

11.6      Search. 69

11.7      Playlists. 69

11.7.1       Opening Playlists. 70

11.7.2       Creating a Playlist 70

11.7.3       Adding Items to an Existing Playlist 70

11.7.4       Playing a Playlist 71

11.7.5       Playlist Context Menu. 71

11.8      Playing Files Opened from File Manager 72

11.9      Context Menus in Media Player 72

11.10        Library and First List Context Menu. 73

11.10.1      Add File to Library. 73

11.10.2      Add Folder to Library. 73

11.10.3      Open URL. 73

11.10.4      Rescan. 73

11.10.5      Exit 74

11.11        Media Item Context Menu. 74

11.11.1      Play. 74

11.11.2      Play Next 74

11.11.3      Add to Queue. 74

11.11.4      Create Playlist 74

11.11.5      Add to Playlist 74

11.11.6      Delete. 75

11.11.7      Properties. 75

11.12        Playback Screen. 75

11.13        Playback Commands. 76

11.14        Bookmarks. 76

11.14.1      Adding a Bookmark. 76

11.14.2      Opening the Bookmarks List 77

11.14.3      Moving to a Bookmark. 77

11.14.4      Deleting a Bookmark. 77

11.15        Movement Units During Playback. 77

11.16        Playback Modes. 79

11.16.1      Normal Playback. 79

11.16.2      Single Play. 79

11.16.3      Repeat Once. 79

11.16.4      Repeat All 79

11.16.5      Repeat Off 79

11.16.6      Shuffle. 79

11.17        Queue. 79

11.18        Playback Screen Context Menu. 80

11.18.1      Play or Pause. 80

11.18.2      Stop. 80

11.18.3      Next Track. 80

11.18.4      Previous Track. 80

11.18.5      Playback Speed. 80

11.18.6      Shuffle. 80

11.18.7      Repeat 81

11.18.8      Bookmarks. 81

11.18.9      Track Information. 81

11.18.10        Settings. 81

11.18.11        Close. 81

11.18.12        Exit 81

11.19        Media Player Settings. 81

11.19.1      Automatically Speak Track Title. 82

11.19.2      Movement Units List 82

11.19.3      Equalizer 82

11.19.4      On Startup. 82

11.19.5      Saving or Cancelling Media Player Settings. 83

11.20        Closing Media Player 83

12        Internet Radio. 83

12.1      Opening Internet Radio. 83

12.2      Choosing How to Find or Manage Stations. 84

12.3      Browsing Stations. 84

12.4      Searching for Stations. 84

12.5      My Stations. 85

12.6      Favorites. 85

12.7      Recently Played. 85

12.8      Playing a Station. 85

12.9      Context Menus in Internet Radio. 85

12.10        Station Context Menu. 86

12.10.1      Play. 86

12.10.2      Add to Favorites. 86

12.10.3      Remove from Favorites. 86

12.10.4      Add to My Stations. 86

12.10.5      Remove from My Stations. 86

12.10.6      Properties. 87

12.11        List Context Menu. 87

12.11.1      Search for Station. 87

12.11.2      Add Station from URL. 87

12.11.3      Import Stations List 87

12.11.4      Export Stations List 87

12.11.5      Refresh. 88

12.11.6      Exit 88

12.12        Adding a Station From a URL. 88

12.13        Importing and Exporting Station Lists. 88

12.13.1      Exporting a Station List 89

12.13.2      Importing a Station List 89

12.14        Playback Screen. 90

12.14.1      Playback Screen Commands. 90

12.14.2      Station Information Dialog. 90

12.14.3      Playback Screen Context Menu. 91

12.15        Closing Internet Radio. 91

13        Podcast Application. 91

13.1      Opening Podcasts. 91

13.2      Choosing a Podcast and Episode. 92

13.3      Adding Podcasts. 92

13.3.1       Adding a Podcast from a URL. 92

13.4      Searching for Podcasts. 93

13.5      Importing and Exporting Podcasts. 93

13.5.1       Importing an OPML File. 93

13.5.2       Exporting to an OPML File. 94

13.6      Podcast List Context Menu. 94

13.6.1       Add Podcast from URL. 94

13.6.2       Search for Podcasts. 95

13.6.3       Delete Podcast 95

13.6.4       Select All Podcasts. 95

13.6.5       Podcast Details. 95

13.6.6       Import OPML File. 95

13.6.7       Export to OPML File. 95

13.6.8       Sort By. 95

13.6.9       Podcasts Application Settings. 95

13.6.10      Exit 95

13.7      Episode List and Episode Context Menu. 96

13.7.1       Play Episode. 96

13.7.2       Download Episode. 96

13.7.3       Episode Information. 96

13.7.4       Check for New Episodes. 96

13.7.5       Delete Episode. 96

13.8      Playing an Episode. 96

13.9      Playback Screen Commands. 97

13.9.1       Chapter List 98

13.10        Bookmarks. 98

13.10.1      Adding a Bookmark. 98

13.10.2      Opening the Bookmarks List 98

13.10.3      Moving to a Bookmark. 98

13.10.4      Deleting a Bookmark. 98

13.11        Movement Unit During Playback. 99

13.12        Podcast Application Settings. 100

13.12.1      Default Location for Downloaded Episodes. 100

13.12.2      Episode Default Action. 100

13.12.3      Episode Date Format 101

13.12.4      Movement Units List 101

13.12.5      Saving or Cancelling Podcasts Application Settings. 101

13.13        Closing Podcasts. 101

14        Voice Recorder 101

14.1      Opening the Voice Recorder Application. 101

14.2      Main Screen Overview.. 102

14.3      Starting and Stopping a Recording. 102

14.4      Pausing and Resuming a Recording. 102

14.5      Adding Bookmarks While Recording. 102

14.6      Recordings Manager Screen. 103

14.6.1       Recording Context Menu. 103

14.7      Using Bookmarks During Playback. 103

14.7.1       Opening the Bookmarks List 103

14.7.2       Moving Between Bookmarks. 103

14.7.3       Bookmarks List Context Menu. 103

14.8      Settings Screen. 104

14.8.1       Available Settings. 104

14.9      Playback Integration with Media Player 105

14.10        Shortcut Summary Table. 105

15        Clock and Time Management 106

15.1      Check the Current Time. 106

15.2      Check the Current Date. 106

15.3      Alarm Clock. 107

15.3.1       Opening Alarm Clock. 107

15.3.2       Creating an Alarm.. 107

15.3.3       Alarm Time. 107

15.3.4       Alarm Tone. 108

15.3.5       Alarm Duration. 108

15.3.6       Repeat Interval 108

15.3.7       Frequency. 108

15.3.8       Editing an Alarm.. 109

15.3.9       Turning an Alarm on or Off 109

15.3.10      Deleting an Alarm.. 109

15.3.11      When an Alarm Rings. 110

15.3.12      Alarm Clock Context Menu. 110

15.3.13      Closing Alarm Clock. 110

15.4      World Clock. 110

15.4.1       Opening World Clock. 110

15.4.2       Adding a city. 111

15.4.3       Checking the Time in a City. 111

15.4.4       World Clock Context Menu. 111

15.4.5       Closing World Clock. 112

15.5      Stopwatch. 112

15.5.1       Opening Stopwatch. 112

15.5.2       Stopwatch Screen. 112

15.5.3       Starting the Stopwatch. 112

15.5.4       Stopping the Stopwatch. 112

15.5.5       Resuming the Stopwatch. 113

15.5.6       Resetting the Stopwatch. 113

15.5.7       Checking the Elapsed Time. 113

15.5.8       Stopwatch Context Menu. 113

15.5.9       Closing Stopwatch. 113

15.6      Countdown Timer 113

15.6.1       Opening Countdown Timer 114

15.6.2       Countdown Timer Screen. 114

15.6.3       Setting a Timer 114

15.6.4       Starting, Pausing, Resuming, and Resetting. 115

15.6.5       Using Select from the Time Edit Boxes. 115

15.6.6       Checking the Remaining Time. 115

15.6.7       Timer Feedback. 115

15.6.8       When the Timer Finishes. 115

15.6.9       Countdown Timer Context Menu. 115

15.6.10      Closing Countdown Timer 116

16        Tools. 116

16.1      Check the Battery Status. 116

16.2      Calculator 116

16.2.1       Calculator Menu. 117

16.3      Calendar 117

16.3.1       Calendar Navigation. 118

16.3.2       Checking Events for a Date. 118

16.3.3       Adding an Event 118

16.3.4       Viewing Event Details. 119

16.3.5       Editing an Event 119

16.3.6       Deleting an Event 119

16.3.7       Calendar Context Menu. 120

16.3.8       Event List Context Menu. 120

16.3.9       Closing Calendar 120

16.4      Contacts. 121

16.4.1       Opening Contacts. 121

16.4.2       Adding a Contact 121

16.4.3       Viewing Contact Details. 122

16.4.4       Editing a Contact 122

16.4.5       Deleting a Contact 122

16.4.6       Selecting Contacts. 122

16.4.7       Selecting All Contacts. 123

16.4.8       Exporting Selected Contacts. 123

16.4.9       Exporting All Contacts. 123

16.4.10      Importing Contacts from a File. 123

16.4.11      Contacts Context Menu. 124

16.4.12      Closing Contacts. 124

16.5      Weather 124

16.5.1       Opening Weather 124

16.5.2       Adding a Location. 125

16.5.3       Checking Weather Information. 125

16.5.4       Changing Locations. 126

16.5.5       Refreshing Weather Information. 126

16.5.6       Weather Context Menu. 126

16.5.7       Closing Weather 126

16.6      Check for Updates. 127

16.6.1       Opening Check for Updates. 127

16.6.2       Updater Main Screen. 127

16.6.3       Product Information. 127

16.6.4       Checking for Updates. 127

16.6.5       Update Available Dialog. 128

16.6.6       Installing Updates. 128

16.6.7       Cancelling Update Installation. 128

16.6.8       Installing from SD Card. 129

16.6.9       Firmware Update Flow.. 129

16.6.10      Updater Settings. 129

16.6.11      Auto Check. 130

16.6.12      Update Channel 130

16.6.13      Closing Check for Updates. 130

16.7      Format SD Card. 130

17        Settings. 131

17.1      Opening settings. 131

17.2      Device settings. 131

17.3      General settings. 132

17.4      Wi-Fi settings. 134

17.5      Bluetooth settings. 136

17.6      Date and Time settings. 137

17.7      Screen Reader Settings. 138

17.8      Screen Reader General Settings. 138

17.9      Select TTS Engine. 140

17.10        Voice Manager for Runa TTS. 141

17.11        Voice Manager: Google. 144

17.12        Voice Manager: Vocalizer 146

17.13        Closing Settings. 148

18        Help. 148

19        Remote Mode. 149

19.1      Opening Remote Mode. 149

19.2      Channels of Communication. 149

19.3      Communication Protocols. 150

19.4      Pairing a Device. 150

19.5      Connecting to a Host 151

19.5.1       iOS (VoiceOver) 151

19.5.2       Mac (VoiceOver) 151

19.5.3       Android. 151

19.5.4       Chromebook (ChromeVox) 152

19.5.5       Windows: NVDA. 152

19.5.6       Windows: JAWS. 152

20        Firmware Upgrade. 152

20.1      Device Firmware Upgrade. 152

20.2      Download firmware package. 152

20.3      Using the Windows PC Upgrade Utility. 153

21        Troubleshooting. 155

21.1      Orbit Speak Does Not Turn On. 155

21.2      Orbit Speak Does Not Respond to Key Presses. 155

21.3      Orbit Speak Is in an Unknown State and the Battery Is Charged. 156

21.4      Orbit Speak is in an unknown state, the battery is charged, and the troubleshooting steps in 11.4 do not resolve the issue. 156

21.5      Orbit Speak is Continuous Beeping. 156

22        Buzzer, Vibration and LED Indication. 157

22.1      Buzzer and Vibration Indication. 157

22.2      LED Indication. 158

23        Hardware Limited Warranty. 158

23.1      EXCLUSIONS AND LIMITATIONS. 158

24        CONSUMER PROTECTION LAWS. 159

25        OBTAINING WARRANTY SERVICE. 159

26        FCC Information. 160

26.1      FCC Notice. 160

26.2      FCC Caution. 160

27        Further Information. 161

28        Appendix B: Keyboard Command Reference. 161

28.1      Global and System Commands. 161

28.2      Navigation. 161

28.3      Book Reader (Reading) Commands. 162

28.4      Editor Commands. 162

28.5      Remote Mode Commands. 163

29        Appendix A: Revision History. 163

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2     Introduction and Orientation

Congratulations on purchasing your new Orbit Speak!

First, let us describe the device.

           Position your Orbit Speak in front of you so that the keys are facing upwards, and an elongated key is closer to you. This elongated key is the Space bar.

           Above the Space bar you will find a circle — the navigation pad. The navigation pad consists of five separate small buttons. These buttons have top, bottom, left and right tactile markings. These are Up, Down, Left and Right arrow keys.

           They are used to navigate through menus in applications and perform some other actions.

           In the center of the circle, you will find a small round button — this is the Select key. Use this key to confirm your choice.

           To the left and slightly up from the navigation pad you will find three identical keys. Place the index, middle and ring finger of your left hand on them comfortably.

           To the right and slightly upwards from the navigation pad you will find three more keys of the same type. Place the index, middle and ring finger of your right hand on them comfortably.

           Your hands are now on a Perkins keyboard. In your left hand, you have Dot 1 under your index finger, Dot 2 under your middle finger, and Dot 3 under your ring finger. In your right hand, you have Dots 4, 5, and 6, respectively.

           Put your fingers back on the Space bar, which is located just below the round navigation pad. To the left and right of it you will find two more Braille Dot keys. The left key is Dot 7; the right one is Dot 8. All these DOT keys along with the Spacebar are used to type text in computer Braille as well as to carry out some commands.

           Dot 8 by itself is used as the Enter key, and Dot 7 as the Backspace key. We Recommend using your right thumb to press Dot 8 and your left thumb to press Dot 7.

           To the left of Dot 7 and to the right of Dot 8 you will find two sets of two small buttons each. These are function keys. The keys on the left side are F1 and F2, the ones on the right side are F3 and F4. The F2 and F3 keys are closer to the center, whereas F1 and F4 are closer to the edges of the device.

           Above the F1 key there is a speaker grill and just above the right of the F4 key is a tiny microphone hole.

           On the rounded corners of the device, which are closer to you, you will find attachment points for a strap or lanyard. You can wear the device around your neck and free your hands without fear of the device falling off.

           On the front side of the device, you will find a full-size SD card slot. It is located on the right side, at the corner, in a small recess.

           To remove the SD card, gently press it until you hear a click, this click sound means the card is freed, and it will slide out of the slot.

           To insert an SD card, hold it with the contacts facing up and towards the device, put it into the slot and gently push it until you hear a click.

           On the right side of the device is a USB-C port for charging your Orbit Speak and connecting it to your PC.

           On the left side of the device, you will find the round Power button as well as the headphone jack. The Power button is marked with a tactile dot.

           Turn the device over and you will find that it has four small rubber feet on the corners. This keeps it from sliding around on smooth surfaces. You will also find a clearly visible label with a barcode and information about the certification of the device.

Below in this section there is an image of the device where all its elements are designated with numbers. The meaning of each number is explained below the image. If you want, you or your sighted assistant can study this image. But we are sure you already want to just turn on the device. Then go straight to the Quick Start chapter.

Orbit Speak, back side and its elements

1. Dot 1

2. Dot 2

3. Dot 3

4. Dot 4

5. Dot 5

6. Dot 6

7. Dot 7

8. Dot 8

9. Select key

10. Up Arrow key

11. Left Arrow key

12. Right Arrow key

13. Down Arrow key

14. Spacebar

15. F1 key

16. F2 key

17. F3 key

18. F4 key

19. Speaker

20. Microphone

21. Holes for attaching the strap

22. Power button

23. Headphone jack

24. USB-C port

25. SD Card slot

26. Rubber feet

27. Label with bar code and certification info

3     Quick Start

3.1     Conventions in This User Guide

For consistency and clarity, the following conventions are used in this user guide:

           The keys on the Perkins braille keyboard are given as dot numbers. > For example, the letter f is written as Dots 1 2 4, meaning > you press braille dots 1, 2, and 4 together.

           The five navigation keys can be pressed directly or entered as > braille chords on the Perkins keyboard. Each arrow key has a > braille-chord equivalent:

           Up Arrow = Space + Dot 1

           Down Arrow = Space + Dot 4

           Left Arrow = Space + Dot 3

           Right Arrow = Space + Dot 6

           The Select key can also be entered as Dot 8. Select and Dot > 8 perform the identical confirmation function.

           When modifier keys are used, they are separated from other keys by a > plus sign (+), for example: Space + M. Modifier keys are keys > that you hold down while pressing other keys at the same time. This > changes the effect of the keys you press. The Select, Space, > and the function keys F1 through F4 function as modifier > keys on Orbit Speak.

           Lists (the home screen, menus, and other lists) support first-letter > navigation: type the first braille letter of an item’s name on the > Perkins keyboard to move to it, press the same letter again to move to > the next item beginning with that letter, then press Select (or > Dot 8) to open it.

3.2     Orbit Speak Features

           Built-in applications: media player, calculator, alarm clock.

           Various settings allow flexibly configuring the device according to > your needs.

           Ergonomic Perkins braille keyboard for smooth and quiet text entry > with positive tactile feedback.

           Dedicated Dot 7 and Dot 8 keys for backspace and select.

           5-key navigation pad to easily operate the device, as well as four > additional function keys (F1 through F4).

           Lightweight but rugged design.

           Supports SD, SDHC, SDXC cards up to 2 TB.

           The battery can last up to 15 hours when playing music through the > built-in speaker at full volume. Please note that actual battery > life may vary based on your usage conditions.

3.3     Turning On and Off, Restarting and Putting Orbit Speak into Sleep Mode

           Turning on Orbit Speak: Press and hold the Power button for > about 2 seconds. You will feel several vibrations while the > device boots up. Then you will hear:
> Orbit Speak, book reader.
> Now the device is on, and you are on the home screen.

           Turning off the device: Press and hold the Power button for > approximately 2 seconds. You will be presented with a Select > Action dialog where you can turn the device off completely, > restart it or just exit this dialog. The dialog has three buttons:

           Shut Down

           Restart

           Cancel

Move between the buttons with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2), then press Select (or Dot 8) to activate. To close the dialog without any action, press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6.

           You will feel vibrations while the device is shutting down. When the > vibration stops, the device is turned off.

           You can put the device into sleep mode instead of turning it off > completely. To do this, press the Power button briefly. You > will feel a vibration and hear a descending tone. To wake up the > device, press and hold the Power button until you feel a > vibration. You will hear a rising tone, and you will be back where > you left off before.

The device is protected against accidental pressing of the Power button. A short press of this button will not accidentally turn on or wake up the device.

If you try to turn the device on when its battery is 0%, you will feel a vibration and hear 3 high-pitched beeps, but Orbit Speak will not turn on. In this case, please charge your device first.

3.4     Speech Rate

When you have just turned on the device for the first time, the speech you hear may be too fast or too slow for you. When you turn on the device for the first time, the speech rate is set to 5 out of 10.

Adjust the speech rate to your liking.

           To decrease the speech rate, i.e., make the device speak slower, > press Space + F1.

           You will hear, for example: Speech rate: 4.

           If you reach rate 1 and try to go slower, you will hear: Speech > rate at minimum level.

           To increase the speech rate, i.e., make the device speak faster, > press Space + F4.

           You will hear, for example: Speech rate: 6.
> If you reach rate 10 and try to go faster, you will hear: Speech > rate at maximum level.

3.5     Speech Volume

The speech volume of your Orbit Speak can be set from level 0 up to level 15. Even if the volume is set to 0, you will still hear speech. It will be very quiet, but you will never be in a situation when your device is turned on and works correctly but it is silent.

If speech sounds too quiet or too loud for you, adjust the speech volume.

           To increase the speech volume, press Dot 7 + F4. You will hear, > for example: Speech volume: 10.
> If you have already reached volume level 15 and you try to go > louder, you will hear: Volume is at max level.

           To lower the speech volume, press Dot 7 + F1. You will hear, for > example: Speech volume: 9.
> If you have already reached volume level 0 and you try to go > quieter, you will still hear: Speech volume: 0.

3.6     Knowing Your Battery Status

You can check the battery status of your Orbit Speak at any time by pressing Space + Dots 1 6. The device will announce the current battery level. For example, you might hear:

           “Battery level 87%. Not plugged in.”

If your device is charging, the announcement will state “Charging” instead of “Not plugged in.” When the battery is low, you will receive an audible alert. Specifically, if the battery level drops to 15% or lower, the device will announce that the battery is low. Additionally, a beep sound will serve as a supplementary notification when the battery falls below the designated threshold.

3.7     Exploring the Home Screen

The Home Screen is the starting point for accessing all of Orbit Speak’s features.

To return to the Home Screen from anywhere, press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6.

Use the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 1) keys to move through the Home Screen items.

After each key press, Orbit Speak speaks the item that is currently focused.

Press the Select key (or Dot 8) to open the focused item. Alternatively, type the item’s first letter on the Perkins keyboard to open it directly.

When you reach the end of the Home Screen list, the list wraps. This means that pressing Down Arrow after the last item moves back to the first item.

Orbit Speak can also speak the position of each item in the list. For example, “1 of 11” means the first item out of eleven available items.

The Home Screen contains the following items, each with its first letter:

1.         File Manager — first letter F (Dots 1 2 4)

2.         Book Reader — first letter B (Dots 1 2)

3.         Braille Reader — first letter B (Dots 1 2)

4.         Media Player — first letter M (Dots 1 3 4)

5.         Internet Radio — first letter I (Dots 2 4)

6.         Podcasts — first letter P (Dots 1 2 3 4)

7.         Voice Recorder — first letter V (Dots 1 2 3 6)

8.         Clock and Time Management — first letter C (Dots 1 4)

9.         Tools — first letter T (Dots 2 3 4 5)

10.      Settings — first letter S (Dots 2 3 4)

11.      Help — first letter H (Dots 1 2 5)

Some Home Screen items open applications directly. Other items are groups.

A group contains related applications, tools, or settings.

The groups on the Home Screen are:

           Clock and Time Management

           Tools

           Settings

           Help

To open a group, move to it and press the Select key (or Dot 8), or type its first letter.

Inside a group, use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the items. Press Select to open the focused item. Press Left Arrow to return to the Home Screen.

3.7.1       First-Letter Navigation on the Home Screen

The home screen is a list. Type the first letter of an item’s name to move to it — for example, type F (Dots 1 2 4) to move to File Manager — then press Select to open it. Typing the same letter again moves to the next item that begins with that letter.

3.7.2       Clock and Time Management Group

The Clock and Time Management group contains tools related to time, alarms, and timers.

It contains the following items:

1.         Check Current Time

2.         Check Current Date

3.         Alarm Clock

4.         World Clock

5.         Stopwatch

6.         Countdown Timer

Use this group when you want to check the time or date, set alarms, use a world clock, measure elapsed time, or start a countdown timer.

3.7.3       Tools Group

The Tools group contains general tools and maintenance options.

It contains the following items:

1.         Check Battery Status

2.         Calculator

3.         Calendar

4.         Contacts

5.         Weather

6.         Check for Updates

7.         Format SD Card

Use this group when you want to check the battery, use productivity tools, check weather, update the device, or format an SD card.

Warning: Format SD Card deletes all files on the SD card.

3.7.4       Settings Group

The Settings group contains device, screen reader, and voice management options.

It contains the following items:

1.         Device Settings

2.         Screen Reader Settings

3.         Voice Manager: Google

4.         Voice Manager: Vocalizer

Use this group when you want to change device behavior, configure speech and screen reader feedback, or install and remove text-to-speech voices.

3.7.5       Help Group

The Help group contains help and device information.

It contains the following items:

1.         User Guide

2.         About Orbit Speak

Use User Guide to open the built-in user guide.

Use About Orbit Speak to hear device and software information.

3.8     Internet Connection over Wi-Fi

To connect to the Internet over Wi-Fi, you need to know the name of your Wi-Fi network and the password to access it if it is secured.

Follow the steps below to connect to a Wi-Fi network:

           Switch to the home screen. To do this, press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6.

           Open the Settings application. To do this, navigate with the Up and Down arrow keys until you hear Settings folder, then press Select (or Dot 8). Alternatively, type S (Dots 2 3 4) to open it directly.

           Press Select again to open Settings under the Settings folder.

           Press Down Arrow until you hear: Wi-Fi Options.

           Then press Select (or Dot 8).

           As soon as you open Wi-Fi Options, you will be presented with a message saying that Wi-Fi is currently off and asking whether you would like to turn it on. This dialog has two buttons, Yes and No. Move between them with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2), move to Yes, and press Select to turn on Wi-Fi.

           When Wi-Fi turns on it automatically starts searching for the available networks. While it is searching, you will hear a sound that indicates the device is searching for networks.

           After the process of detecting networks is complete, focus moves to the available networks list. Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the list of available networks.

           Once you find the network you want to connect to, press Select (or Dot 8) on it, and a menu opens with the following options:

           Disable Wi-Fi.

           Refresh network list.

           Connect.

           Close.

           Move to Connect with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys and press Select. You will be presented with a dialog asking for the password/security key.

           The password edit box is the focused control. Type the password on the Perkins keyboard, then move to the confirm button with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and press Select (or Dot 8). The device will connect.

Note: If you leave after turning on Wi-Fi and return later, your focus will be on the networks list by default.

3.9     Disconnecting from a Wi-Fi Network

If your device is connected to a Wi-Fi network but you want to disconnect or forget the network, follow these steps:

           Switch to the home screen by pressing Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6.

           Open the Settings folder. To do this, navigate with the Up and Down arrow keys until you hear Settings, then press Select (or Dot 8). Alternatively, type S (Dots 2 3 4) to open it directly.

           Press Select again to open Settings under the Settings folder.

           Press Down Arrow until you hear Wi-Fi Options.

           Then press Select (or Dot 8).

           In the Available Networks list, use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move to your Wi-Fi network. You will hear its name followed by the word Connected.

           Press Select (or Dot 8). A menu opens with 5 items: Disable Wi-Fi, Refresh network list, Disconnect, Forget, and Close. Move to the desired action using the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys, then press Select.

4     General Navigation and Operation

This section explains the basic navigation and control methods used throughout Orbit Speak.

Most applications on Orbit Speak use the same navigation model. After you learn these general controls, you can use them in the Home Screen, lists, dialogs, context menus, settings, file pickers, and applications.

4.1     Main Navigation Keys

Orbit Speak uses the five navigation keys, the Select key, and a small set of braille chords for most navigation. Each arrow key can be pressed directly on the navigation pad or entered as a braille chord on the Perkins keyboard.

The main navigation keys are:

           Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1): Move to the previous item, previous option, or move up within a list.

           Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4): Move to the next item, next option, or move down within a list.

           Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3): Move left, move backward, or go up one level in menus.

           Right Arrow (Space + Dot 6): Move right or move forward.

           Select (or Dot 8): Open, activate, choose, confirm, start, pause, or toggle the focused item, depending on the context.

           Back (Space + dots 1-5): Go up one level: In menus, press Left Arrow. In file and folder lists, press Dot 7.

           Home (Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6): Return to the Home Screen.

           Menu (Space + M, that is Space + Dots 1 3 4): Open the context menu for the current screen or focused item.

           Close / exit an application (Space + Dots 1 3 5 6): Leave the current application and return to the Home Screen.

4.2     Home Screen Navigation

The Home Screen is the starting point for accessing all Orbit Speak features.

To return to the Home Screen from anywhere, press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through Home Screen items.

Press Select (or Dot 8) to open the focused application or group. You can also type an item’s first letter to move it to it.

Press Left Arrow from inside a group to move one level higher, or Space + Dots 1 3 5 6 to leave an application.

Some Home Screen items are applications. Other Home Screen items are groups that contain related applications, tools, or settings.

4.3     Moving Through Lists

Many Orbits Speak screens are lists.

Lists are used for applications, files, folders, settings, media items, podcasts, contacts, alarms, and many other items.

Use the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4) keys to move through a list.

Orbit Speak speaks the focused item as you move.

If position information is enabled, Orbit Speak also speaks the item position, such as 1 of 11.

Press Select (or Dot 8) to open or activate the focused item.

To leave the list or move one level higher, press Left Arrow in menus, or Dot 7 in file and folder lists.

Some lists wrap when you reach the beginning or end. If a list wraps, pressing Down Arrow on the last item moves to the first item, and pressing Up Arrow on the first item moves to the last item.

4.4     First-Letter Navigation

The home screen, menus, and other lists are all list controls. To move to an item quickly, type the first letter of its name on the Perkins keyboard. Each time you type that letter, focus moves to the next item whose name begins with it, so you can press the letter repeatedly to cycle through items that share a first letter. When the item you want is focused, press Select (or Dot 8) to open or activate it.

You can also move through any list one item at a time with the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4) keys.

For example, on the home screen, type F (Dots 1 2 4) to move to File Manager, then press Select to open it.

4.5     Context Menus

A context menu contains actions for the current screen or focused item.

To open a context menu, press Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4).

The available menu items change depending on where you are.

For example:

           In File Manager, the context menu can include actions such as open, > rename, delete, copy, paste, and properties.

           In Media Player, the context menu can include actions such as play, > add to queue, create playlist, delete, and settings.

           In a dialog or list, the context menu can include actions related to > the focused item.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the context menu.

Press Select (or Dot 8) to activate the focused menu item.

Press Left Arrow to close the context menu without choosing an item.

Context menus support first-letter navigation. When a context menu is open, you can activate an item by typing its first-letter letter on the Perkins keyboard.

4.6     Dialogs

Dialogs are used when Orbit Speak needs information from you or needs you to confirm an action.

Dialogs can contain controls such as buttons, edit boxes, combo boxes, checkboxes, lists, and text.

Inside a dialog, move between controls with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) to reach the next control and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2) to reach the previous control.

Use the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 1) keys to change the value of the focused control — for example, to cycle a combo box option or to move within a list that is inside the dialog.

Press Select (or Dot 8) to activate the focused button, check or uncheck a checkbox, choose a list item, or confirm a control.

To close a dialog or cancel the current action, move to Cancel and press Select, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6.

4.7     Buttons

Buttons perform actions.

Examples of buttons include:

           OK

           Cancel

           Close

           Start

           Pause

           Install

           Delete

To activate a button, move to it with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) or Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2) and press Select (or Dot 8).

4.8     Edit Boxes

Edit boxes allow you to type text or numbers.

Examples of edit boxes include:

           Search text

           File name

           Wi-Fi password

           Contact name

           Timer hours, minutes, and seconds

When the edit box is the focused control, type text directly on the Perkins keyboard using computer or contracted braille.

Press Dot 7 to delete the character to the left.

To leave the edit box and move to another control, press Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) or Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2).

Some edit boxes accept only specific input. For example, timer edit boxes accept only numbers.

If the entered value is not valid, Orbit Speak speaks an error message and keeps focus on the dialog.

4.9     Combo Boxes

Combo boxes allow you to choose one value from a list of available values.

Examples of combo boxes include:

           Language

           Voice

           Speech rate

           Update channel

           Time format

           Alarm tone

Move to the combo box with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) or Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2). When the combo box is focused, use the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 1) keys to change the selected value.

Orbit Speak speaks the new value when it changes.

4.10  Checkboxes

Checkboxes turn an option on or off.

Examples of checkboxes include:

           Auto check for updates

           Automatic date and time

           Movement units

           Screen reader feedback options

Move to the checkbox with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) or Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2), then press Select (or Dot 8) to check or uncheck it.

Orbit Speak speaks whether the checkbox is checked or unchecked.

4.11  File Picker Dialog

File picker dialogs are used when Orbit Speak asks you to choose a file, choose a folder, or choose where to save a file.

File picker dialogs can appear when you:

           Open a file

           Save a file

           Import contacts

           Export contacts

           Import or export podcast lists

           Install an update from an SD card

           Add media files or folders

Move between the dialog controls with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2).

When focus is on the file or folder list, use the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4) keys to move through the list and choose the location or file.

Press Select (or Dot 8) to open a folder or choose the focused file.

Move to OK and press Select to confirm.

Move to Cancel and press Select, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6, to close the dialog without choosing a file.

4.12  Confirmation Dialogs

Confirmation dialogs appear when an action may change or remove information.

For example, Orbit Speak may ask for confirmation before deleting a file, deleting a contact, deleting an alarm, formatting an SD card, or installing an update.

Move between the available buttons with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2).

Move to Yes or OK and press Select (or Dot 8) to confirm the action.

Move to No or Cancel and press Select, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6, to cancel the action.

Read confirmation messages carefully before continuing, especially when deleting files or formatting an SD card.

4.13  Message and Status Updates

Orbit Speak speaks messages to confirm actions, report errors, and provide status updates.

Messages can include information such as:

           Action completed

           Action failed

           File deleted

           Contact imported

           Update available

           Downloading

           Installation

           Battery level

           Wi-Fi connected

Some messages are spoken automatically.

Some messages are shown in dialogs or status areas.

When a process takes time, Orbit Speak may speak progress messages as the process continues.

4.14  Selecting Items

Some lists allow you to select one or more items before performing an action.

For example, selection can be used in File Manager and Contacts.

To select an item on Orbit, Speak, move to the item and press Space.

When an item is selected, Orbit Speak adds the word selected to the item name.

To unselect the item, press Space again.

Some lists also include Select All in the context menu.

4.15  Shortcuts

Orbit Speak includes shortcuts for common actions.

Some shortcuts work globally. Other shortcuts work only inside a specific application.

Examples of common shortcuts include:

           Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6: Return to the Home Screen.

           Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4): Open the context menu.

           Space + Dots 1 3 5 6: Close or exit the current application.

           Space + F1: Decrease speech rate.

           Space + F4: Increase speech rate.

           Dot 7 + F1: Decrease speech volume.

           Dot 7 + F4: Increase speech volume.

           Space + Dots 1 6: Speak battery status.

Application-specific shortcuts are explained in the sections for each application.

4.16  Long-Press Commands

Some commands are performed by holding a key instead of pressing it briefly.

For example:

           Long-pressing Select (Dot 8) can stop reading immediately in > some reading applications.

           Some applications provide long-press braille chords to add a > bookmark or open a bookmarks list.

When a long-press command is available, it is explained in the section for that application.

4.17  Using Back and Home

Moving one level higher and returning to the Home Screen are different actions.

To move one level higher, close a dialog, or return to the previous screen, press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) in menus, or Dot 7 in file and folder lists.

To leave the current application and return directly to the Home Screen, press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6 to close the application.

In most applications, moving back repeatedly closes the current screen step by step.

Returning to the Home Screen takes you there immediately.

4.18  Sleep and Wakeup

To put Orbit, speak to sleep, press the Power button briefly.

Orbit Speak vibrates and plays a descending tone when it enters sleep mode.

To wake Orbit, Speak, hold the Power button until the device responds.

Orbit Speak plays a rising tone and returns to where you left off, when possible.

Sleep is different from shutting down. When the device is asleep, it can wake more quickly and continue from the previous state.

4.19  Turning Orbit Speak Off or Restarting

To shut down or restart Orbit Speak, hold the Power button for about two seconds.

A dialog opens with options such as:

           Shut Down

           Restart

           Cancel

Move to the option you want with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) or Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2) and press Select (or Dot 8).

Move to Cancel and press Select, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6, to close the dialog without shutting down or restarting.

4.20  General Navigation Tips

Use the following tips when learning Orbit Speak:

           Press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 if you are not sure where you are > and want to return to the Home Screen.

           Press Left Arrow (or Dot 7 in file and folder lists) to move > one level higher or close the current screen.

           Press Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4) to find actions for the > current screen or focused item.

           Listen to item names and position information to understand where > focus is.

           Use first-letter navigation when you already know the first-letter letter of the > item you want.

           Use context menus to find actions that are not shown directly on the > screen.

5     File Manager

If you would like to use your PC for managing the files on your Orbit Speak, you can connect your Orbit Speak using the provided USB-C cable, or any compatible cable. You will see the device on your computer as external storage, and you can copy or delete files as you normally would.

However, you can also manage files directly on your Orbit Speak using the built-in File Manager application.

The Orbit Speak uses the same set of navigation commands throughout. Their Braille chords are:

           Up Arrow = Space + Dot 1

           Down Arrow = Space + Dot 4

           Left Arrow = Space + Dot 3

           Right Arrow = Space + Dot 6

           Select = Dot 8 (Select and Dot 8 perform the identical confirmation function)

           Return to the Home screen = Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6

           Open the context menu = Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4)

           Close / exit an application = Space + Dots 1 3 5 6

           Go up one level / Back: on menus press Left Arrow; in file and folder lists press Dot 7

           Mark / select a file = Space

After these keys are introduced, this chapter refers to them by their arrow and Select names.

5.1     Opening the File Manager

1.         Switch to the Home screen by pressing Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6.

2.         Navigate with Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow > (Space + Dot 4) to the Utilities folder and press Select > (Dot 8) to open the folder or press U (Dots 1 3 6).

3.         Press the Down Arrow until you hear “File Manager,” or press > F (Dots 1 2 4). You will hear “File Manager, Internal > Storage.”

When opened, the File Manager displays a list of available drives — Internal Storage, SD Card, and, if connected, USB Mass Storage.
If the File Manager was previously opened and closed, your focus will return to the last location you visited.

5.2     Navigating Through Files and Folders

Follow these steps to explore your files and folders:

           Use Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4) > to navigate through files and folders within an open folder.

           To open a folder, move the focus to it and press Select (Dot 8).

           To go back to one level, press Dot 7.

           The top level includes Internal Storage, SD Card, and USB > Drives.

           You can type the first letter of a file or folder name to > quickly jump to it.

           Long-press the Up Arrow to jump to the top of the list, or the > Down Arrow to reach the bottom.

When you reach the root level, a short beep or vibration indicates that you cannot go further up.

5.3     File Manager Menu

The File Manager allows you to copy, move, delete, and protect files and folders, as well as create new folders or compress them into archives.
To open the File Manager menu, press Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4).

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through menu items. Press the Right Arrow (Space + Dot 6) to expand a submenu, and the Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) to go back.
When you are at the top level of the menu, pressing the Left Arrow again will close it.

5.3.1       Menu Structure

Below is the menu structure you will observe in the menu, with the first-letter navigation.

File — first letter F (Dots 1 2 4):

           Open — O (Dots 1 3 5)

           Rename — R (Dots 1 2 3 5)

           Delete — D (Dots 1 4 5)

           New Folder — N (Dots 1 3 4 5)

           Search — S (Dots 2 3 4)

           Zip / Unzip (new in version 2.0)Z (Dots 1 3 5 6)

           Properties — P (Dots 1 2 3 4)

           Exit — E (Dots 1 5)

Edit — first letter E (Dots 1 5):

           Mark / Unmark — M (Dots 1 3 4)

           Cut — C (Dots 1 4)

           Copy — type its first letter

           Paste — P (Dots 1 2 3 4)

           Select All — S (Dots 2 3 4)

           Protect / Unprotect (new in version 2.0) — press its first letter

View — first letter V (Dots 1 2 3 6):

           Sort by: Name, Date, Size, Last Read — S (Dots 2 3 4)

           Order by: Ascending, Descending — O (Dots 1 3 5)

5.4     Searching for a File

To locate a file, follow these steps:

1.         Open the File Manager menu by pressing Space + M.

2.         Expand the File sub-menu, use the Arrow keys to navigate to > Search, and press Select, or press S (Dots 2 3 4).

A Search dialog box opens. This is a dialog, so use the following Braille commands inside it:

           Move to the next control = Tab = Space + Dots 4 5

           Move to the previous control = Shift + Tab = Space + Dots > 1 2

           Change a combo box value or toggle a checkbox = Up Arrow / Down > Arrow (Space + Dot 1 / Space + Dot 4)

           Activate a button or confirm = Select (Dot 8)

Enter the name or part of the file name in the edit field, then use Tab to reach OK and press Select to start the search.
You can also Tab to these additional options and set them with the Up and Down Arrow keys:

           Case sensitive search (on/off).

           Search in subfolders (current folder only or include all > subfolders).

A list of matching results appears. Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to browse through them.
Press Select to open a file or press Dot 7 to close the results.

If you type quickly while browsing files, an incremental search will automatically jump to items matching your typed letters.

5.5     Renaming Files or Folders

To rename a file or folder:

1.         Locate the item and open the File Manager menu by pressing > Space + M.

2.         Expand the File sub-menu, navigate to Rename, and press > Select, or press R (Dots 1 2 3 5).

3.         The Rename dialog box opens with an edit field and OK / Cancel > buttons.

4.         Type the new name, press Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) to move to > OK, and press Select to confirm.

To close the dialog without changes, move to Cancel and press Select, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6.

5.6     Creating a New Folder

To create a new folder:

1.         Navigate to the location where you want to create it.

2.         Open the File Manager menu, expand the File sub-menu, and select > New Folder, or press N (Dots 1 3 4 5).

3.         The Create Folder dialog opens with a name field and OK / Cancel > buttons.

4.         Enter the folder name, press Tab to move to OK, and press > Select to create it.

The new folder appears in the current directory according to your sorting preferences.

5.7     Copying, Moving, and Deleting Files

To copy or move a file:

1.         Navigate the file.

2.         To mark it, open the menu, expand the Edit sub-menu, and select > Mark/Unmark, or simply press Space.

3.         Open the File Manager menu again, expand the Edit sub-menu, and > select Copy to copy or cut to move the file.
> The device will announce “Copied” or “Cut.”

4.         Move to the target folder, open the menu, and select Paste.

If the operation takes longer than five seconds, progress will be announced at 10% intervals until completion.

5.7.1       Copy and Move Dialogs

When copying or moving files, a dialog appears showing:

           A title, “Copying” or “Moving.”

           A progress bar indicating progress.

           A Cancel button.

           A static message “Copying…” or “Moving…” followed by the > file name.

Use Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2) to move between controls, and press Select on Cancel to stop the operation.

To delete a file or folder:

1.         Navigate to it and open the File Manager menu.

2.         Choose Delete or press D (Dots 1 4 5).

3.         The Delete Confirmation dialog opens with Yes and No > options.

4.         Press Tab to move between Yes and No, then press > Select on Yes to confirm, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6 > to cancel.

5.8     Marking Multiple Files

You can mark multiple files for operations like Copy, Cut, or Delete.
Press Space to mark or unmark a file or folder. You can only mark files within the same directory.
Each selection is announced, and pressing Space again unmarks it.

5.9     Protecting Files (New)

To prevent accidental modification or deletion of important files:

           Open the File Manager menu, expand the Edit sub-menu, and select > Protect/Unprotect (type its first letter).

           When a file is protected, the device will announce “Protected.”

           When protection is removed, it will say “Protection removed.”

5.10  Sorting and Ordering Files

You can sort or reorder files as before:

1.         Open the File Manager menu and navigate to Sort By.

2.         Press the Right Arrow (Space + Dot 6) and choose one of the > options — by Name, Date, Size, or Last Read.

3.         Press the Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) to go back.

4.         Navigate to Order By, press the Right Arrow, and choose > Ascending or Descending.

5.         Press Select to apply and press the Left Arrow repeatedly > to exit the menu.

5.11  Compressing and Extracting Files (New Feature)

You can now create and open ZIP archives directly from the File Manager.

To compress files into an archive:

1.         Mark one or more files or folders with Space.

2.         Open the File Manager menu, expand the File sub-menu, and choose > Zip, or press Z (Dots 1 3 5 6).

3.         The “Compress to Archive” dialog appears, containing:

           Title: Compress to Archive

           Progress bar showing compression progress.

           Cancel button.

           Static text: “Compressing to…” followed by the file name.

4.         Press Tab to move to OK and press Select to begin.

To extract from an archive:

1.         Select a ZIP file.

2.         Open the File Manager menu, expand the File sub-menu, and choose > Unzip.

3.         The “Extract from Archive” dialog appears, containing:

           Title: Extract from Archive

           Progress bar showing extraction progress.

           Cancel button.

           Static text: “Extracting from…” followed by the file name.

4.         Press Tab to move to OK and press Select to begin > extraction.

During both actions, progress is announced in percentage intervals.

5.12  Exiting the File Manager

To close the File Manager, press Dot 7 repeatedly to move up through the lists, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6 to close the application, or press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 to return to the home screen.
Your last location is remembered and will reopen automatically next time.

6     Editor

6.1     Your First Document

Your Orbit Speak offers you the ability to create and edit simple text files in TXT format, as well as Braille files in BRF format, including contracted Braille. For specifics regarding contracted Braille support, see chapter 3.3.1.

To create your first file, do the following:

           Switch to the Home screen by pressing Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6.

           Using Up and Down arrows, navigate to the Editor menu item, or use the quick access command E (Dots 1 5). You will hear a message that a new empty text file has been opened. The device is ready for text input.

           Type some text according to the selected Braille table using the Perkins keyboard. Each time you type a character; the device speaks it out by default. If you have typed the wrong character, press Dot 7 to delete it. You will hear that the character was deleted. When you press Space or type a punctuation mark, the device can read the entire word. If you want to change your typing echo, i.e., what Orbit Speak announces when you type, refer to the chapter on Settings. To read the current line, press Space + Dots 1 4. To start a new line, press Dot 8 or the Select key.
Below in this section you will find a list of all the actions for navigating and editing text.

           Reading all the text you have typed. To do this, press Space + Dots 1 2 3 to go to the beginning of the document. Then press Dots 1 2 4 5 8 to read the text from the current position, which is at the beginning, to the end of the document.

           Saving your document. To do this, press Space + Dots 2 3 4. The Save File dialog box opens. It contains the file name and the OK and Cancel buttons. You can navigate between these items using the Up and down arrow keys.

           Navigate to the file name. You can change the default file name to the one you want. Use Left and Right arrow keys to move through the file name characters. To delete a character, use Dot 7. Type in the desired file name. When you are finished, press the Select key.

           A menu will open where you need to select a location to save your file. This can be SD card or Internal storage. We recommend that you use the SD card and create the folders you need yourself (See the chapter on File Manager). But for the sake of this example, select Internal Storage. Press the Select key.

           You will be on the list of internal storage folders. Using the Up and down arrow keys, navigate to the Documents folder and press the Select key.

           Then use Space + Dots 4 5 (Tab) to move to the OK button and > press the Select key. Your file will be saved.

6.2     Contracted Braille support

Starting with version 1.2, Orbit Speak allows opening and creating Braille files in BRF format, as well as Unicode Braille, BRA, and BRL files.

Braille file support uses the Liblouis Braille translator, along with its built-in Braille tables.

This support, including contracted Braille entry, text editing, and navigation, might work a little differently on Orbit Speak compared to other similar devices. We recommend you read this chapter to properly understand how to work with Braille files, so that you can be as productive as possible.

Below is an overview of the way in which Braille support works:

1.         When opening a BRF file for reading or editing, the file automatically gets expanded to standard text (computer Braille). This means that, while you will be able to read the content of the file correctly, navigation by character will work as navigating in computer Braille-based text, without contractions, or literary Braille signs. For example, when a word contains the characters “sh,” instead of hearing “sh sign” when navigating with the left/right arrow keys, you will hear “sh” as individual characters.

2.         For the file to be translated correctly when opened or saved as BRF, you must select the Braille code with which you want to work from the device’s settings. Go to the settings application from the home screen, locate the newly added Braille settings option, and activate it. In the list of Braille tables, select the one you want to work with, for example, English, Unified, Contracted, and press the ok button. Now, every Braille translation operation will be performed using that Braille table.

3.         Braille entry, including contracted Braille, is available throughout Orbit Speak. You can enter contracted Braille not only in the Editor but in every application, including search and text fields such as those in the Book Reader and Online Libraries.

4.         When editing text in contracted Braille, translation is performed every time you press the space bar, go to a new line, or type a punctuation mark followed by space. This means that everything you type gets expanded to computer Braille (standard text) after translation is successfully complete. Keyboard echo will read the Braille characters as expected while typing, and the translated word will be read after pressing space bar if the word key echo is enabled. If you want to perform a translation without inserting a space or a new line character, for example, during correction of existing text, press space with dot 8.

5.         When editing existing text, navigation is done as per computer Braille standards, since the text is expanded automatically, like mentioned before. However, the insertion of text corrections, as well as new text, can be done according to the chosen Braille code.

6.         Orbit Speak includes a global screen reader service that performs Braille translation across the system. This is what makes contracted Braille entry available in every application, rather than in the Editor alone.

6.3     Opening and Saving an Existing Text or Braille Document

To open an existing text or Braille document, do the following:

           Switch to the Home screen by pressing Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6.

           Using UP and Down arrows, navigate to the Editor menu item, or use the quick access command E (Dots 1 5). You will hear a message that a new empty file has been opened.

           Press Dots 1 3 5 8 simultaneously. The Open File dialog box opens.

           Select file location using Up and Down arrow keys. This can be SD card or Internal storage. Press the Select key.

           You will land on a list of folders and files. Use Up and Down arrow keys to navigate through the list. Press the Select key to select a folder. To go up a level, press Dot 7.

           When you have located your file, press the Select key. The file will be opened.

Note: Only one file can be opened at a time. Remember to save your changes if you want to open another file.

To save changes to an existing open file, press Dots 2 3 4 8.

6.4     Editor Menu

The Editor application has a menu where you can always find a list of all the actions.

Press Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4) to open the menu.

This menu contains various items and submenus. Use Up and down arrow keys to navigate between menu items.

Press the Right Arrow to open a submenu.

To exit the submenu to an upper level, press Left Arrow.

To exit the context menu, go to the top level and press the Left Arrow again.

To select a menu item, press the Select key. The context menu will close and the action you selected will be carried out.

The full Editor menu is outlined below.

           File, F:

           New, N;

           Open, O;

           Save, S;

           Save as, A;

           Exit, X.

           Edit, E:

           Start Selection, B;

           Copy, Y;

           Cut, C;

           Paste, P;

           Delete, D;

           Select all, A.

           Read, R:

           Read selected text, D;

           Read from beginning to cursor, B;

           Read from cursor to end, E;

           Read current sentence, S;

           Read current line, L;

           Read current word, W;

           Read current character, C.

Each menu item is followed by its quick access command. This is a letter that you type on the Perkins keyboard to carry out the command.

For example:

To select all text, press Space + M, then the letter E, then A.

To read the current line, press Space + M, then the letter R, then L.

6.5     Editor Commands

In addition to the context menu, there are lots of various commands that make working with a document easier and faster. Here you will find a list of all commands of the Editor application. Note that some actions can be performed in more than one way. In this case, several commands for the same action are listed and separated by a semicolon.

           Go to the next character — Space + Dot 6; Right Arrow.

           Go to the previous character — Space + Dot 3; Left Arrow.

           Go to the next word — Space + Dot 5; Space + Right Arrow.

           Go to the previous word — Space + Dot 2; Space + Left Arrow.

           Read the next line — Space + Dot 4; Down Arrow.

           Read the previous line — Space + Dot 1; Up Arrow.

           Move the cursor to the beginning of the line — Space + Dots 1 3.

           Move the cursor to the end of the line — Space + Dots 4 6.

           Move the cursor to the beginning of the document — Space + Dots 1 2 3.

           Move the cursor to the end of the document — Space + Dots 4 5 6.

           Insert new line — Select; Dot 8.

           Delete the previous character (analogous to the Backspace key on PC) — Dot 7.

           Delete the character under the cursor (analogous to the Delete key on PC) — Space + D (Space + Dots 1 4 5).

           Enable/disable selection mode —Dots 1 2 8.

           Copy selected text — Dots 1 4 8.

           Cut selected text —Dots 1 3 4 6 8.

           Paste text you copied or cut before — Dots 1 2 3 6 8.

           Select All — Dots 1 8.

           Read the current line (press twice quickly to spell) — Space + Dots 1 4.

           Read the current word (press twice quickly to spell) — Space + Dots 2 5.

           Read the current character — Space + Dots 3 6.

           Read everything from the cursor to the end of the document — Dots 1 2 4 5 8.

           Read everything from the beginning of the document to the cursor — Space + Dots 1 2 4 5 7.

           Read the selected text — Space + Dots 1 2 7.

           Open context menu — Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4).

           Create a new document — Dots 1 3 4 5 8.

           Open a document — Dots 1 3 5 8.

           Save an existing document — Dots 2 3 4 8.

           Save a new untitled document or save a document under a new name — Space + Dots 2 3 4.

           Close the Editor application — Space + Dots 1 3 5 6.

7     Book Reader

The Book Reader application allows you to read books and documents on Orbit Speak.

Book Reader supports DAISY books, audiobooks, Microsoft Word files, TXT files, textual PDF files, HTML files, and EPUB files.

DAISY books and audiobooks must be provided as zipped files.

You can keep books on My Bookshelf, continue reading books, open downloaded books, search inside books, move by different reading units, use bookmarks, and adjust reading and speech settings.

7.1     Opening the Book Reader Application

To open Book Reader, do the following:

1. Press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 to go to the Home Screen.

2. Navigate to Book Reader with the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4).

3. Press Select (Dot 8) or press B (Dots 1 2).

To close Book Reader, press Dot 7 until the application closes, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6, or press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 to return to the home screen.

7.2     Choosing What to Read

The first list in Book Reader helps you choose where you want to find or manage books.

The list contains the following items:

1. My Bookshelf

2. Online Services

3. Downloaded Books

4. Recently Read

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the list.

Press Select on an item to continue.

After you select an item, the application shows the relevant content. For example, selecting My Bookshelf shows books stored in your bookshelf, selecting Downloaded Books shows books downloaded from online services, and selecting Recently Read shows books you opened recently.

Press Select on an item to open it, read it, or move one level deeper.

Press Dot 7 to move one level higher. If you are already on the first list, pressing Dot 7 to close Book Reader.

7.3     My Bookshelf

My Bookshelf contains books and supported reading content found on your Orbit Speak.

By default, Book Reader scans the following folders on internal storage and on the SD card:

           Audiobooks

           Books

           Documents

Supported files found in these folders are added to My Bookshelf automatically.

For DAISY books and audiobooks, add the zipped file to one of these folders. DAISY books and audiobooks must remain zipped to be detected and opened correctly.

You can also add books manually from internal storage or from an SD card.

Use My Bookshelf for books and documents you want to keep available in Book Reader.

To open My Bookshelf, open Book Reader, navigate to My Bookshelf, and press Select.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the book list.

Press Select on a book to open it.

When a book opens, Book Reader starts at the saved reading position if one is available.

7.4     Adding Books

Book Reader adds supported content to My Bookshelf automatically when it scans the Audiobooks, Books, and Documents folders on internal storage and on the SD card.

Use Scan Files from the Book Reader context menu after copying new books or documents to these folders.

You can also add a book manually from internal storage or from an SD card.

For DAISY books and audiobooks, make sure the book is a zipped file before adding it.

To add a book manually, do the following:

1.         Open Book Reader.

2.         Press Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4) to open the context > menu.

3.         Navigate to Add Book or press A (Dot 1).

4.         Press Select.

A file picker dialog opens.

1.         Choose Internal Storage or SD Card, if an SD card is > inserted.

2.         Navigate to the folder that contains the book.

3.         Press Select on the book you want to add.

The book is added to My Bookshelf and opens for reading.

To close the file picker without adding a book, press Dot 7.

7.5     Downloaded Books

Downloaded Books contains books downloaded or borrowed from online services.

Use Downloaded Books when you want to open a book that was downloaded from an online library.

To open Downloaded Books, open Book Reader, navigate to Downloaded Books, and press Select.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through downloaded books.

Press Select on a book to open it.

7.6     Recently Read

Recently Read contains the last ten books you opened.

Use Recently Read when you want to quickly continue a book without searching for it again.

To open Recently Read, open Book Reader, navigate to Recently Read, and press Select.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through recently read books.

Press Select on a book to reopen it from the last saved reading position.

7.7     Context Menus in Book Reader

Book Reader includes context menus that provide actions for the item or screen you are currently using.

The available context menu items change depending on where you are. For example, the context menu in the first list contains application-level actions, the context menu in My Bookshelf contains book actions, and the context menu in the reading view contains reading, search, and bookmark actions.

To open a context menu, press Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4).

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the menu items.

Press Select to activate the focused item.

Press the Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) to close the context menu without selecting an item.

Context menus also support first-letter navigation. When a context menu is open, you can activate an item by typing its first-letter letter on the Perkins keyboard.

7.8     Book Reader Context Menu

The Book Reader context menu is available when focus is in the first Book Reader list.

The context menu includes the following items:

Add Book — first letter A (Dot 1)

Opens a file picker dialog so you can add a book from internal storage or an SD card.

Scan Files — first letter S (Dots 2 3 4)

Scans the Audiobooks, Books, and Documents folders on internal storage and the SD card and adds supported books and documents to My Bookshelf.

Use this option after copying new books or documents to the device.

Clear Recent — first letter C (Dots 1 4)

Clear all books from the Recently Read list.

This does not delete the books from My Bookshelf or from storage.

Book Reader Settings — first letter B (Dots 1 2)

Opens the Book Reader Settings dialog.

Book Reader Speech Options — type its first letter

Opens speech options for the reading view.

Use Book Reader Speech Options when you want Book Reader to use a different voice for reading books than the main text-to-speech voice system.

Exit — first letter E (Dots 1 5)

Closes Book Reader and returns to the Home Screen.

7.9     Bookshelf Context Menu

The Bookshelf context menu is available when focus is on a book in My Bookshelf.

To open the context menu, move to a book and press Space + M.

The context menu includes the following items:

Add Book — first letter A (Dot 1)

Opens a file picker dialog so you can add another book to My Bookshelf.

Open Book — first letter O (Dots 1 3 5)

Opens the selected book for reading.

Delete Book — first letter D (Dots 1 4 5)

Deletes or removes the selected book.

When you choose Delete Book, a confirmation dialog opens with the following options:

           Delete from Bookshelf: Removes the book from My Bookshelf but > keeps the file on the device.

           Delete from Device: Deletes the book file from storage.

           Cancel: Closes the dialog without deleting anything.

In this dialog, use Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2) to move between the options and press Select to choose one.

Warning: Delete from Device removes the file from storage. Make sure you no longer need the book before choosing this option.

Exit — first letter E (Dots 1 5)

Closes Book Reader and returns to the Home Screen.

7.10  Recently Read Context Menu

The Recently Read context menu is available when focus is in the Recently Read list.

The context menu includes the following items:

Open Book — first letter O (Dots 1 3 5)

Opens the selected book from the Recently Read list.

Clear Recent — first letter C (Dots 1 4)

Clear all books from the Recently Read list.

This does not delete the books from My Bookshelf or from storage.

Exit — first letter E (Dots 1 5)

Closes Book Reader and returns to the Home Screen.

7.11  Reading a Book

When a book is open, Book Reader enters the reading view.

The reading view allows you to start and stop reading, move through the book, search for text, go to a specific location, use bookmarks, and adjust reading options.

Depending on the Automatically Read setting, Book Reader can start reading automatically when a book opens. If automatic reading is off, press Select (Dot 8) to start reading.

Press Select again to pause or resume reading.

7.12  Reading Commands

The following commands are available in the reading view:

           Select (Dot 8): Start, pause, or resume reading.

           Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4): > Choose the movement unit.

           Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) and Right Arrow (Space + Dot 6): > Move by the selected movement unit.

           Dot 7 + F1 and Dot 7 + F4: Decrease or increase Book Reader > volume.

           Space + F1 and Space + F4: Decrease or increase reading > speed.

           Dot 8 + B: Add a bookmark at the current reading position.

           Dot 8 + F: Find Next — move to the next occurrence of the last search text.

           Dot 7 + F: Find Previous — move to the previous occurrence of the last search text.

           Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4): Open the reading view > context menu. Use it to open the Find dialog, open the Go To > dialog, and work with bookmarks.

           Where Am I: Announces the current reading position and other > available position information. It is available from the reading > view context menu.

           Dot 7: Close the book and return to the previous Book Reader > list.

Book Reader volume is relative to the system volume. For example, if the system volume is set to 50 percent, the maximum Book Reader volume is limited by that system volume level.

7.13  Movement Units While Reading

Movement units’ control what the Left Arrow and Right Arrow keys do while you are reading.

They let you choose how you want to move through the current book. For example, you can move by time, word, sentence, page, heading, or bookmark.

During reading:

           Use the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + > Dot 1) keys to choose the movement unit.

           Use the Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) and Right Arrow (Space + > Dot 6) keys to move by the selected movement unit.

For example:

           If the selected movement unit is 1 minute, press the Right > Arrow to move forward one minute, or press the Left Arrow to > move backward one minute.

           If the selected movement unit is Word, press the Right Arrow > to move to the next word, or press the Left Arrow to move to > the previous word.

           If the selected movement unit is Sentence, press the Right > Arrow to move to the next sentence, or press the Left Arrow > to move to the previous sentence.

           If the selected movement unit is Page, press the Right Arrow > to move to the next page, or press the Left Arrow to move to > the previous page.

           If the selected movement unit is Heading, press the Right > Arrow to move to the next heading, or press the Left Arrow to > move to the previous heading.

           If the selected movement unit is Bookmark, press the Right > Arrow to move to the next bookmark, or press the Left Arrow > to move to the previous bookmark.

Orbit Speak announces the selected movement unit when you change it.

Available movement units include:

           1 minute

           2 minutes

           5 minutes

           10 minutes

           Word

           Sentence

           Page

           Bookmark

           Heading Level 1

           Heading Level 2

           Heading Level 3

The movement units available in a book depend on the book format and structure. For example, page navigation requires page information, heading navigation requires headings in the book, and bookmark navigation requires bookmarks in the book.

7.14  Find and Go to Dialogs

The reading view includes dialogs for finding text and moving to a specific location.

Find Dialog

The Find dialog allows you to search for text in the current book.

To search in a book, do the following:

1.         While reading a book, press Space + M to open the reading view > context menu and choose Find.

The Find dialog opens.

1.         Enter the text you want to find.

2.         Press Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) to move to OK and press > Select.

If a match is found, Book Reader moves to the matching text.

If no matching text is found, Orbit Speak speaks a message and your reading position does not change.

To close the dialog without searching, press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6, or move to Cancel and press Select.

Find Next and Find Previous

After you search for text, use Find Next to move to the next occurrence of the same search text. Press Dot 8 + F to Find Next.

Press Dot 7 + F to Find Previous, which moves to the previous occurrence of the search text.

Find Next and Find Previous are also available from the reading view context menu.

Go To Dialog

The Go To dialog allows you to move directly to a specific place in the book.

To go to a location, do the following:

1.         While reading a book, press Space + M to open the reading view > context menu and choose Go To.

The Go to Dialog is open.

1.         Choose the type of location, such as Page or Percentage, > using the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to change the combo > box value.

2.         Press Tab to move to the value field and enter the value.

3.         Press Tab to move to OK and press Select.

If the location is valid, Book Reader moves to that location.

If the location is not valid, Orbit Speak speaks an error message and keeps the dialog open so you can correct the value.

To close the dialog without moving, press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6, or move to Cancel and press Select.

7.15  Reading View Context Menu

The Reading View context menu is available while a book is open.

To open the context menu, press Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4) from the reading view.

The context menu includes the following groups of actions:

7.15.1   File Actions

File actions allow you to open or close books.

They include:

           Open Book — first letter O (Dots 1 3 5): Opens a file > picker so you can choose another book.

           Close Book — first letter C (Dots 1 4): Closes the > current book and returns to My Bookshelf.

           Close Book and Clear Position — type its first letter: Closes the current book > and clears the saved reading position for that book.

           Exit — first letter E (Dots 1 5): Closes Book Reader and > returns to the Home Screen.

7.15.2   Go To Actions

Go To actions allow you to search or move to a specific location.

They include:

           Find — first letter F (Dots 1 2 4): Opens the Find > dialog.

           Find Next — Dot 8 + F: Moves to the next occurrence of the last search text.

           Find Previous — Dot 7 + F: Moves to the previous occurrence of the last search text.

           Go To — first letter G (Dots 1 2 4 5): Opens the Go To > dialog.

7.15.3   Reading Actions

Reading actions read specific parts of the current book.

They include:

           Toggle Continuous Reading — first letter T (Dots 2 3 4 > 5): Starts or stops continuous reading.

           Read Current Paragraph — first letter R (Dots 1 2 3 5): > Reads the current paragraph.

           Read Current Sentence — type its first letter: Reads the current > sentence.

           Read Current Page — type its first letter: Reads the current > page.

7.15.4   Bookmark Actions

Bookmark actions allow you to save and return to reading positions.

They include:

           Set Bookmark — first letter S (Dots 2 3 4)

           Jump to Bookmark — first letter J (Dots 2 4 5)

           Delete Bookmark — first letter D (Dots 1 4 5)

           Bookmarks List — first letter B (Dots 1 2)

Press the Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) to close the context menu.

7.16  Bookmarks

Bookmarks allow you to save important positions in a book and return to them later.

You can move between bookmarks from the reading view context menu or by using the Bookmark movement unit while reading.

7.16.1   Setting a Bookmark

To set a bookmark, do one of the following:

           Press Dot 8 + B while reading.

           Open the reading view context menu and choose Set Bookmark.

To set a bookmark from the context menu, do the following:

1.         Open the book.

2.         Move to the position where you want to place the bookmark.

3.         Press Space + M to open the reading view context menu.

4.         Navigate to Set Bookmark or press S (Dots 2 3 4).

5.         Press Select.

The bookmark is saved.

7.16.2   Jumping to a Bookmark

To jump to a bookmark from the context menu, do the following:

1.         Open the reading view context menu.

2.         Navigate to Jump to Bookmark or press J (Dots 2 4 5).

3.         Press Select.

4.         Choose the bookmark you want.

5.         Press Select.

Book Reader moves to the selected bookmark.

To move between bookmarks while reading, choose Bookmark as the movement unit. Then press the Right Arrow to move to the next bookmark, or the Left Arrow to move to the previous bookmark.

7.16.3   Deleting a Bookmark

To delete a bookmark, do the following:

1.         Open the reading view context menu.

2.         Navigate to Delete Bookmark or press D (Dots 1 4 5).

3.         Press Select.

4.         Choose the bookmark you want to delete.

5.         Press Select.

The bookmark is removed.

7.16.4   Bookmarks List

The Bookmarks List option shows all bookmarks for the current book. Open the context menu (Space + M) and choose Bookmarks List or press B (Dots 1 2).

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the list.

Press Select on a bookmark to move to it.

7.17  Book Reader Settings

The Book Reader Settings dialog allows you to customize how Book Reader behaves when opening and navigating books.

To open Book Reader Settings, do the following:

1.         Open Book Reader.

2.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

3.         Navigate to Book Reader Settings or press B (Dots 1 2).

4.         Press Select.

This is a dialog. Use Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2) to move between the settings and use the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4) to change the value of the focused setting.

The settings dialog includes the following settings:

7.17.1   Automatically Read

This setting controls whether Book Reader starts reading automatically when a book opens.

The available options are:

           On: Book Reader starts reading automatically when a book opens.

           Off: Book Reader waits for you to press Select before > reading.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to choose the option you prefer.

7.17.2   Preferred Reading Mode for DAISY Books

DAISY books can contain text, recorded audio, or both.

This setting controls which reading mode Book Reader uses for DAISY books.

The available options are:

           Text Mode: Book Reader reads the book text using text-to-speech.

           Audio Mode: Book Reader plays the recorded audio included in the > DAISY book.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to choose the option you prefer.

7.17.3   Heading Level Navigation

This setting controls how heading navigation works.

The available options are:

           Current Level: Moves only through headings at the selected > heading level.

           Current Level Plus Higher Levels: Moves through headings at the > selected level and higher levels.

For example, if you are reading at Heading Level 2, Current Level moves only through Heading Level 2 headings. Current Level Plus Higher Levels moves through Heading Level 2 and Heading Level 1 headings.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to choose the option you prefer.

7.17.4   Saving or Cancelling Book Reader Settings

Press Tab to move to OK and press Select to save your changes.

Move to Cancel and press Select, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6, to close the dialog without saving changes.

7.18  Book Reader Speech Options

The Book Reader Speech Options dialog allows you to choose the voice used for reading books.

Use this dialog when you want Book Reader to use a different voice from the main system text-to-speech voice. For example, you can keep one voice for menus and system messages and use another voice for reading books.

These settings affect Book Reader reading speech. They do not change the general system speech settings used outside the reading view.

To open Book Reader Speech Options, do the following:

1.         Open Book Reader.

2.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

3.         Navigate to Book Reader Speech Options (press its first letter >, since it shares “B” with Book Reader > Settings).

4.         Press Select.

The dialog includes the following settings:

7.18.1   Engine

This setting allows you to choose the speech engine used for reading.

7.18.2   Language

This setting allows you to choose the reading language.

Voice

This setting allows you to choose the voice.

7.18.3   Speech Rate

This setting allows you to choose how fast Book Reader reads.

7.18.4   Pitch

This setting allows you to adjust the voice pitch.

7.18.5   Volume

This setting allows you to adjust the reading volume.

Use Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2) to move between the settings.

Use the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 1) to change the value of the focused setting.

Press Tab to move to OK and press Select to save your changes.

Move to Cancel and press Select, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6, to close the dialog without saving changes.

7.19  Closing Book Reader

To move one level higher in Book Reader, press Dot 7.

To close the current book and return to the previous Book Reader list, press Dot 7 from the reading view, or use Close Book from the reading view context menu.

To completely close Book Reader, press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 to return to the home screen, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6, or open the context menu and choose Exit.

8     Online Libraries

8.1     About Online Libraries

The Online Libraries feature allows you to access supported online library services from Book Reader.

You can add online services, log in to library accounts, browse library categories, search for books, view book information, download books, stream books when supported, and borrow or return books when supported by the service.

Online Libraries require an active internet connection.

Books downloaded from online libraries appear in Downloaded Books in Book Reader.

8.2     Opening Online Services

Online library services are available from the Online Services item in Book Reader.

To open Online Services, do the following:

1.         Press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 to go to the Home Screen.

2.         Navigate to Book Reader.

3.         Press Select or press B (Dots 1 2).

4.         Navigate to Online Services.

5.         Press Select.

The Online Services list opens.

If you have already added online services, they appear in this list.

If no services have been added yet, Orbit Speak speaks a message telling you that no online services are available and that you can use the context menu to add one.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the list.

Press Select on a service to open it.

Press Dot 7 to return to the first list in Book Reader.

8.3     Adding an Online Service

To use an online library, you must add the service and log in with your account.

To add an online service, do the following:

1.         Open Online Services.

2.         Press Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4) to open the context > menu.

3.         Navigate to Add Online Service or press A (Dot 1).

4.         Press Select.

A list of supported online library services opens.

1.         Navigate to the service you want to add.

2.         Press Select.

A login dialog opens.

The login dialog is a dialog. Use Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2) to move between the Username field, the Password field, OK, and Cancel.

1.         Enter your username.

2.         Press Tab and enter your password.

3.         Press Tab to move to OK and press Select.

If the login is successful, the service is added to the Online Services list.

If the login information is not correct, or if the service cannot be reached, Orbit Speak speaks an error message.

To close the login dialog without adding the service, press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6, or move to Cancel and press Select.

8.4     Logging Out and Removing Online Service

You can remove an online service from the Online Services list.

To remove a service, do the following:

1.         Open Online Services.

2.         Navigate to the service you want to remove.

3.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

4.         Navigate to Delete and Log Out or press D (Dots 1 4 5).

5.         Press Select.

A confirmation dialog opens.

1.         Choose Yes to remove the service and log out.

2.         Choose No, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6, to cancel. Use > Tab to move between Yes and No and Select to > confirm.

Warning: Removing an online service also removes books downloaded from that service.

8.5     Browsing an Online Library

After you add and log in to an online service, you can browse its available content.

To browse an online library, do the following:

1.         Open Online Services.

2.         Navigate to the service you want.

3.         Press Select.

The library opens and shows its available categories.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through categories, subcategories, and book lists.

Press Select to open a category, show a book list, or open book information.

Press Dot 7 to move one level higher.

The categories and available content depend on the selected online library.

8.6     Searching for Books

You can search for books in an online library.

To search for a book, do the following:

1.         Open Online Services.

2.         Open the online library service you want to search.

3.         Press Space + M to open the context menu and choose Search, > or press S (Dots 2 3 4).

The Search dialog opens.

1.         Enter the search text.

2.         Press Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) to move to OK and press > Select.

A list of matching books opens.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the search results.

Press Select on a book to open its Book Information dialog.

If no matching books are found, Orbit Speak speaks a message.

Press Dot 7 to return to the previous screen.

8.7     Book Information

The Book Information dialog shows details about a selected book.

To open Book Information, move to a book in an online library list or search results and press Select.

The Book Information dialog shows details such as:

           Title

           Author

           Format

           Availability

The dialog contains the following actions:

           Download Book

           Close

Use Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2) to move between the actions.

Select Download Book to download the book.

Select Close, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6, to close the dialog without downloading.

8.8     Downloading Books

You can download a book from an online library and read it later from Downloaded Books.

To download a book, do one of the following:

           Open the Book Information dialog and choose Download Book.

           Move to a book, open the context menu, and choose Download Book.

A download screen opens and shows the download progress.

To cancel the download, press Dot 7.

When the download finishes, the book opens automatically in Book Reader.

Downloaded books are also added to Downloaded Books.

8.9     Streaming Books

Some online libraries support streaming.

Streaming allows you to read or listen to a book without downloading it first.

When streaming is available for the selected book, the context menu includes Stream Book.

To stream a book, do the following:

1.         Move to the book.

2.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

3.         Navigate to Stream Book (type its first letter).

4.         Press Select.

The book starts playing or reading without being downloaded.

If streaming is not supported by the selected library or book, the Stream Book option is not shown.

8.10  Borrowing or Returning Books

Some online libraries require books to be borrowed before they can be read.

When borrowing is supported, the context menu includes Issue Book or a similar borrowing option.

To borrow a book, move to the book, open the context menu, and choose Issue Book.

After the book is issued, you can download or read it according to the library rules.

When a borrowed book can be returned, the context menu includes Return Book.

To return a book, move to the book, open the context menu, and choose Return Book.

Returning a book removes its borrowed status. Depending on the service, the downloaded copy can also be removed or become unavailable.

8.11  Context Menus in Online Libraries

Online Libraries include context menus that provide actions for the current service, category, book, or screen.

The available context menu items change depending on where you are and what the selected online library supports.

To open a context menu, press Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4).

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the menu items.

Press Select to activate the focused item.

Press the Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) to close the context menu without selecting an item.

Context menus also support first-letter navigation. When a context menu is open, you can activate an item by typing its first-letter letter on the Perkins keyboard.

Common context menu items include:

Add Online Service — first letter A (Dot 1)

Opens a list of supported online library services so you can add and log in to a service.

Delete and Log Out — first letter D (Dots 1 4 5)

Removes the selected online service and logs out of the account.

Warning: This also removes books downloaded from that service.

Search — first letter S (Dots 2 3 4)

Opens the Search dialog.

Book Information — first letter B (Dots 1 2)

Opens the Book Information dialog for the selected book.

Download Book — type its first letter

Downloads the selected book.

Stream Book — type its first letter

Streams the selected book when streaming is supported.

Issue Book — first letter I (Dots 2 4)

Borrows or checks out the selected book when required by the online library.

Return Book — first letter R (Dots 1 2 3 5)

Returns a borrowed book when supported by the online library.

Exit — first letter E (Dots 1 5)

Closes Online Libraries or Book Reader, depending on where you are.

8.12  Reading Downloaded Books

Books downloaded from online libraries appear in Downloaded Books in Book Reader.

To open a downloaded book, do the following:

1.         Open Book Reader.

2.         Navigate to Downloaded Books.

3.         Press Select.

4.         Navigate to the book you want to read.

5.         Press Select.

The book opens in Book Reader.

Reading commands, movement units, bookmarks, Find, Go To, and speech options work the same as described in the Book Reader section.

8.13  Closing Online Libraries

To move one level higher while browsing an online library, press Dot 7.

To return from Online Services to the first list in Book Reader, press Dot 7 until the first list appears.

To close Book Reader completely, press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 to return to the home screen, or open the context menu and choose Exit.

9     Newspapers (Magazines)

9.1     Introduction

The Newspapers category lets you subscribe to newspapers and magazines from supported online libraries and read their issues in Book Reader. The operation, dialogs, and keys are the same as other Online Libraries and Downloaded Books sections; only the content is different.

If no newspapers are added yet, the Newspapers list says:
“No newspapers. Use the context menu to add a newspaper.”

Note: First-letter navigation is supported in all long lists for this feature. To know more about this feature, read the topic number 3, First letter navigation.

9.1.1       Opening the Newspapers category

1.         Switch to the home screen by pressing Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6.

2.         Using the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + > Dot 1) keys, navigate to Book Reader, and press Select > (Dot 8), or press B (Dots 1 2).

3.         In the Book Reader categories list, navigate to Newspapers and > press Select.

           If newspapers are already added, the list shows each subscribed > newspaper and the number of unread issues.

           If a newspaper has no new unread issues, the device announces this > when you focus on it.

To exit Newspapers and return to the Book Reader categories list, press Dot 7.

9.2     Adding a newspaper (subscribe)

Use the Newspapers context menu to add newspapers from a supported library.

1.         With Newspapers open, press Space + M (Space + Dots > 1 3 4) to open the context menu.

2.         Choose Add newspaper and press Select or press A (Dot > 1).
> The Select newspaper library dialog opens with the list of > supported libraries.

3.         Focus your preferred library using the Up Arrow and Down > Arrow keys and press Select.

           If you are not logged in to that library, the standard Login > dialog opens with Username, Password, OK, and > Cancel. Use Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab > (Space + Dots 1 2) to move between these controls, type in the > fields, and press Select on OK.

           If the login information you entered is incorrect, the device > announces that credentials are invalid.

           If there is no internet connection, the device announces that > online services are unavailable.

4.         After a successful login, the library shows its newspaper > categories (for example, by region, language, or topic). > Navigate to a category and press Select.

5.         The list of newspapers in that category appears. Focus a > newspaper by navigating there using the Up Arrow and Down > Arrow keys and press Select to subscribe.

           After subscribing, the issues for that newspaper are shown > immediately.

           From this point forward, this newspaper appears in the main > Newspapers list.

To return to Newspapers without subscribing, press Dot 7.

9.3     Opening and reading an issue

1.         From Book Reader in the newspaper section, focus a subscribed > newspaper and press Select to open its issues list.

2.         Focus on the issue you want and press Select.
> The issue is downloaded and then opens for reading > automatically.

Reading and navigation work exactly as described in the Book Reader chapter:

           Select (Dot 8): start or stop reading.

           Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) / Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4): > change between the navigational units supported by Book Reader.

           Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) / Right Arrow (Space + Dot 6): > move to the next or previous item by the navigational unit > selected with the Up and Down Arrow keys.

           Dot 7 + F1 / Dot 7 + F4: decrease or increase the Book > Reader-specific volume. This volume is relative to the system > volume, so if your system volume is at 50%, the 100% Book Reader > volume will sound like 50%.

           Space + F1 / Space + F4: increase or decrease the reading > speed.

9.4     Managing newspapers and issues

Open the context menu (Space + M) at the level you are on (Newspapers list or a newspaper issues list) to manage items.

In the Newspapers list (focus on a newspaper):

           Delete newspaper (unsubscribe) — first letter D (Dots > 1 4 5) — unsubscribes from the focused newspaper.
> A confirmation dialog is shown. Choose Yes to unsubscribe or > Cancel to keep it. Use Tab to move between the buttons and > Select to confirm.
> After unsubscribing, the newspaper is removed from the Newspapers > list.

In an issues list (focus on an issue):

           Open — first letter O (Dots 1 3 5) — downloads (if > needed) and opens the issue for reading.

           Delete — type its first letter — removes the downloaded copy of the > focused issue (confirmation required).

           Exit — first letter E (Dots 1 5) — closes the issues > list and returns to the Newspapers list.

To leave Newspapers and return to the Book Reader categories, press Dot 7.

9.5     Notes

           First-letter navigation is supported in all long lists and combo > boxes used by this feature. To learn more about this feature, > please read topic 3: First letter navigation.

           The flow and controls are the same as other Online Libraries and > Downloaded Books screens.

           Availability of libraries and newspapers depends on your region and > account.

10      Braille Reader Application

10.1  Introduction

Braille Reader lets you open and read braille-formatted books and documents on Orbit Speak. It supports common braille file types such as BRF, BRL, and BRA.
For accurate words, select the matching Braille table in Settings and Braille tables before opening a file.

10.2  Locating and Opening the Application

To open Braille Reader, do the following:

1.         If you are in another application, press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 > to return to the home screen.

2.         Press the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) or Down Arrow (Space + > Dot 1) until you hear “Braille Reader,” or press its first letter >.

3.         Press Select (Dot 8) to open the application.

4.         On first open without a file loaded, the device announces that > Braille Reader is open (for example, “Braille Reader, no > files”). This simply means no book is open yet.

To close Braille Reader, press Dot 7, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6, or press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 to return to the home screen.

10.3  Opening and Reading the Book

You can open a book in two ways.

10.3.1   Open from the Braille Reader menu

1.         With Braille Reader open, press Space + M (Space + Dots > 1 3 4) to open the context menu.

2.         Press the Down Arrow to File (first letter F, Dots > 1 2 4), then press Select to open it.

3.         Focus Open and press Select or press O (Dots 1 3 > 5).

4.         The Open dialog announces the current storage location (for example, > Internal storage or SD card).

           Choose a storage using the Up Arrow or Down Arrow, then > press Select.

5.         You are now on a list of folders and files.

           Move with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow.

           Press Select on a folder to enter it.

           Press Dot 7 to go up one level.

6.         Focus on a braille file (brf, brl, bra) and press > Select. The book opens and is ready for reading.

10.3.2   Open from File Manager

1.         From the home screen, navigate to Utilities, then press > Select, or press U (Dots 1 3 6).

2.         Navigate to File Manager and press Select to open it, or > press F (Dots 1 2 4).

3.         Move through folders with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow.

           Press Select to enter a folder.

           Press Dot 7 to go up one level.

4.         Focus on a braille file (brf, brl, bra) and press > Select. The file opens directly in Braille Reader.

Note: Only one book can be open at a time.

11      Media Player

The Media Player application allows you to play audio files on Orbit Speak. It is mainly designed for music, but it can also play supported video files as audio only.

Media Player can organize your media in a library, play files from folders, show recently played items, search for media, manage playlists, create a temporary playback queue, and stream media from a URL.

Supported audio formats include:

           MP3

           WAV

           WMA

           FLAC

           AAC

           RA

           M4A

           OGG

           APE

11.1  Opening the Media Player

On the Orbit Speak you move through screens with the five navigation keys, each of which has a Braille-chord equivalent:

           Up Arrow = Space + Dot 1

           Down Arrow = Space + Dot 4

           Left Arrow = Space + Dot 3

           Right Arrow = Space + Dot 6

           Select = Dot 8

To open Media Player, do the following:

1.         Press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 to go to the home screen.

2.         Navigate to Media Player with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys.

3.         Press Select or press the first letter M (Dots 1 3 4).

To close Media Player, press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) until the application closes, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6 to exit the application, or press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 to return to the home screen.

11.2  Choosing What to Play

The first list in Media Player helps you choose how you want to find or play media.

The list contains the following items:

1.         Library — first letter L (Dots 1 2 3)

2.         Folders — first letter F (Dots 1 2 4)

3.         Recently Played — first letter R (Dots 1 2 3 5)

4.         Search — first letter S (Dots 2 3 4)

5.         Playlists — first letter P (Dots 1 2 3 4)

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the list.

Press Select on an item to continue or type the item’s first letter.

After you select an item, the application shows the relevant content. For example, selecting Library shows the library sections, selecting Folders shows available storage locations, and selecting Playlists shows your saved playlists.

Press Select on an item to open it, play it, or move one level deeper.

Press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) to move one level higher. If you are already on the first list, pressing Left Arrow closes Media Player.

11.3  Library

The library item organizes media files found on your Orbit Speak.

To open the library, do the following:

1.         Open Media Player.

2.         Navigate to Library.

3.         Press Select or press L (Dots 1 2 3).

When Media Player opens, Orbit Speak automatically scans for supported media files and adds them to the library. By default, it scans the Music folder on internal storage and the SD card, including supported files in subfolders.

The library uses information from the media files, such as track title, artist, and album, to organize your music.

The library contains the following sections:

1.         Recently Added — first letter R (Dots 1 2 3 5)

2.         Artists — first letter A (Dot 1)

3.         Albums — type their first letter

4.         Songs — first letter S (Dots 2 3 4)

5.         Genre — first letter G (Dots 1 2 4 5)

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the library sections. Press Select to open the focused section. Press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) to return to the first list.

11.3.1   Recently Added

The Recently Added section shows tracks that were recently added to the media library.

Use this section when you have copied new music to the device and want to find it quickly.

11.3.2   Artists

The Artists section shows artists found in the media library.

When you select an artist, Media Player shows albums by that artist first. If no album information is available, it shows the songs by that artist directly.

11.3.3   Albums

The Albums section shows albums found in the media library.

When you select an album, Media Player shows the songs in that album.

11.3.4   Songs

The Songs section shows all songs found in the media library.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the songs. Press Select to play the focused song.

11.3.5   Genre

The Genre section lists songs by their genre, such as pop, rock, and so on.

Note: The artists, albums, and genre lists show only songs that have a singer, album name, genre, or artist’s name stored in their properties.

To revisit the tracks you have heard recently, open Recently Played.
To find something specific, open Search by navigating to it and pressing Select, or by pressing S (Dots 2 3 4).

11.4  Folders

The Folders item allows you to play media files from a folder-based view, similar to File Manager.

Use this item when you want to browse storage directly instead of using the organized media library.

To open Folders, do the following:

1.         Open Media Player.

2.         Navigate to Folders.

3.         Press Select or press F (Dots 1 2 4).

A list of available storage locations opens.

The list includes:

           Internal Storage

           SD Card, if an SD card is inserted

Choose the storage location you want and press Select.

Media Player shows only folders that contain supported media files. Subfolders are included. This makes it easier to find playable media without browsing through unrelated folders.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through folders and files.

Press Select on a folder to open it.

Press Dot 7 to return to the previous folder level.

Press Select on a media file to start playback.

When playback is started from a folder, the previous track (Dot 1) and next track (Dot 4) commands move only between supported media files in the selected folder.

The context menu in Folders provides the same actions available for media items, such as Play, Play Next, Add to Queue, Create Playlist, Add to Playlist, Delete, and Properties.

If the context menu is opened on a folder, playlist actions apply to the supported songs in that folder. For example, Create Playlist creates a playlist and adds the supported songs from the folder.

Note: Folders do not require files to be added to the media library before they can be played.

11.5  Recently Played

The Recently Played item shows media items that you played recently.

To open Recently Played, do the following:

1.         Open Media Player.

2.         Navigate to Recently Played.

3.         Press Select or press R (Dots 1 2 3 5).

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through recently played items. Press Select to play the focused item.

Press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) to return to the first list.

11.6  Search

The Search item allows you to search for a song, artist, album, or other media item in the library.

To search for media, do the following:

1.         Open Media Player.

2.         Navigate to Search.

3.         Press Select or press S (Dots 2 3 4).

4.         Enter the search text on the Perkins keyboard.

5.         Move to OK with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and press Select.

A list of search results opens.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the results. Press Select to play or open the focused result.

Press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) to close the search results and return to the previous screen.

11.7  Playlists

The Playlists item allows you to create, open, play, rename, delete, and manage playlists.

A playlist is a saved group of media items. Use playlists when you want to keep a permanent group of tracks, such as favorite songs, lessons, recordings, or albums from different folders.

Playlists are different from the queue. The queue is temporary and is mainly used for the current playback session. A playlist is saved and can be used again later.

11.7.1   Opening Playlists

To open Playlists, do the following:

1.         Open Media Player.

2.         Navigate to Playlists.

3.         Press Select or press P (Dots 1 2 3 4).

The Playlists list opens.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through your playlists.

Press Select on a playlist to open it.

Press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) to return to the first list.

11.7.2   Creating a Playlist

You can create a playlist from a song, folder, album, artist, search result, or other supported media item.

To create a playlist, do the following:

1.         Navigate to the item you want to add to a new playlist.

This can be a song, folder, album, artist, or another supported item.

2.         Press Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4) to open the context menu.

3.         Navigate to Create Playlist.

4.         Press Select or press C (Dots 1 4).

5.         Enter a name for the playlist on the Perkins keyboard.

6.         Move to OK with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and press Select.

The playlist is created.

If you created the playlist from a song, that song is added to the playlist.

If you created the playlist from a folder, Media Player adds the supported songs from that folder to the playlist.

If you created a playlist from an album or artist, Media Player adds the supported songs from that album or artist to the playlist.

11.7.3   Adding Items to an Existing Playlist

To add an item to an existing playlist, do the following:

1.         Navigate to the song, folder, album, artist, or other supported item that you want to add.

2.         Press Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4) to open the context menu.

3.         Navigate to Add to Playlist.

4.         Press Select.

5.         Choose the playlist you want with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys.

6.         Press Select.

The selected item is added to the playlist.

If the selected item is a folder, album, or artist, Media Player adds the supported songs from that item to the playlist.

11.7.4   Playing a Playlist

To play a playlist, do the following:

1.         Open Media Player.

2.         Navigate to Playlists.

3.         Press Select or press P (Dots 1 2 3 4).

4.         Navigate to the playlist you want.

5.         Press Select.

The playlist opens.

To start playback, press Select on the first item you want to play or open the context menu with Space + M and choose Play.

11.7.5   Playlist Context Menu

When focus is on a playlist or on an item inside a playlist, press Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4) to open the context menu.

The available items change depending on whether focus is on a playlist or on a track inside the playlist.

The context menu includes the following items:

           Play — first letter P (Dots 1 2 3 4): Plays the selected playlist or playlist item.

           Play Next — type its first letter: Plays the selected playlist or item after the current track finishes.

           Add to Queue — first letter A (Dot 1): Adds the selected playlist or item to the end of the queue.

           Rename Playlist — first letter R (Dots 1 2 3 5): Changes the name of the playlist.

           Delete Playlist — first letter D (Dots 1 4 5): Deletes the playlist.

           Remove from Playlist — type its first letter: Removes the selected item from the playlist.

           Properties — type its first letter: Shows information about the selected playlist or playlist item.

Deleting a playlist does not delete the media files from the device. It only deletes the playlist.

Removing an item from a playlist does not delete the media file from the device. It only removes the item from that playlist.

11.8  Playing Files Opened from File Manager

Media Player can also play supported media files that you open directly from File Manager.

To play a file from File Manager, do the following:

1.         Press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 to go to the home screen.

2.         Navigate to File Manager and press Select or press F (Dots 1 2 4).

3.         Open the storage location and folder that contains the media file.

4.         Move to the file you want to play.

5.         Press Select.

The file opens on the Media Player and starts playing.

If you activate only one file from File Manager, Media Player plays only that file.

If you want to play several files from the same folder, you must mark the files first. You can mark all files in the folder or mark specific files.

To play several files from File Manager, do the following:

1.         Open File Manager.

2.         Open the folder that contains the media files.

3.         Mark the files you want to play.

To mark one file, move to it and press Space, or use Mark/Unmark from the File Manager context menu.

To mark all files in the folder, open the File Manager context menu with Space + M, navigate to Select All, and press Select.

4.         After marking the files, press Select on one of the marked files, or choose the appropriate open or play command from the File Manager context menu, if available.

Media Player opens and plays the marked files.

Note: When you play several files from File Manager, the previous track (Dot 1) and next track (Dot 4) commands move between the marked files.

11.9  Context Menus in Media Player

Media Player includes context menus that provide actions for the item or screen you are currently using.

The available context menu items change depending on where you are. For example, the context menu for a song contains playback and library actions, while the context menu on the playback screen contains playback controls such as stop, next track, previous track, shuffle, repeat, and settings.

To open a context menu, press Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4).

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the menu items.

Press Select to activate the focused item or press the item’s first letter.

Press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) to close the context menu without selecting an item.

11.10  Library and First List Context Menu

The library and first list context menu allow you to add media to the library, open a stream URL, rescan the library, or close Media Player.

To open this context menu, press Space + M while focus is in the first list or the main Library list.

The context menu includes the following items:

11.10.1                    Add File to Library

First letter A (Dot 1).

This option opens a file picker so you can add one specific media file to the library.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through files and folders. Press Select to open a folder or choose a file.

11.10.2                    Add Folder to Library

Press its first letter.

This option opens a folder picker so you can add a whole folder to the library.

When you add a folder, supported media files in that folder are added to the media library.

11.10.3                    Open URL

First letter O (Dots 1 3 5).

This option allows you to stream media from a URL.

To open a URL, do the following:

1.         Open the context menu with Space + M.

2.         Navigate to Open URL.

3.         Press Select.

4.         Enter the URL in the edit box.

5.         Move to OK with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and press Select.

If the URL is valid and supported, playback starts.

To close the dialog without opening the URL, move to Cancel with Tab and press Select, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6.

11.10.4                    Rescan

First letter R (Dots 1 2 3 5).

This option scans the library folders again and updates the media library.

Use this option after copying new files to the Music folder or to another folder that has already been added to the library.

11.10.5                    Exit

First letter E (Dots 1 5).

This option closes Media Player and returns to the home screen.

11.11  Media Item Context Menu

The Media Item context menu is available when focus is on a song, album, artist, folder, playlist, or other playable item.

To open the context menu, move to an item and press Space + M.

The context menu includes the following items:

11.11.1                    Play

First letter P (Dots 1 2 3 4).

Plays the selected item immediately.

If another item is already playing, playback changes to the selected item.

11.11.2                    Play Next

Press its first letter.

Add the selected item after the currently playing item.

Use this option when you want the selected item to play next without stopping the current track.

11.11.3                    Add to Queue

First letter A (Dot 1).

Add the selected item to the end of the playback queue.

The queue is the temporary list of items that Media Player will play.

11.11.4                    Create Playlist

First letter C (Dots 1 4).

Creates a new playlist.

If this option is used on a song, the song can be added to the new playlist.

If this option is used on a folder, Media Player can create a playlist and add the supported songs from that folder.

11.11.5                    Add to Playlist

Press its first letter.

Add the selected item to an existing playlist.

If this option is used on a folder, Media Player can add the supported songs from that folder to the selected playlist.

11.11.6                    Delete

First letter D (Dots 1 4 5).

Deletes or removes the selected item.

When you choose Delete, a confirmation dialog opens. Move between its controls with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2), and press Select to activate one of the following options:

           Delete from Library: Removes the item from the Media Player library but keeps the file on the device.

           Delete from Device: Deletes the file from storage.

           Cancel: Closes the dialog without deleting anything.

Warning: Delete from Device removes the file from storage. Make sure you no longer need the file before choosing this option.

11.11.7                    Properties

Press its first letter.

Opens a dialog showing information about the selected item.

The Properties dialog shows information such as:

           Title

           Artist

           Album

           Track number

           Duration

           File name

           File path

           Format

           Size

The information is read-only.

To close the Properties dialog, press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3), press Select, or move to Close with Tab and press Select.

11.12  Playback Screen

The playback screen opens when media starts playing.

The playback screen allows you to control playback, move within the current track, move between tracks, change playback speed, adjust player volume, add bookmarks, open bookmarks, and open playback options.

When the playback screen opens, Media Player announces the application name, the current track, and the playback state.

Whether the track title is spoken automatically depends on the Automatically Speak Track Title setting.

11.13  Playback Commands

The following commands are available from the playback screen:

           Select or Space: Play or pause.

           Dot 1: Move to the previous track.

           Dot 4: Move to the next track.

           Dot 7 + F1: Decrease player volume by 5 percent.

           Dot 7 + F4: Increase player volume by 5 percent.

           Dot 3: Decrease playback speed.

           Dot 6: Increase playback speed.

           Space + N: Speak information about the current track, including the current time position, time remaining, and total track duration.

           Dot 8 + B: Add a bookmark at the current playback position.

           Dot 8 + S: Open the Media Player settings.

           Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4): Open the playback screen context menu.

           Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3): Close the playback screen and return to the previous Media Player list.

To turn shuffle on or off, or to change the repeat mode, open the playback screen context menu with Space + M and choose Shuffle or Repeat. The bookmarks list is opened from the same context menu by choosing Bookmarks.

11.14  Bookmarks

Media Player allows you to add bookmarks in the current file and return to them later.

Bookmarks are useful when you want to save important positions in long recordings, lessons, lectures, or other audio files.

11.14.1                    Adding a Bookmark

To add a bookmark, press Dot 8 + B from the playback screen.

Media Player adds a bookmark at the current playback position.

11.14.2                    Opening the Bookmarks List

To open the bookmarks list, open the playback screen context menu with Space + M and choose Bookmarks.

The bookmarks list opens as a dialog.

Use the Speak dialog navigation in the bookmarks list. Move between the dialog controls with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2) and move through the bookmark items with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys.

11.14.3                    Moving to a Bookmark

To move to a bookmark, do the following:

1.         Open the bookmarks list from the context menu (Space + MBookmarks).

2.         Navigate to the bookmark you want with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys.

3.         Press Select.

Media Player moves playback to the selected bookmark position in the file.

11.14.4                    Deleting a Bookmark

Each bookmark in the bookmarks list has a context menu.

To delete a bookmark, do the following:

1.         Open the bookmarks list from the context menu (Space + MBookmarks).

2.         Navigate to the bookmark you want to delete.

3.         Press Space + M to open its context menu.

4.         Navigate to Delete.

5.         Press Select or press D (Dots 1 4 5).

The bookmark is deleted.

Press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) to close the bookmarks list and return to the playback screen.

11.15  Movement Units During Playback

 

Movement units’ control what the Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) and Right Arrow (Space + Dot 6) keys do while media is playing.

They let you choose how you want to move through the current playback. For example, you can move forward or backward by 10 seconds, jump by one minute, move to the next or previous track, or change playback speed.

This gives you one set of navigation keys that can perform different actions depending on the selected movement unit.

During playback:

           Use the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (**Space

           Dot 1**) keys to choose the movement unit.

           Use the Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) and Right Arrow (Space + Dot 6) keys to move by the selected movement unit.

For example:

           If the selected movement unit is 10 seconds, press Right Arrow to move forward 10 seconds, or press Left Arrow to move backward 10 seconds.

           If the selected movement unit is 1 minute, press Right Arrow to move forward one minute, or press Left Arrow to move backward one minute.

           If the selected movement unit is Track, press Right Arrow to move to the next track, or press Left Arrow to move to the previous track.

           If the selected movement unit is Playback Speed, press Right Arrow to increase playback speed, or press Left Arrow to decrease playback speed.

Orbit Speak announces the selected movement unit when you change it.

Available movement units include:

           5 seconds

           10 seconds

           15 seconds

           30 seconds

           45 seconds

           1 minute

           5 minutes

           10 minutes

           15 minutes

           30 minutes

           1 hour

           Track

           Playback Speed

You can choose which movement units are available in the Media Player settings. Movement units that are turned off in settings do not appear when you cycle through movement units during playback.

11.16  Playback Modes

Media Player supports several playback modes.

11.16.1                    Normal Playback

In normal playback, tracks play in order. When the current track finishes, Media Player moves to the next track.

When the last track finishes, playback stops unless repeat is enabled.

11.16.2                    Single Play

In Single Play mode, Media Player plays the selected track and then stops.

Use this mode when you want to play one item only and do not want Media Player to continue automatically to the next track.

11.16.3                    Repeat Once

In Repeat Once mode, Media Player repeats the current track one time.

After the track has been repeated once, playback continues according to the current playback list and playback mode.

11.16.4                    Repeat All

In Repeat All mode, Media Player plays all tracks in the current playback list. When the last track finishes, playback continues again from the first track.

Use this mode when you want continuous playback of an album, folder, playlist, or queue.

11.16.5                    Repeat Off

When repeat is off, Media Player plays according to the current playback list and then stops when the list ends.

11.16.6                    Shuffle

Shuffle changes the order of playback.

When shuffle is on, tracks play in a random order.

When shuffle is off, tracks play in their normal order, such as the order in an album, folder, playlist, or queue.

You can turn shuffle on or off from the playback screen context menu (Space + MShuffle).

Note: Shuffle and repeat can be used together. For example, if shuffle is on and Repeat All is selected, Media Player plays all items in a random order and then continues playing them again.

11.17  Queue

The queue is a temporary list of items that Media Player will play.

Use Play Next to place an item immediately after the current track.

Use Add to Queue to place an item at the end of the queue.

Items can be added to the queue from library lists, search results, playlists, and folders.

The queue is useful when you want to choose several tracks or folders to play without creating a permanent playlist.

11.18  Playback Screen Context Menu

To open the playback screen context menu, press Space + M while the playback screen is open.

Playback pauses automatically while the context menu is open.

The context menu includes the following items:

11.18.1                    Play or Pause

First letter P (Dots 1 2 3 4).

Starts or pauses playback, depending on the current playback state.

11.18.2                    Stop

First letter S (Dots 2 3 4).

Stops playback completely.

Stop is different from pause. When playback is paused, you can resume from the same position. When playback is stopped, Media Player returns to the beginning of the track or clears the current playback state, depending on the selected item.

11.18.3                    Next Track

First letter N (Dots 1 3 4 5).

Moves to the next track.

11.18.4                    Previous Track

Press its first letter.

Moves to the previous track.

11.18.5                    Playback Speed

Press its first letter.

Opens a submenu containing available playback speed values.

The normal playback speed is 100 percent.

Choose a lower value to play more slowly. Choose a higher value to play more quickly.

11.18.6                    Shuffle

Press its first letter.

Turns shuffle on or off.

When shuffle is on, tracks play in random order. When shuffle is off, tracks play in normal order.

11.18.7                    Repeat

First letter R (Dots 1 2 3 5).

Changes the repeat mode.

Available repeat modes include:

           Repeat Off

           Single Play

           Repeat Once

           Repeat All

11.18.8                    Bookmarks

First letter B (Dots 1 2).

Open the bookmarks list for the current file.

11.18.9                    Track Information

First letter T (Dots 2 3 4 5).

Opens a dialog with information about the current track.

The dialog shows information such as the track title, artist, album, duration, file path, and format.

To close the dialog, press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3), press Select, or move to Close with Tab and press Select.

11.18.10                 Settings

Press its first letter.

Opens the Media Player settings dialog.

11.18.11                 Close

First letter C (Dots 1 4).

Closes the playback screen and returns to the Media Player list.

Playback continues in the background, depending on the current playback state.

11.18.12                 Exit

First letter E (Dots 1 5).

Completely closes Media Player.

11.19  Media Player Settings

The Media Player settings dialog allows you to customize playback behavior.

To open Media Player settings, do one of the following:

           From the playback screen, press Dot 8 + S, or open the playback screen context menu with Space + M and choose Settings.

           From a Media Player list context menu, choose Settings, if available.

The settings dialog uses the Speak dialog model. Move between the settings with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2). Change the focused value or move within a list with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys. Confirm a choice with Select (Dot 8).

The settings dialog includes the following settings:

11.19.1                    Automatically Speak Track Title

This setting controls whether Media Player automatically announces the track title when playback starts or when the track changes.

The available options are:

           On: Media Player speaks the track title automatically.

           Off: Media Player does not speak the track title automatically.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to choose the option you prefer.

11.19.2                    Movement Units List

This list controls which movement units are available during playback.

Move through the list with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys. Press Select on a movement unit to check or uncheck it.

Checked movement units are available when cycling through movement units with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys during playback.

Unchecked movement units are hidden from the playback movement unit cycle.

11.19.3                    Equalizer

This setting allows you to choose an equalizer preset.

Available presets include:

           Default

           Bass

           Classical

           Jazz

           Rock

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to choose the preset you prefer.

11.19.4                    On Startup

This setting controls what Media Player does when it opens.

The available options are:

           Music Library: Media Player opens to the first list of choices. This is the default behavior.

           Last Opened File: Media Player opens the last file that was played.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to choose the option you prefer.

If Last Opened File is selected, Media Player attempts to open the last played file the next time the application starts.

If the last played file is no longer available, for example because it was deleted or the SD card was removed, Media Player opens to the first list of choices instead.

11.19.5                    Saving or Cancelling Media Player Settings

Move to OK with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and press Select to save your changes.

Move to Cancel and press Select, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6, to close the dialog without saving changes.

11.20  Closing Media Player

To close the playback screen and return to the Media Player list, press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3), or open the playback screen context menu with Space + M and choose Close.

To completely close Media Player, press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 to return to the home screen, or open the context menu and choose Exit.

12      Internet Radio

The Internet Radio application allows you to listen to online radio stations on Orbit Speak.

You can browse stations by location or genre, search for stations, save stations to My Stations or Favorites, play recently used stations, add stations from a URL, and import or export station lists.

Internet Radio requires an active internet connection.

12.1  Opening Internet Radio

To open Internet Radio, do the following:

1.         Press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 to go to the home screen.

2.         Navigate to Internet Radio with the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 4) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4) keys.

3.         Press Select (Dot 8) or press the first letter I (Dots 2 4).

To close Internet Radio, press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) until the application closes, press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6 to exit the application, or press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 to return to the home screen.

12.2  Choosing How to Find or Manage Stations

The first list on Internet Radio helps you choose how you want to find or manage stations.

The list contains the following items:

1.         Browse Stations — first letter B (Dots 1 2)

2.         Search — first letter S (Dots 2 3 4)

3.         My Stations — first letter M (Dots 1 3 4)

4.         Favorites — first letter F (Dots 1 2 4)

5.         Recently Played — first letter R (Dots 1 2 3 5)

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the list.

Press Select on an item to continue or type the item’s first letter.

After you select an item, the application shows the relevant content. For example, selecting Browse Stations shows browsing options, selecting Search opens station search, and selecting Favorites shows your favorite stations.

Press Select on an item to open it, play it, or move one level deeper.

Press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) to move one level higher. If you are already on the first list, pressing Left Arrow to close Internet Radio.

12.3  Browsing Stations

The Browse Stations item lets you browse the available online stations, for example by location or genre.

To browse stations, open Internet Radio, navigate to Browse Stations, and press Select, or press B (Dots 1 2).

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the browsing options and station lists. Press Select on a station to start playback.

Press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) to move one level higher.

12.4  Searching for Stations

The Search item allows you to search for an Internet radio station by name or keyword.

To search for a station, do the following:

1.         Open Internet Radio.

2.         Navigate to Search.

3.         Press Select or press S (Dots 2 3 4).

4.         Enter the search text on the Perkins keyboard.

5.         Move to OK with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and press Select.

A list of matching stations is open.

Move through the results with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys.

Press Select on a station to start playback.

Stations in search results use the same Station context menu as other station lists.

If no matching stations are found, Orbit Speak speaks a message.

Press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) to return to the previous screen.

12.5  My Stations

The My Stations item contains stations you have added manually or imported from a station list file.

Use My Stations for stations that are not found through browsing or searching, or for stations you want to keep in a personal list.

Press Select on a station to start playback.

12.6  Favorites

The Favorites item contains stations you have marked as favorites.

Use Favorites for stations you listen to often.

Press Select on a station to start playback.

12.7  Recently Played

The Recently Played item shows stations you played recently.

Use Recently Played when you want to quickly return to a station you used before.

Press Select on a station to start playback.

12.8  Playing a Station

To play a station, move to the station and press Select.

When playback starts, the playback screen opens.

The playback screen shows the current station and allows you to control playback.

If the station cannot be played, Orbit Speak speaks an error message. This can happen if the station is offline, the stream address is no longer valid, or the internet connection is not available.

12.9  Context Menus in Internet Radio

Internet Radio includes context menus that provide actions for the item or screen you are currently using.

The available context menu items change depending on where you are. For example, the context menu for a station contains station actions, while the context menu for a list contains list actions such as importing or exporting stations.

To open a context menu, press Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4).

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the menu items.

Press Select to activate the focused item.

Press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) to close the context menu without selecting an item.

Context menus also support first-letter navigation. When a context menu is open, you can activate an item by pressing its first letter.

12.10  Station Context Menu

The Station context menu is available when focus is on a station.

To open the Station context menu, move to a station and press Space + M.

The Station context menu includes the following items:

12.10.1                    Play

First letter P (Dots 1 2 3 4).

Plays the selected station.

12.10.2                    Add to Favorites

First letter A (Dot 1).

Adds the selected station to Favorites.

Use this option for stations you listen to often.

12.10.3                    Remove from Favorites

First letter R (Dots 1 2 3 5).

Removes the selected station from Favorites.

This option is available when the selected station is already in Favorites.

12.10.4                    Add to My Stations

Press its first letter.

Add the selected station to My Stations.

Use this option when you want to keep a station in your personal station list.

12.10.5                    Remove from My Stations

Press its first letter.

Removes the selected station from My Stations.

This option is available when the selected station is in My Stations.

12.10.6                    Properties

Press its first letter.

Opens a dialog showing information about the selected station.

The Properties dialog shows information such as:

           Station name

           Stream URL

           Country

           Language

           Genre

The information is read-only.

To close the Properties dialog, press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3), press Select, or move to Close with Tab and press Select.

12.11  List Context Menu

The List context menu is available when focus is on a station list or in the first list.

To open the List context menu, press Space + M.

The List context menu includes the following items:

12.11.1                    Search for Station

First letter S (Dots 2 3 4).

Opens the station search screen.

12.11.2                    Add Station from URL

First letter A (Dot 1).

Opens a dialog where you can add a station manually by entering its stream URL.

The station is added to My Stations.

12.11.3                    Import Stations List

First letter I (Dots 2 4).

Opens a file picker so you can import stations from a playlist file.

Imported stations are added to My Stations.

12.11.4                    Export Stations List

First letter E (Dots 1 5).

Opens a save file dialog so you can export all stations from the current list.

The exported file is saved as an M3U playlist file.

12.11.5                    Refresh

First letter R (Dots 1 2 3 5).

Refreshes the current list.

Use this option if a list does not show the expected stations or if the internet connection was unavailable when the list first opened.

12.11.6                    Exit

Press its first letter.

Closes Internet Radio and return to the home screen.

12.12  Adding a Station From a URL

You can add a station manually if you know its stream URL.

Stations added from a URL are saved in My Stations.

To add a station from a URL, do the following:

1.         Open Internet Radio.

2.         Press Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4) to open the context menu.

3.         Navigate to Add Station from URL.

4.         Press Select or press A (Dot 1).

A dialog opens. Move between its controls with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2).

1.         Enter the station name, if requested.

2.         Enter the station stream URL.

3.         Move to OK with Tab and press Select.

The station is added to My Stations.

To close the dialog without adding the station, move to Cancel with Tab and press Select, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6.

If the station cannot be added, Orbit Speak speaks an error message.

12.13  Importing and Exporting Station Lists

Internet Radio allows you to import and export station lists.

Use Export Stations List when you want to back up a list of stations or copy it to another device.

Use Import Stations List when you want to add stations from a playlist file, backup file, or another device.

12.13.1                    Exporting a Station List

The Export Stations List option exports all stations from the current list to one playlist file.

For example:

           If you are in Favorites, exporting the station list exports all stations in Favourites.

           If you are in My Stations, exporting the station list exports all stations in My Stations.

           If you are in Recently Played, exporting the station list exports all stations in Recently Played.

To export a station list, do the following:

1.         Open Internet Radio.

2.         Open the station list you want to export.

3.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

4.         Navigate to Export Stations List.

5.         Press Select or press E (Dots 1 5).

A save file dialog opens. Move between its controls with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2).

1.         Choose the location where you want to save the file.

2.         Enter a file name.

3.         Move to OK with Tab and press Select.

The station list is saved as an M3U playlist file.

After the export finishes, Orbit Speak speaks a success message or an error message.

12.13.2                    Importing a Station List

The Import Stations List option imports stations from a playlist file.

Supported playlist file types include:

           PLS

           M3U

           M3U8

Imported stations are added to My Stations.

To import a station list, do the following:

1.         Open Internet Radio.

2.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

3.         Navigate to Import Stations List.

4.         Press Select or press I (Dots 2 4).

An open file dialog appears.

1.         Navigate to the playlist file you want to import with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys.

2.         Press Select or move to OK with Tab and press Select.

Orbit Speak imports the stations from the selected file and adds them to My Stations.

After the import finishes, Orbit Speak speaks a success message or an error message.

If the file is not supported, cannot be opened, or does not contain valid station information, Orbit Speak speaks an error message.

12.14  Playback Screen

The playback screen opens when a station starts playing.

The playback screen allows you to control station playback, adjust player volume, manage the current station as a favorite, hear station information, and open playback options.

12.14.1                    Playback Screen Commands

The following commands are available from the playback screen:

           Select or Space: Play or pause.

           Dot 7 + F1: Decrease player volume by 5 percent.

           Dot 7 + F4: Increase player volume by 5 percent.

           Space + N: Open the Station Information dialog.

           Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4): Open the playback screen context menu.

           Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3): Close the playback screen and return to the previous Internet Radio list.

To add the current playing station to Favourites, or remove it from Favourites, open the playback screen context menu with Space + M and choose Add to Favourites or Remove from Favourites.

12.14.2                    Station Information Dialog

The Station Information dialog shows information about the currently playing station.

It contains:

           Station name

           Station URL

           Close button

To close the dialog, press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3), press Select, or move to Close with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and press Select.

12.14.3                    Playback Screen Context Menu

To open the playback screen context menu, press Space + M while the playback screen is open.

Playback pauses automatically while the context menu is open.

The playback screen context menu includes the following items:

           Play or pause — first letter P (Dots 1 2 3 4): Starts or pauses playback, depending on the current playback state.

           Stop — first letter S (Dots 2 3 4): Stops playback completely.

           Station Information — type its first letter: Opens the Station Information dialog.

           Add to Favourites — first letter A (Dot 1): Adds the current station to Favourites.

           Remove from Favourites — first letter R (Dots 1 2 3 5): Removes the current station from Favourites.

           Settings — type its first letter: Opens Internet Radio settings, if available.

           Close — first letter C (Dots 1 4): Closes the playback screen and returns to the previous Internet Radio list.

           Exit — first letter E (Dots 1 5): Completely closes Internet Radio.

12.15  Closing Internet Radio

To close the playback screen and return to the previous Internet Radio list, press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3), or open the playback screen context menu with Space + M and choose Close.

To completely close Internet Radio, press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 to return to the home screen, or open the context menu and choose Exit.

13      Podcast Application

The Podcasts application allows you to find, add, manage, download, and play podcast episodes on Orbit Speak.

You can add podcasts from a feed URL, search for podcasts by name or topic, import and export podcast lists, download episodes for offline listening, and stream episodes over the internet.

Podcasts require an active internet connection when searching for podcasts, updating podcast feeds, streaming episodes, or downloading episodes.

13.1  Opening Podcasts

To open Podcasts, do the following:

1.         Press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 (the home command) to go to the Home Screen.

2.         Navigate to Podcasts with the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4) keys.

3.         Press Select (Dot 8) or press the first letter P (Dots 1 2 3 4).

To close Podcasts, press Dot 7 repeatedly to move up through the levels until the application closes, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6 to close the application, or press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 to return to the Home Screen.

13.2  Choosing a Podcast and Episode

 

The first list of Podcasts contains the podcasts you have added.

Use the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4) keys to move through the podcast list.

Press Select (Dot 8) on a podcast to show its episodes.

After you select a podcast, the application shows the episodes for that podcast.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the episode list.

Press Select on an episode to perform the default action for episodes. Depending on your Podcasts Application Settings, the episode can stream, download, or download and then play.

Press Dot 7 to move one level higher. If you are already on the podcast list, pressing Dot 7 closes Podcasts.

If no podcasts have been added yet, open the context menu with Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4) to search for podcasts, add a podcast from a URL, or import podcasts from an OPML file.

13.3  Adding Podcasts

You can add podcasts in three ways:

           Search for podcasts.

           Add a podcast from a feed URL.

           Import podcasts from an OPML file.

13.3.1   Adding a Podcast from a URL

Use this option when you know the direct feed URL for a podcast.

To add a podcast from a URL, do the following:

1.         Open Podcasts.

2.         Press Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4) to open the context menu.

3.         Navigate to Add Podcast from URL or press the first letter A (Dot 1).

4.         Press Select (Dot 8).

A dialog opens. Move between the dialog controls with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2).

1.         In the edit box, type the podcast feed URL on the Perkins keyboard.

2.         Press Tab to move to OK and press Select.

The podcast is added to your podcast list.

To close the dialog without adding a podcast, press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6, or press Tab to move to Cancel and press Select.

If the podcast cannot be added, Orbit Speak speaks an error message.

13.4  Searching for Podcasts

The Search for Podcasts option allows you to search for podcasts by name, topic, or keyword.

To search for a podcast, do the following:

1.         Open Podcasts.

2.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

3.         Navigate to Search for Podcasts or press the first letter S (Dots 2 3 4).

4.         Press Select.

The Search for Podcasts screen opens.

1.         Type the podcast name, topic, or keyword on the Perkins keyboard.

2.         Press Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) to move to the search button and press Select.

A list of matching podcasts opens.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the search results.

Press Select on a podcast to add it to your podcast list.

If no matching podcasts are found, Orbit Speak speaks a message.

Press Dot 7 to return to the previous screen.

13.5  Importing and Exporting Podcasts

Podcasts support importing and exporting podcast lists using OPML files.

Use Import OPML File when you want to add multiple podcasts from a backup file or from another device.

Use Export to OPML File when you want to back up your podcast list or copy it to another device.

13.5.1   Importing an OPML File

To import podcasts from an OPML file, do the following:

1.         Open Podcasts.

2.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

3.         Navigate to Import OPML File or press the first letter I (Dots 2 4).

4.         Press Select.

An open file dialog appears.

1.         Navigate to the OPML file you want to import using the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys.

2.         Press Select or press Tab to move to OK and press Select.

The podcasts from the OPML file are added to your podcast list.

After the import finishes, Orbit Speak speaks a success message or an error message.

13.5.2   Exporting to an OPML File

To export your podcast list, do the following:

1.         Open Podcasts.

2.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

3.         Navigate to Export to OPML File or press the first letter E (Dots 1 5).

4.         Press Select.

A save file dialog opens. Move between the dialog controls with Tab and Shift + Tab.

1.         Choose the location where you want to save the file.

2.         Type a file name on the Perkins keyboard.

3.         Press Tab to move to OK and press Select.

Your podcast list is saved as an OPML file.

After the export finishes, Orbit Speak speaks a success message or an error message.

13.6  Podcast List Context Menu

The Podcast List context menu is available when focus is on the main podcast list or on a podcast.

To open the context menu, press Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4).

Use the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4) keys to move through the menu items.

Press Select (Dot 8) to activate the focused item.

Press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) to close the context menu without selecting an item.

Each menu item also supports first-letter navigation: type the item’s Braille access letter on the Perkins keyboard to activate it directly.

The Podcast List context menu includes the following items:

13.6.1   Add Podcast from URL

First letter A (Dot 1). Opens a dialog where you can add a podcast by entering its feed URL.

13.6.2   Search for Podcasts

First letter S (Dots 2 3 4). Opens the Search for Podcasts screen.

13.6.3   Delete Podcast

First letter D (Dots 1 4 5). Remove the selected podcast from your podcast list.

Deleting a podcast removes it from the Podcasts application. Downloaded episode files remain on the device unless the application asks you to remove them and you choose that option.

13.6.4   Select All Podcasts

Select all podcasts from the podcast list.

Use this option when you want to perform an action on multiple podcasts.

13.6.5   Podcast Details

First letter P (Dots 1 2 3 4). Opens a dialog showing information about the selected podcast.

The Podcast Details dialog shows information such as:

           Podcast title

           Description

           Number of available episodes

You can also open Podcast Details from the context menu by pressing its first letter when focus is on a podcast.

13.6.6   Import OPML File

First letter I (Dots 2 4). Opens a file picker so you can import podcasts from an OPML file.

13.6.7   Export to OPML File

First letter E (Dots 1 5). Opens a save file dialog so you can export your podcast list to an OPML file.

13.6.8   Sort By

Opens a submenu for sorting the podcast list.

Move through the submenu with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys and press Select to choose an option. The Sort By submenu includes the following options:

           Sort by Name Ascending — first letter S (Dots 2 3 4)

           Sort by Name Descending

           Sort by Date

           Sort by Last Updated

13.6.9   Podcasts Application Settings

Opens the Podcasts Application Settings dialog.

13.6.10                    Exit

Closes Podcasts and returns to the Home Screen.

13.7  Episode List and Episode Context Menu

The Episode context menu is available when focus is inside a podcast, in the list of episodes.

To open the Episode context menu, move to an episode and press Space + M.

The Episode context menu includes the following items:

13.7.1   Play Episode

First letter P (Dots 1 2 3 4). Plays the selected episode.

What happens when you play an episode depends on the Episode Default Action setting in Podcasts Application Settings. The episode can stream, download, or download and then play.

13.7.2   Download Episode

First letter D (Dots 1 4 5). Downloads the selected episode for offline listening.

Downloaded episodes are saved to the location selected in Podcasts Application Settings.

13.7.3   Episode Information

First letter E (Dots 1 5). Opens a dialog showing information about the selected episode.

The Episode Information dialog shows information such as:

           Episode title

           Duration

           Release date

           Description

The information is read-only.

To close the dialog, press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6, press Select, or press Tab to move to Close and press Select.

13.7.4   Check for New Episodes

First letter C (Dots 1 4). Check the current podcast for new episodes.

If new episodes are found, the episode list is updated.

If no new episodes are found, Orbit Speak speaks a message.

13.7.5   Delete Episode

Delete the downloaded copy of the selected episode.

This option is shown only for downloaded episodes.

If a confirmation dialog appears, choose the option you want and press Select.

13.8  Playing an Episode

To play an episode, move to the episode and press Select (Dot 8).

The action performed by Select depends on the Episode Default Action setting in Podcasts Application Settings. This setting controls whether episodes are streamed, downloaded, or downloaded and then played when you activate them.

The available options are:

           Stream: Plays the episode online without downloading it.

           Download: Downloads the episode for offline listening.

           Download and Play: Downloads the episode and starts playback after the download completes.

When playback starts, the playback screen opens.

If an episode cannot be streamed or downloaded, Orbit Speak speaks an error message. This can happen if the internet connection is not available, the podcast feed cannot be reached, or the episode file is no longer available.

13.9  Playback Screen Commands

The playback screen opens when an episode starts playing.

The playback screen allows you to control episode playback, move through the episode, adjust player volume, hear your current position, add bookmarks, open bookmarks, and change playback speed.

The following commands are available from the playback screen:

           Select (Dot 8): Play or pause.

           Dot 1: Move to the previous chapter.

           Dot 4: Move to the next chapter.

           Chapter list: Open the context menu with Space + M and choose Chapter List.

           Dot 7 + F1: Decrease player volume by 5 percent.

           Dot 7 + F4: Increase player volume by 5 percent.

           Dot 3: Decrease playback speed.

           Dot 6: Increase playback speed.

           Where Am I: Open the context menu with Space + M and choose Where I. Am Speaks the current position, time remaining, and total episode duration.

           Dot 8 + B: Add a bookmark at the current playback position.

           Bookmarks list: Open the context menu with Space + M and choose Bookmarks.

           Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4): Choose the movement unit.

           Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) and Right Arrow (Space + Dot 6): Move by the selected movement unit.

           Dot 7: Close the playback screen and stop playback.

13.9.1   Chapter List

Some podcast episodes contain chapters.

During playback, press Space + M and choose Chapter List to open the chapter list.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the chapters.

Press Select on a chapter to start playback from that chapter.

Press Dot 7 to close the chapter list.

13.10  Bookmarks

Podcasts allow you to add bookmarks to the current episode and return to them later.

Bookmarks are useful when you want to save important positions in long episodes, lectures, interviews, or lessons.

13.10.1                    Adding a Bookmark

To add a bookmark, press Dot 8 + B from the playback screen.

Podcasts add a bookmark at the current playback position.

13.10.2                    Opening the Bookmarks List

To open the bookmarks list, press Space + M from the playback screen and choose Bookmarks.

The bookmarks list opens as a dialog.

Use standard dialog navigation in the bookmarks list. Press Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2) to move between the dialog controls and press the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the bookmark items.

13.10.3                    Moving to a Bookmark

To move to a bookmark, do the following:

1.         Open the bookmarks list by pressing Space + M and choosing Bookmarks.

2.         Navigate to the bookmark you want with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys.

3.         Press Select (Dot 8).

Podcasts move playback to the selected bookmark position in the episode.

13.10.4                    Deleting a Bookmark

Each bookmark in the bookmarks list has a context menu.

To delete a bookmark, do the following:

1.         Open the bookmarks list by pressing Space + M and choosing Bookmarks.

2.         Navigate to the bookmark you want to delete.

3.         Press Space + M to open its context menu.

4.         Navigate to Delete or press the first letter D (Dots 1 4 5).

5.         Press Select.

The bookmark is deleted.

Press Dot 7 to close the bookmarks list and return to the playback screen.

13.11  Movement Unit During Playback

Movement units’ control what the Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3) and Right Arrow (Space + Dot 6) keys do while an episode is playing.

They let you choose how you want to move through the current episode. For example, you can move forward or backward for 10 seconds, jump in one minute, move to the next or previous episode, or change playback speed.

During playback:

           Use the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4) keys to choose the movement unit.

           Use the Left Arrow and Right Arrow keys to move by the selected movement unit.

For example:

           If the selected movement unit is 10 seconds, press Right Arrow to move forward 10 seconds, or press Left Arrow to move backward 10 seconds.

           If the selected movement unit is 1 minute, press Right Arrow to move forward one minute, or press Left Arrow to move backward one minute.

           If the selected movement unit is Episode, press Right Arrow to move to the next episode, or press Left Arrow to move to the previous episode.

           If the selected movement unit is Playback Speed, press Right Arrow to increase playback speed, or press Left Arrow to decrease playback speed.

Orbit Speak announces the selected movement unit when you change it.

Available movement units include:

           5 seconds

           10 seconds

           15 seconds

           30 seconds

           45 seconds

           1 minute

           5 minutes

           10 minutes

           15 minutes

           30 minutes

           1 hour

           Episode

           Playback Speed

You can choose which movement units are available in Podcasts Application Settings. Movement units that are turned off in settings do not appear when you cycle through movement units during playback.

13.12  Podcast Application Settings

The Podcasts Application Settings dialog allows you to customize podcast download and playback behavior.

To open Podcasts Application Settings, do the following:

1.         Open Podcasts.

2.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

3.         Navigate to Podcasts Application Settings (first letter).

4.         Press Select.

The settings dialog is a dialog screen. Move between the settings with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2). It includes the following settings:

13.12.1                    Default Location for Downloaded Episodes

This setting controls where downloaded episodes are saved.

The available options are:

           Internal Storage: Saves downloaded episodes to the internal storage.

           SD Card: Saves downloaded episodes to the SD card.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to choose the option you prefer.

13.12.2                    Episode Default Action

This setting controls what happens when you press Select on an episode.

The available options are:

           Stream: Plays the episode online without downloading it.

           Download: Downloads the episode for offline listening.

           Download and Play: Downloads the episode and starts playback after the download completes.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to choose the option you prefer.

13.12.3                    Episode Date Format

This setting controls how episode dates are shown.

The available options are:

           Absolute Time: Shows the full date or time.

           Relative Time: Shows dates as relative times, such as 2 days ago.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to choose the option you prefer.

13.12.4                    Movement Units List

This list controls which movement units are available during podcast playback.

Move through the list with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys. Press Select (Dot 8) on a movement unit to check or uncheck it.

Checked movement units are available during playback.

Unchecked movement units are hidden from the playback movement unit cycle.

13.12.5                    Saving or Cancelling Podcasts Application Settings

Press Tab to move to OK and press Select to save your changes.

Press Tab to move to Cancel and press Select, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6, to close the dialog without saving changes.

13.13  Closing Podcasts

To move one level higher in Podcasts, press Dot 7.

To close the playback screen and stop playback, press Dot 7 from the playback screen. To completely close Podcasts, press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 to return to the Home Screen, press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6 to close the application, or open the context menu with Space + M and choose Exit.

14      Voice Recorder

The Voice Recorder application allows you to make high-quality recordings in WAV or MP3 format.

You can record lectures, meetings, notes, or any sound around you.

With version 2.0, the Voice Recorder adds new features such as pausing and resuming recording, adding bookmarks, and adjusting gain for better recording sensitivity.

14.1  Opening the Voice Recorder Application

1.         Press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 (the home command) to return to the home screen.

2.         Navigate to the Voice Recorder application using the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4) keys.

3.         Press Select (Dot 8) or press the first letter V (Dots 1 2 3 6), to open. You will hear “Voice Recorder.”

14.2  Main Screen Overview

When the Voice Recorder opens, you will be placed in the Main Window, which includes:

           A status bar showing the current state: “Not recording,” “Recording,” or “Paused.” When recording, it also announces the elapsed time.

           A Record button, which changes to Stop while recording.

           A Pause/Resume button that appears only during recording.

           A View Recordings button that opens your list of saved recordings.

           A Settings button for adjusting recording preferences.

The Main Window is a dialog screen. Move between these controls with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2), and press Select (Dot 8) to activate the focused button.

14.3  Starting and Stopping a Recording

To start recording, long-press F3. This is a global command, so it works from anywhere on the device, not only inside the Voice Recorder. You can also move to the Record button in the Main Window and press Select.

The Voice Recorder will announce “Recording started,” and the status bar will display elapsed time.

To stop recording, long-press F3 again, or move to the Stop button and press Select.

The application will announce “Recording stopped,” and the new file will be saved automatically in the selected storage location.

14.4  Pausing and Resuming a Recording

While recording, press Select on the Pause button to pause. You’ll hear “Recording paused.”

Press Select again on the Resume button to continue recording from the same point.

All time and bookmarks remain saved while paused.

14.5  Adding Bookmarks While Recording

You can add bookmarks at any time during recording to mark important moments. Each bookmark stores the timestamp of the moment it was added.

To add a bookmark while recording, press Dot 8 + B.

You will hear “Bookmark added,” along with the time position.

14.6  Recordings Manager Screen

To view your saved recordings:

1.         From the Main Window, move to View Recordings with Tab and press Select.

2.         The Recordings Manager screen opens, showing all saved recordings in a list.

3.         Use the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4) keys to move through recordings.

4.         Press Select on a recording to play it. Playback opens in the Media Player automatically.

14.6.1   Recording Context Menu

To manage recordings, open the context menu by pressing Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4). Move through the items with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys and press Select to activate. You can also press an item’s first letter. The menu includes:

           Play Recording — first letter P (Dots 1 2 3 4). Opens and plays the selected recording in the Media Player.

           Rename Recording — first letter R (Dots 1 2 3 5). Allow you to give the recording a new name. Type the new name on the Perkins keyboard.

           Show Bookmark — first letter S (Dots 2 3 4). Lists of the bookmarks added to that particular audio.

           Delete Recording — first letter D (Dots 1 4 5). Remove the file after confirmation.

14.7  Using Bookmarks During Playback

 

When a recording is playing on the Media Player, you can access and navigate bookmarks.

14.7.1   Opening the Bookmarks List

While playback is active, press Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4) and choose Bookmarks to open the Bookmarks List.

Note: The bookmarks are only accessible through the View Recordings player.

14.7.2   Moving Between Bookmarks

           Press Dot 1 to move to the previous bookmark.

           Press Dot 4 to move to the next bookmark.

The player announces the bookmark’s name and jumps to that point in the recording.

14.7.3   Bookmarks List Context Menu

The Bookmarks List includes a context menu, opened with Space + M, with:

           Rename Bookmark — first letter R (Dots 1 2 3 5). Edit the name of the bookmark. Type the new name on the Perkins keyboard.

           Edit Bookmark Position — first letter E (Dots 1 5). Adjust its exact time in the format HH:MM:SS. Type the time on the Perkins keyboard; there is no numeric keypad.

           Delete Bookmark — first letter D (Dots 1 4 5). Remove the bookmark permanently.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move and press Select (Dot 8) to activate any option.

14.8  Settings Screen

To customize your recording preferences:

1.         From the Main Window, move to Settings with Tab and press Select. You can also open the context menu with Space + M and choose Settings.

2.         The Settings screen is a dialog. Use Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2) to move between settings.

3.         Use the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4) keys to change the value of the focused setting.

4.         Press Tab to move to OK and press Select to save and return.

14.8.1   Available Settings

The table below describes the use of each setting option.

Setting

Options / Description

Default Storage

Choose where you want to save your recordings: internal storage, or SD card.

File Extension

Choose between MP3 or WAV.

File Name Format

Choose between Date & Time or Sequential Numbers for naming recordings.

Gain Factor

Adjusts recording sensitivity. Options: No Gain, 1×, 2×, 4×, 8×, 16×.

Sampling Rate

Chooses recording quality. Options: 8 kHz, 16 kHz, 22 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 96 kHz, 192 kHz.

Bitrate

Chooses audio bitrate: 96, 128, 160, 192, 256, 320 kbps. Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to change, then move to OK and press Select to apply.

Preferred Recording Source

Choose the recording source: default microphone, main microphone, camcorder microphone, voice recognition, voice communication, or unprocessed audio.

Notification When Recording

Choose the notification when you start recording beep, announcement, vibration, or off.

Time Jump

Choose how far you move when you press the Right Arrow or Left Arrow in the View Recordings player: 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 45 seconds, 1 minute, playback speed (does not jump but increases or decreases the speed of audio), play recording (does not jump but plays the next or previous recording), and play bookmark (does not jump but finds and plays saved bookmarks).

Monitor Recording When Headphones Are Plugged In

This is a check box. If it is checked and you are recording with a headphone connected, you will be able to hear whatever is being recorded right now. Press Select to check or uncheck it.

14.9  Playback Integration with Media Player

All recorded files are played through the Orbit Media Player, providing advanced playback control.

You can use all standard Media Player commands for play/pause, speed adjustment, and navigation through bookmarks.

14.10  Shortcut Summary Table

Below is the table which lists the shortcut commands you can use while using the Voice Recorder application.

Action

Orbit Speak (Perkins Braille)

Start / Stop Recording

Long-press F3 (global)

Open Settings

Move to the Settings button and press Select, or Space + M then Settings

Add Bookmark

Dot 8 + B

Delete Recording

Space + M, then Delete Recording (first letter D, Dots 1 4 5)

Rename Recording

Space + M, then Rename Recording (first letter R, Dots 1 2 3 5)

Play / Pause Playback

Select (Dot 8)

Next Movement Unit

Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4)

Previous Movement Unit

Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1)

Next Position (according to movement unit)

Right Arrow (Space + Dot 6)

Previous Position (according to movement unit)

Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3)

Previous Bookmark

Dot 1

Next Bookmark

Dot 4

Increase Volume

Dot 7 + F4

Decrease Volume

Dot 7 + F1

Increase Playback Speed

Dot 6

Decrease Playback Speed

Dot 3

15      Clock and Time Management

The Clock and Time Management group contains the tools for checking the time and date and for working with alarms, world times, the stopwatch, and the countdown timer.

Open the group from the Home Screen: press Home (Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6), navigate to Clock and Time Management and press Select (Dot 8), or press C (Dots 1 4).

On the Orbit Speak the five navigation keys are typed as Braille chords:

           Up Arrow = Space + Dot 1

           Down Arrow = Space + Dot 4

           Left Arrow = Space + Dot 3

           Right Arrow = Space + Dot 6

           Select = Dot 8

Other commands used throughout this chapter:

           Open the context menu = Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4)

           Go up one level / Back = Left Arrow

           Close the current application = Space + Dots 1 3 5 6

           Return to the Home Screen = Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6

All numbers and times are typed on the Perkins keyboard in Braille. There are no numeric keypad and no keypad modes.

15.1  Check the Current Time

To hear the current time, open Clock and Time Management, navigate to Check Current Time and press Select, or press C (Dots 1 4). Orbit Speak announces the current time.

15.2  Check the Current Date

To hear the current date, open Clock and Time Management, navigate to Check Current Date and type its first letter, or navigate to it and press Select. Orbit Speak announces the current date.

15.3  Alarm Clock

Alarm Clock allows you to create and manage alarms on Orbit Speak.

Use Alarm Clock when you want Orbit Speak to alert you at a specific time.

15.3.1   Opening Alarm Clock

To open Alarm Clock, do the following:

1.         Press Home (Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6) to go to the Home Screen.

2.         Navigate to Clock and Time Management and press Select or press C (Dots 1 4).

3.         Navigate to Alarm Clock and press Select or press A (Dot 1).

The Alarm Clock list opens.

If alarms have already been created, the list shows your saved alarms. If no alarms have been created yet, Orbit Speak speaks a message telling you that the list is empty and that you can use the context menu to create an alarm.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the Alarm Clock list.

Press Left Arrow to return to the Clock and Time Management group.

15.3.2   Creating an Alarm

To create an alarm, do the following:

1.         Open Alarm Clock.

2.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

3.         Navigate to New Alarm and press Select.

The Create New Alarm Dialog opens. The dialog contains settings for the alarm time, tone, duration, repeat interval, and frequency.

Move between the dialog controls with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2).

Change a combo box value with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys.

Type the alarm hour and minute on the Perkins keyboard.

Move to OK and press Select to save the alarm.

Move to Cancel and press Select, or press Left Arrow, to close the dialog without saving.

15.3.3   Alarm Time

The alarm time controls when the alarm will ring. Set the alarm hour and minute in the Create New Alarm dialog by typing the values on the Perkins keyboard.

Make sure the device date, time, and time format are correct before relying on alarms.

15.3.4   Alarm Tone

Alarm Tone controls the sound or vibration used when the alarm rings. Cycle the value with Up Arrow and Down Arrow. Available alarm tones include:

           Tone 1

           Tone 2

           Tone 3

           Vibration Only

Choose Vibration Only if you want the alarm to vibrate without playing a tone.

15.3.5   Alarm Duration

Alarm Duration controls how long the alarm rings before it stops automatically. Available duration options include:

           1 minute

           2 minutes

           3 minutes

           5 minutes

           10 minutes

15.3.6   Repeat Interval

Repeat Interval controls how long Orbit Speak waits before alerting again if the alarm is not dismissed. Available repeat interval options include:

           Off

           1 minute

           2 minutes

           3 minutes

           5 minutes

           10 minutes

           15 minutes

           20 minutes

Choose Off if you do not want the alarm to repeat after the first alert.

15.3.7   Frequency

Frequency controls when the alarm repeats. Available frequency options include:

           Just Once

           Every Day

           Individual days of the week

Use Just Once for a one-time alarm. Use Every Day for an alarm that rings every day. Choose individual days of the week when you want the alarm to ring only on selected days.

15.3.8   Editing an Alarm

To edit an alarm, do the following:

1.         Open Alarm Clock.

2.         Move to the alarm you want to edit with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys.

3.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

4.         Navigate to Edit Alarm and press Select.

The Edit Alarm dialog opens. Move between controls with Tab and Shift + Tab, change combo values with Up Arrow and Down Arrow, and type any time values on the Perkins keyboard.

Move to OK and press Select to save your changes.

Move to Cancel and press Select, or press Left Arrow, to close the dialog without saving changes.

15.3.9   Turning an Alarm on or Off

You can turn an alarm on or off without deleting it. To turn an alarm on or off, do the following:

1.         Open Alarm Clock.

2.         Move to the alarm you want to change.

3.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

4.         Navigate to Turn on or Turn Off and press Select.

Orbit Speak updates the alarm state and speaks a confirmation message.

15.3.10                    Deleting an Alarm

 

To delete an alarm, do the following:

1.         Open Alarm Clock.

2.         Move to the alarm you want to delete.

3.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

4.         Navigate to Delete Alarm and press Select.

A confirmation dialog opens. Move between Yes and No with Tab and Shift + Tab. Choose Yes and press Select to delete the alarm. Choose No and press Select, or press Left Arrow, to cancel.

Warning: Deleting an alarm removes it from Alarm Clock.

15.3.11                    When an Alarm Rings

When an alarm rings, Orbit Speak opens an alarm dialog. The dialog contains the current alarm information and controls for responding to the alarm. The available controls can include:

           Snooze

           Dismiss

Move between the controls with Tab and Shift + Tab, and press Select to activate the focused control.

Choose Snooze if you want Orbit Speak to alert you again after the selected repeat interval. Choose Dismiss to stop the alarm.

15.3.12                    Alarm Clock Context Menu

The Alarm Clock context menu provides actions for creating and managing alarms.

To open the context menu, press Space + M. Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the menu items, and press Select to activate the focused item. Press Left Arrow to close the context menu without selecting an item.

The context menu can include the following items:

           New Alarm — Opens the Create New Alarm dialog.

           Edit Alarm — Opens the Edit Alarm dialog for the focused alarm.

           Delete Alarm — Deletes the focused alarm after confirmation.

           Turn On or Turn Off — Turns the focused alarm on or off. The item name depends on the current state of the alarm.

           Exit — Closes Alarm Clock and returns to the Clock and Time Management group.

15.3.13                    Closing Alarm Clock

To close Alarm Clock and return to the Clock and Time Management group, press Left Arrow. To close the application entirely, press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6. To return to the Home Screen, press Home (Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6).

15.4  World Clock

World Clock allows you to check the current time in different cities around the world.

Use World Clock when you want to know the time in another country, region, or time zone.

15.4.1   Opening World Clock

To open World Clock, do the following:

1.         Press Home to go to the Home Screen.

2.         Navigate to Clock and Time Management and press Select or press C (Dots 1 4).

3.         Navigate to World Clock and press Select or press W (Dots 2 4 5 6).

The World Clock list opens.

If you have already added cities, the list shows the cities and their current times. If no cities have been added yet, Orbit Speak speaks a message telling you that the list is empty and that you can use the context menu to add a city.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the World Clock list.

Press Left Arrow to return to the Clock and Time Management group.

15.4.2   Adding a city

To add a city to World Clock, do the following:

1.         Open World Clock.

2.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

3.         Navigate to Add City and press Select.

A city selection dialog opens.

1.         Move through the available cities with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys.

2.         Press Select on the city you want to add.

The city is added to the World Clock list.

To close the dialog without adding a city, press Left Arrow, or move to Cancel and press Select.

15.4.3   Checking the Time in a City

To check the time in a city, do the following:

1.         Open World Clock.

2.         Move through the city list with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys.

Orbit Speak speaks each city name and its current local time. If the city also includes date information, Orbit Speak speaks that information as well.

15.4.4   World Clock Context Menu

The World Clock context menu provides actions for the current city list or focused city.

To open the context menu, press Space + M. Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the menu items, and press Select to activate the focused item. Press Left Arrow to close the context menu without selecting an item.

The available context menu items depend on whether a city is focused. Common context menu items include:

           Add City — Opens the city selection dialog so you can add another city to the World Clock list.

           Delete City — Removes the focused city from the World Clock list. When you choose Delete City, a confirmation dialog opens. Choose Yes and press Select to remove the city. Choose No and press Select, or press Left Arrow, to cancel.

           Refresh — Updates the times shown in the World Clock list.

           Exit — Closes World Clock and return to the Clock and Time Management group.

15.4.5   Closing World Clock

To close World Clock and return to the Clock and Time Management group, press Left Arrow. To close the application entirely, press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6. To return to the Home Screen, press Home.

15.5  Stopwatch

Stopwatch allows you to measure elapsed time.

Use Stopwatch when you want to time an activity, track duration, or measure how long something takes.

15.5.1   Opening Stopwatch

To open Stopwatch, do the following:

1.         Press Home to go to the Home Screen.

2.         Navigate to Clock and Time Management and press Select or press C (Dots 1 4).

3.         Navigate to Stopwatch and press Select or press S (Dots 2 3 4).

The Stopwatch screen opens.

15.5.2   Stopwatch Screen

The Stopwatch screen contains the current elapsed time and controls for starting, stopping, and resetting the stopwatch. The available controls can include:

           Start

           Stop

           Reset

           Close

Move between the controls with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2), and press Select to activate the focused control.

15.5.3   Starting the Stopwatch

To start the stopwatch, do the following:

1.         Open Stopwatch.

2.         Move to Start.

3.         Press Select.

The stopwatch starts counting. Orbit Speak speaks or shows the elapsed time.

15.5.4   Stopping the Stopwatch

To stop the stopwatch, do the following:

1.         While the stopwatch is running, move to Stop.

2.         Press Select.

The stopwatch stops counting. The elapsed time remains available on the Stopwatch screen.

15.5.5   Resuming the Stopwatch

To resume timing after stopping the stopwatch, move to Start and press Select again. The stopwatch continues counting from the stopped time.

15.5.6   Resetting the Stopwatch

To reset the stopwatch, do the following:

1.         Stop the stopwatch, if it is running.

2.         Move to Reset.

3.         Press Select.

The elapsed time is reset to zero.

15.5.7   Checking the Elapsed Time

While Stopwatch is open, move to the elapsed time item to hear the current elapsed time. If the stopwatch is running, the time continues to update.

15.5.8   Stopwatch Context Menu

The Stopwatch context menu provides actions for the current stopwatch screen.

To open the context menu, press Space + M. Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the menu items, and press Select to activate the focused item. Press Left Arrow to close the context menu without selecting an item.

The context menu can include the following items:

           Start — Starts or resumes the stopwatch.

           Stop — Stops the stopwatch.

           Reset — Resets the elapsed time to zero.

           Exit — Closes Stopwatch and returns to the Clock and Time Management group.

15.5.9   Closing Stopwatch

To close Stopwatch and return to the Clock and Time Management group, press Left Arrow. To close the application entirely, press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6. To return to the Home Screen, press Home.

15.6  Countdown Timer

Countdown Timer allows you to set a timer that counts down from a selected amount of time.

Use Countdown Timer when you want Orbit Speak to alert you after a specific duration, such as 5 minutes, 30 minutes, or 1 hour.

15.6.1   Opening Countdown Timer

To open Countdown Timer, do the following:

1.         Press Home to go to the Home Screen.

2.         Navigate to Clock and Time Management and press Select or press C (Dots 1 4).

3.         Navigate to Countdown Timer and type its first letter or navigate to it and press Select.

The Countdown Timer screen opens.

15.6.2   Countdown Timer Screen

The Countdown Timer screen contains edit boxes for setting the countdown duration and buttons for controlling the timer. The screen contains the following controls:

           Hours edit box

           Minutes edit box

           Seconds edit box

           Start button

           Pause button, when the timer is running

           Resume button, when the timer is paused

           Reset button

           Close button

Move between the controls with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2).

Type the values in the Hours, Minutes, and Seconds edit boxes on the Perkins keyboard. Only numeric values are accepted.

Orbit Speak checks the values before starting the timer. If the value is not valid, Orbit Speak speaks a clear error message and the timer does not start.

15.6.3   Setting a Timer

To set a timer, do the following:

1.         Open Countdown Timer.

2.         Move to the Hours edit box and type the number of hours.

3.         Move to the Minutes edit box and type the number of minutes.

4.         Move to the Seconds edit box and type the number of seconds.

5.         Move to Start.

6.         Press Select.

The countdown starts. Orbit Speak speaks a clear message indicating that the timer has started.

You do not need to enter values in all three edit boxes. For example, to set a timer for 5 minutes, type 5 in the Minutes edit box and leave the other edit boxes empty or set to zero.

15.6.4   Starting, Pausing, Resuming, and Resetting

Countdown Timer uses the same control behavior as Stopwatch.

To start the countdown, move to Start and press Select. To pause the countdown, move to Pause and press Select. To resume a paused countdown, move to Resume and press Select. To reset the countdown, move to Reset and press Select.

Orbit Speak speaks clear messages for each action, such as when the timer starts, pauses, resumes, resets, or finishes.

15.6.5   Using Select from the Time Edit Boxes

When focus is in the Hours, Minutes, or Seconds edit box, pressing Select performs the same action as the current main timer button. For example:

           If the timer has not started, pressing Select in an edit box starts the timer.

           If the timer is running, pressing Select in an edit box pauses the timer.

           If the timer is paused, pressing Select in an edit box resumes the timer.

This allows you to control the timer without moving away from the time edit boxes.

15.6.6   Checking the Remaining Time

While the timer is running, move to the remaining time item to hear how much time is left. The remaining time continues to update while the timer is active.

15.6.7   Timer Feedback

Countdown Timer provides feedback using the same feedback options as Stopwatch. Depending on your settings, feedback can include:

           Sounds

           Speech

           Vibration

           Vibration and speech

The same settings used for Stopwatch feedback also apply to Countdown Timer.

15.6.8   When the Timer Finishes

When the countdown reaches zero, Orbit Speak alerts you. The alert uses the same feedback behavior as Stopwatch, according to your selected settings. Orbit Speak also speaks a clear message indicating that the countdown has finished.

Move to Dismiss and press Select to stop the alert, if a dismiss control is shown.

15.6.9   Countdown Timer Context Menu

The Countdown Timer context menu provides actions for the current timer screen.

To open the context menu, press Space + M. Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the menu items, and press Select to activate the focused item. Press Left Arrow to close the context menu without selecting an item.

The context menu can include the following items:

           Start — Starts the countdown timer using the entered duration.

           Pause — Pauses the countdown timer when it is running.

           Resume — Continues the countdown timer after it has been paused.

           Reset — Resets the countdown timer.

           Exit — Closes Countdown Timer and return to the Clock and Time Management group.

15.6.10                    Closing Countdown Timer

To close Countdown Timer and return to the Clock and Time Management group, press Left Arrow. To close the application entirely, press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6. To return to the Home Screen, press Home.

16      Tools

The Tools group contains the Orbit Speak utilities: battery status, calculator, calendar, contacts, weather, software updates, and SD card formatting.

Open the group from the Home Screen: press Home (Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6), navigate to Tools and press Select (Dot 8), or press T (Dots 2 3 4 5).

Warning: The Format SD Card tool erases the SD card. Formatting deletes all files stored on the card and cannot be undone. Back up anything you want to keep before you use it.

Several items in this group begin with the letter C — Check Battery Status, Calculator, Calendar, Contacts, and Check for Updates — so they cannot all use C as first-letter navigation. The first item that begins with C keeps it; each of the others uses a distinct first letter, flagged below with.

As in the rest of the Orbit Speak interface, the navigation keys are Braille chords: Up Arrow = Space + Dot 1, Down Arrow = Space + Dot 4, Left Arrow = Space + Dot 3, Right Arrow = Space + Dot 6, Select = Dot 8. The context menu is Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4), moving between dialog controls is Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) / Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2), and all text and numbers are typed on the Perkins keyboard.

16.1  Check the Battery Status

The first item in the Tools group checks the battery status. Navigate to Check Battery Status and press Select, or press C (Dots 1 4), to hear the current battery level. You can also check the battery from anywhere by pressing Space + Dots 1 6.

16.2  Calculator

Your Orbit Speak has a simple calculator app that lets you calculate mathematical expressions.

To open the Calculator application, do the following:

1.         Press Home to go to the Home Screen.

2.         Navigate to Tools and press Select or press T (Dots 2 3 4 5).

3.         Navigate to Calculator and type its first letter or navigate to it and press Select.

The application is now open and ready to use.

Type numbers and arithmetic operators directly on the Perkins keyboard. There are no keypad and no digit or symbol mode to switch between — type each operator sign (plus, minus, multiply, and divide) where you need it. You can also insert an operator from the context menu instead of typing it; see Calculator Menu below.

If you type a wrong number, you can erase the last entry by pressing Backspace (Dot 7).

To calculate an expression, press Select. Orbit Speak speaks the result of the calculation. Press Select once more if you want to hear the result again.

To clear the display completely, open the context menu with Space + M, move down to Clear All, and press Select.

To close the Calculator application, press Left Arrow to go up one level, press Home to return to the Home Screen, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6 to close the application. You can also close it from the context menu: open the menu with Space + M, move down to Exit, and press Select.

16.2.1   Calculator Menu

The Calculator context menu contains the arithmetic operator signs: Plus, Minus, Multiply, and Divide By. You can use it instead of typing the operator symbols on the Perkins keyboard.

           To open the menu, press Space + M.

           To close the menu, press Left Arrow.

           Move through the menu with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys.

           To select a menu item, press Select.

16.3  Calendar

Calendar allows you to check dates, move through days, and manage calendar events on Orbit Speak.

Use Calendar when you want to review upcoming events, add new events, edit existing events, or delete events.

To open Calendar, do the following:

1.         Press Home to go to the Home Screen.

2.         Navigate to Tools and press Select or press T (Dots 2 3 4 5).

3.         Navigate to Calendar and type its first letter or navigate to it and press Select.

The Calendar screen opens. When Calendar opens, focus is on the current date. Orbit Speak speaks about the current date and the available events for that date, if any.

16.3.1   Calendar Navigation

Use the arrow keys to move through the calendar. The following commands are available:

           Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3): Move to the previous day.

           Right Arrow (Space + Dot 6): Move to the next day.

           Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1): Move to the previous week.

           Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4): Move to the next week.

When you move to a different date, Orbit Speak speaks the focused date. If the date contains events, Orbit Speak also indicates that events are available.

16.3.2   Checking Events for a Date

To check events for a date, do the following:

1.         Open Calendar.

2.         Use the arrow keys to move to the date you want.

3.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

4.         Navigate to Event List and press Select.

The Event List opens for the selected date. Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the events. Press Select on an event to open its details. Press Left Arrow to return to Calendar.

16.3.3   Adding an Event

To add a new event, do the following:

1.         Open Calendar.

2.         Move to the date where you want to add the event.

3.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

4.         Navigate to New Event and press Select.

The New Event dialog opens. The dialog can include fields such as:

           Title

           Date

           Start Time

           End Time

           Location

           Notes

           Reminder

Move between the dialog controls with Tab and Shift + Tab. Type text and time values on the Perkins keyboard and change combo box or date values with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys.

Move to OK and press Select to save the event. Move to Cancel and press Select, or press Left Arrow, to close the dialog without saving.

If required information is missing or the value is not valid, Orbit Speak speaks an error message and keeps the dialog open.

16.3.4   Viewing Event Details

To view event details, do the following:

1.         Open Calendar.

2.         Move to the date that contains the event.

3.         Open the context menu and choose Event List.

4.         Move to the event you want.

5.         Press Select.

The event details open. Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the event information. Press Left Arrow to return to the Event List.

16.3.5   Editing an Event

To edit an event, do the following:

1.         Open Calendar.

2.         Move to the date that contains the event.

3.         Open the context menu and choose Event List.

4.         Move to the event you want to edit.

5.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

6.         Navigate to Edit Event and press Select.

The Edit Event dialog opens. Move between fields with Tab and Shift + Tab, change combo or date values with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys, and type text on the Perkins keyboard.

Move to OK and press Select to save your changes. Move to Cancel and press Select, or press Left Arrow, to close the dialog without saving changes.

16.3.6   Deleting an Event

To delete an event, do the following:

1.         Open Calendar.

2.         Move to the date that contains the event.

3.         Open the context menu and choose Event List.

4.         Move to the event you want to delete.

5.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

6.         Navigate to Delete Event and press Select.

A confirmation dialog opens. Move between Yes and No with Tab and Shift + Tab. Choose Yes and press Select to delete the event. Choose No and press Select, or press Left Arrow, to cancel.

Warning: Deleting an event removes it from Calendar.

16.3.7   Calendar Context Menu

The Calendar context menu provides actions for the focused date.

To open the context menu, press Space + M. Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the menu items, and press Select to activate the focused item. Press Left Arrow to close the context menu without selecting an item.

The context menu can include the following items:

           New Event — Opens the New Event dialog for the focused date.

           Event List — Opens the list of events for the focused date.

           Go to Today — Moves focus back to the current date.

           Go to Date — Opens a dialog where you can enter or choose a date. Type or set the date, then Calendar moves focus to that date.

           Exit — Closes Calendar and return to the Tools group.

16.3.8   Event List Context Menu

The Event List context menu provides actions for the focused event.

To open the context menu, move to an event in the Event List and press Space + M. The context menu can include the following items:

           Event Details — Opens the details for the focused event.

           Edit Event — Opens the Edit Event dialog for the focused event.

           Delete Event — Deletes the focused event after confirmation.

           New Event — Opens the New Event Dialog.

           Close — Closes the Event List and return to Calendar.

16.3.9   Closing Calendar

To close Calendar and return to the Tools group, press Left Arrow. To close the application entirely, press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6. To return to the Home Screen, press Home.

16.4  Contacts

Contacts allow you to store and manage contact information on Orbit Speak.

Use Contacts when you want to keep names, phone numbers, email addresses, and other contact details. Contacts also allow you to import contacts from a vCard file and export contacts to a vCard file.

16.4.1   Opening Contacts

To open Contacts, do the following:

1.         Press Home to go to the Home Screen.

2.         Navigate to Tools and press Select or press T (Dots 2 3 4 5).

3.         Navigate to Contacts and type its first letter or navigate to it and press Select.

The Contacts list opens.

If contacts have already been added, the list shows your saved contacts. If no contacts have been added yet, Orbit Speak speaks a message telling you that the list is empty and that you can use the context menu to add or import contacts.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the Contacts list. Press Select on a contact to open its details. Press Left Arrow to return to the Tools group.

16.4.2   Adding a Contact

To add a contact, do the following:

1.         Open Contacts.

2.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

3.         Navigate to New Contact and press Select.

The New Contact Dialog opens. The dialog can include fields such as:

           First Name

           Last Name

           Phone Number

           Email Address

           Address

           Notes

Move between the dialog controls with Tab and Shift + Tab and type the information you want to save on the Perkins keyboard.

Move to OK and press Select to save the contact. Move to Cancel and press Select, or press Left Arrow, to close the dialog without saving.

If required information is missing or a field contains invalid information, Orbit Speak speaks an error message and keeps the dialog open.

16.4.3   Viewing Contact Details

To view a contact, do the following:

1.         Open Contacts.

2.         Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the contact list.

3.         Press Select on the contact you want.

The contact details are open. Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the available details. Press Left Arrow to return to the Contacts list.

16.4.4   Editing a Contact

To edit a contact, do the following:

1.         Open Contacts.

2.         Move to the contact you want to edit.

3.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

4.         Navigate to Edit Contact and press Select.

The Edit Contact dialog opens. Move between the fields with Tab and Shift + Tab and type your changes on the Perkins keyboard.

Move to OK and press Select to save your changes. Move to Cancel and press Select, or press Left Arrow, to close the dialog without saving changes.

16.4.5   Deleting a Contact

To delete a contact, do the following:

1.         Open Contacts.

2.         Move to the contact you want to delete.

3.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

4.         Navigate to Delete Contact and press Select.

A confirmation dialog opens. Move between Yes and No with Tab and Shift + Tab. Choose Yes and press Select to delete the contact. Choose No and press Select, or press Left Arrow, to cancel.

Warning: Deleting a contact removes it from Contacts.

16.4.6   Selecting Contacts

The Contacts list allows you to select one or more contacts. Use selection when you want to export only specific contacts.

To select a contact, move to it and press Space. When a contact is selected, the word selected is added to the contact’s name in the list.

To unselect a selected contact, move to it and press Space again.

16.4.7   Selecting All Contacts

To select all contacts, open the context menu with Space + M and choose Select All. After all contacts are selected, the word selected is added to each contact name in the list.

16.4.8   Exporting Selected Contacts

Contacts can export selected contacts to a vCard file. To export selected contacts, do the following:

1.         Open Contacts.

2.         Select the contacts you want to export by moving to each one and pressing Space.

3.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

4.         Navigate to Export Selected Contacts and press Select.

A save file dialog opens.

1.         Choose the location where you want to save the vCard file. Move through the folder list with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys and press Dot 7 to go up a folder level.

2.         Type the file name on the Perkins keyboard.

3.         Move to OK and press Select.

The selected contacts are saved to a vCard file according to the save file dialog parameters. When export finishes, Orbit Speak speaks a success message or a failure message.

16.4.9   Exporting All Contacts

To export all contacts, select all contacts first and then use Export Selected Contacts. Do the following:

1.         Open Contacts.

2.         Open the context menu and choose Select All.

3.         Open the context menu.

4.         Navigate to Export Selected Contacts and press Select.

5.         Choose the save location and type the file name in the save file dialog.

6.         Move to OK and press Select.

All selected contacts are saved to a vCard file. When export finishes, Orbit Speak speaks a success message or a failure message.

16.4.10                    Importing Contacts from a File

Contacts can import contacts from a vCard file. To import contacts, do the following:

1.         Open Contacts.

2.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

3.         Navigate to Import Contacts from File and press Select.

An open file dialog opens.

1.         Navigate to the vCard file you want to import. Move through the list with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys and press Dot 7 to go up a folder level.

2.         Press Select or move to OK and press Select.

Orbit Speak imports the contacts from the selected vCard file. When import finishes, Orbit Speak speaks of a success message or a failure message.

16.4.11                    Contacts Context Menu

The Contacts context menu provides actions for the contact list or the focused contact.

To open the context menu, press Space + M. Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the menu items, and press Select to activate the focused item. Press Left Arrow to close the context menu without selecting an item.

The context menu can include the following items:

           New Contact — Opens the New Contact dialog.

           Edit Contact — Opens the Edit Contact dialog for the focused contact.

           Delete Contact — Deletes the focused contact after confirmation.

           Select All — Selects all contacts in the Contacts list.

           Export Selected Contacts — Exports the selected contacts to a vCard file.

           Import Contacts from File — Opens an open file dialog so you can import contacts from a vCard file.

           Contact Details — Opens the details for the focused contact.

           Exit — Closes Contacts and returns to the Tools group.

16.4.12                    Closing Contacts

To close Contacts and return to the Tools group, press Left Arrow. To close the application entirely, press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6. To return to the Home Screen, press Home.

16.5  Weather

Weather allows you to check current weather information and forecast information for a selected location.

This feature requires an active internet connection.

Use Weather when you want to know the current temperature, weather conditions, and forecast details.

16.5.1   Opening Weather

To open Weather, do the following:

1.         Press Home to go to the Home Screen.

2.         Navigate to Tools and press Select or press T (Dots 2 3 4 5).

3.         Navigate to Weather and press Select or press W (Dots 2 4 5 6).

The Weather application is open.

If a location has already been selected, Orbit Speak shows the weather information for that location. If no location has been selected yet, Orbit Speak asks you to add or choose a location.

16.5.2   Adding a Location

To add a location, do the following:

1.         Open Weather.

2.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

3.         Navigate to Add Location and press Select.

A location search dialog opens.

1.         Type the city or location name on the Perkins keyboard.

2.         Move to OK and press Select.

A list of matching locations opens.

1.         Move through the results with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys.

2.         Press Select on the location you want.

The location is added to Weather and its weather information is shown.

To close the dialog without adding a location, press Left Arrow, or move to Cancel and press Select. If the location cannot be found, Orbit Speak speaks an error message.

16.5.3   Checking Weather Information

When Weather opens, use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the available weather information. The information can include:

           Current temperature

           Feels-like temperature

           Weather condition

           High and low temperature

           Humidity

           Wind speed

           Chance of rain

           Forecast information

The exact information depends on the weather service and the selected location.

16.5.4   Changing Locations

If you have added more than one location, you can choose which location to view. To change location, do the following:

1.         Open Weather.

2.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

3.         Navigate to Locations and press Select.

The list of locations opens.

1.         Move through the locations with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys.

2.         Press Select on the location you want.

Weather information for the selected location is shown.

16.5.5   Refreshing Weather Information

Weather information is updated from the internet. To refresh weather information, do the following:

1.         Open Weather.

2.         Press Space + M to open the context menu.

3.         Navigate to Refresh and press Select.

Orbit Speak retrieves the latest weather information for the selected location. If the update succeeds, the new weather information is shown. If the update fails, Orbit Speak speaks an error message.

16.5.6   Weather Context Menu

The Weather context menu provides actions for managing locations and updating weather information.

To open the context menu, press Space + M. Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the menu items, and press Select to activate the focused item. Press Left Arrow to close the context menu without selecting an item.

The context menu can include the following items:

           Add Location — Opens the location search dialog so you can add a new city or location.

           Locations — Opens the list of saved weather locations. Use this option to switch between locations.

           Delete Location — Removes the focused or selected location from Weather. When you choose Delete Location, a confirmation dialog opens. Choose Yes and press Select to remove the location. Choose No and press Select, or press Left Arrow, to cancel.

           Refresh — Updates the weather information for the current location.

           Exit — Closes Weather and returns to the Tools group.

16.5.7   Closing Weather

To close Weather and return to the Tools group, press Left Arrow. To close the application entirely, press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6. To return to the Home Screen, press Home.

16.6  Check for Updates

Check for Updates allows you to check for software updates, install available updates, install firmware updates from an SD card, and configure update settings.

This feature requires an active internet connection when checking for updates online.

16.6.1   Opening Check for Updates

To open Check for Updates, do the following:

1.         Press Home to go to the Home Screen.

2.         Navigate to Tools and press Select or press T (Dots 2 3 4 5).

3.         Navigate to Check for Updates and type its first letter or navigate to it and press Select.

The updater main screen opens.

16.6.2   Updater Main Screen

The updater main screen contains product information and update actions. The screen contains the following elements:

           Product information text box

           Check for Updates button

           Install from SD Card button

           Settings button

           Close button

Move between the controls with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2), and press Select to activate the focused button. Press Left Arrow to close the updater and return to the Tools group.

16.6.3   Product Information

The Product information text box contains information about the device and update configuration. It can include:

           Product name

           Market

           Currently installed version

           Update channel

Move to the product information text box to hear this information.

16.6.4   Checking for Updates

To check for updates, do the following:

1.         Open Check for Updates.

2.         Move to Check for Updates.

3.         Press Select.

Orbit Speak checks the selected update channel for available updates.

If no update is available, Orbit Speak speaks a message telling you that the device is up to date. If an update is available, the Update Available dialog opens. If the check fails, Orbit Speak speaks an error message. This can happen if the internet connection is not available or the update server cannot be reached.

16.6.5   Update Available Dialog

When an update is available, Orbit Speak opens a dialog containing information about the new update. The dialog can include information such as:

           New version

           Update channel

           Update details or release information

The dialog contains options to download and install the update or cancel. Move between the controls with Tab and Shift + Tab.

To install the update, move to Download and Install and press Select.

To close the dialog without installing the update, move to Cancel and press Select, or press Left Arrow.

16.6.6   Installing Updates

When update installation starts, a dialog titled Installing Updates opens. The Installing Updates dialog contains:

           A progress bar

           Status messages

           Cancel button

During installation, the progress bar and status messages update according to the current action. Orbit Speak speaks status messages during the update process. Status messages can include:

           Downloading

           Decrypting

           Extracting

           Installing application

           Installing application name

When each action begins or changes, Orbit Speak speaks the updated status.

16.6.7   Cancelling Update Installation

To cancel the update process, move to Cancel and press Select.

If cancellation is allowed at the current stage, Orbit Speak cancels the update process and speaks a message. If cancellation is not possible at the current stage, Orbit Speak continues the update process and speaks the appropriate status message.

Do not turn off Orbit Speak while updates are being installed.

16.6.8   Installing from SD Card

The Install from SD Card button allows you to install an update file from an SD card. Use this option when you have received an update file and copied it to the SD card.

To install from an SD card, do the following:

1.         Copy the update file to the SD card according to the update instructions you received.

2.         Insert the SD card into Orbit Speak.

3.         Open Check for Updates.

4.         Move to Install from SD Card.

5.         Press Select.

Orbit Speak checks the SD card for a valid update file. If a valid update file is found, Orbit Speak starts the update flow. If no valid update file is found, Orbit Speak speaks an error message.

16.6.9   Firmware Update Flow

Firmware updates use the same flow, prompts, and dialogs as in earlier versions of Orbit Speak. Follow the prompts spoken by Orbit Speak.

Make sure the device has enough battery power before starting a firmware update. Do not remove the SD card, disconnect power, or turn off the device while a firmware update is being installed.

16.6.10                    Updater Settings

The Settings button opens the updater settings dialog. Use this dialog to choose the update channel and configure automatic update checking.

To open updater settings, do the following:

1.         Open Check for Updates.

2.         Move to Settings.

3.         Press Select.

The settings dialog opens.

The updater settings dialog contains four controls:

           Auto Check Checkbox

           Update Channel selector combo box

           OK button

           Cancel button

Move between the dialog controls with Tab and Shift + Tab.

Change the selected update channel in the combo box with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys.

Press Select on Auto Check to check or uncheck automatic update checking.

Move to OK and press Select to save your changes. Move to Cancel and press Select, or press Left Arrow, to close the dialog without saving changes.

16.6.11                    Auto Check

The Auto Check checkbox controls whether Orbit Speak checks for updates automatically.

When Auto Check is selected, Orbit Speak can check for updates automatically according to the device update behavior. When Auto Check is not selected, you can still check for updates manually using the Check for Updates button.

16.6.12                    Update Channel

The Update Channel selector controls which update channel Orbit Speak uses when checking for updates. The selected update channel is shown in the product information text box on the updater main screen.

Choose the update channel you want with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys, then move to OK and press Select to save the setting.

16.6.13                    Closing Check for Updates

To close the updater, move to Close and press Select, or press Left Arrow. To return to the Home Screen, press Home.

16.7  Format SD Card

Format SD Card erases and reformats the SD card in Orbit Speak.

Warning: Formatting the SD card deletes all files stored on the card. This action cannot be undone. Back up any recordings, documents, contacts, or other files you want to keep before you format the card.

To format the SD card, do the following:

1.         Press Home to go to the Home Screen.

2.         Navigate to Tools and press Select or press T (Dots 2 3 4 5).

3.         Navigate to Format SD Card and press Select or press F (Dots 1 2 4).

4.         A confirmation dialog opens. Move between Yes and No with Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2).

5.         Choose Yes and press Select to format the card, or choose No and press Select, or press Left Arrow, to cancel.

When formatting begins, Orbit Speak speaks status messages and speaks a confirmation message when the card has been formatted. Do not remove the SD card or turn off the device while formatting is in progress.

To return to the Tools group, press Left Arrow. To return to the Home Screen, press Home.

17      Settings

The Settings group contains options for changing device behavior, screen reader feedback, speech settings, wireless connections, date and time, and voice management.

Use Settings when you want to configure how Orbit Speak works.

17.1  Opening settings

To open Settings, do the following:

1.         Press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 to go to the Home Screen.

2.         Navigate to Settings.

3.         Press Select (Dot 8), or press S (Dots 2 3 4), the first letter for Settings on the Home Screen.

The Settings group opens.

The Settings group contains the following items:

1.         Device Settings

2.         Screen Reader Settings

3.         Voice Manager: Google

4.         Voice Manager: Vocalizer

5.         Voice Manager for Runa TTS

Use the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 1) keys to move through the list.

Press Select (Dot 8) to open the focused item. Each item also supports first-letter navigation you can type on the Perkins keyboard:

           Device SettingsD (Dots 1 4 5)

           Screen Reader SettingsS (Dots 2 3 4)

           Voice Manager: GoogleV (Dots 1 2 3 6)

           Voice Manager: Vocalizer — type its first letter

           Voice Manager for Runa TTS — type its first letter

To return to the Home Screen, press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3).

17.2  Device settings

Device Settings contain general options for Orbit Speak.

Use Device Settings when you want to change device behavior, wireless settings, date and time, language, and startup behavior.

To open Device Settings, do the following:

1.         Open Settings.

2.         Navigate to Device Settings.

3.         Press Select or press D (Dots 1 4 5).

Device Settings contain the following sections:

           General SettingsG (Dots 1 2 4 5)

           Wi-Fi SettingsW (Dots 2 4 5 6)

           Bluetooth SettingsB (Dots 1 2)

           Date and Time SettingsD (Dots 1 4 5)

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the sections.

Press Select to open the focused section.

Press Left Arrow to return to the Settings group.

17.3  General settings

General Settings contains general device behavior options.

To open General Settings, do the following:

1.         Open Settings.

2.         Open Device Settings.

3.         Navigate to General Settings.

4.         Press Select or press G (Dots 1 2 4 5).

General Settings is a dialog and can include the following options:

           Airplane Mode

           Wi-Fi

           Bluetooth

           Sleep Timeout When Not in Use

           Media Sleep Timeout

           Startup Application

           Language

           Braille settings — type its first letter

Use Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2) to move between the controls in this dialog.

When a control is a combo box or adjustable setting, use the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4) keys to change its value.

Press Select (Dot 8) to check or uncheck a checkbox, open a setting, or activate a focused button.

Press Left Arrow to return to Device Settings.

Airplane Mode

Airplane Mode turns wireless communication off.

When Airplane Mode is on, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are disabled.

Use this setting when you want to turn off wireless features quickly.

Wi-Fi

This setting turns Wi-Fi on or off.

Wi-Fi must be on when using features that require the internet, such as online libraries, podcasts, internet radio, weather, software updates, and voice managers.

Bluetooth

This setting turns Bluetooth on or off.

Use Bluetooth when connecting supported wireless devices or accessories.

Sleep Timeout When Not in Use

Sleep Timeout When Not in Use controls how long Orbit Speak waits before going to sleep when the device is not being used.

Choose a shorter timeout to save battery power.

Choose a longer timeout if you do not want the device to sleep quickly while you are not pressing keys.

Media Sleep Timeout

Media Sleep Timeout controls sleep behavior while media is playing.

Use this setting when you want Orbit Speak to stop or sleep after a selected amount of time while playing media.

Startup Application

Startup Application controls what opens after Orbit Speak starts.

The default startup application is Home Screen.

You can choose the Home Screen or one of the available Orbit Speak applications.

When a different application is selected, Orbit Speak opens that application after the device starts.

This setting applies after device startup. It does not change the behavior when waking the device from sleep.

Language

Language controls the device language.

Changing the language affects the language used by Orbit Speak menus, messages, dialogs, and settings.

Braille settings

Braille settings let you select the Braille table you want to work with while entering text in the editor application, as well as when opening or saving Braille files.

Braille settings open as a dialog. Use Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2) to move between the controls. When focus is on the combo box that contains the list of Braille tables, use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to choose a table.

Press Dot 8 or select, or activate the OK button, to save the change.

To close the dialog without changing the selected Braille table, activate the Cancel button, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6.

Please note that only English Braille tables are supported.

17.4  Wi-Fi settings

Wi-Fi Settings allows you to connect Orbit Speak to a wireless network.

Wi-Fi Settings open as a dialog.

To open Wi-Fi Settings, do the following:

1.         Open Settings.

2.         Open Device Settings.

3.         Navigate to Wi-Fi Settings.

4.         Press Select or press W (Dots 2 4 5 6).

Use Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2) to move between the dialog controls.

When focus is inside a list, use the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) and Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4) keys to move between items in that list.

Press Select (Dot 8) to activate the focused button or selected item.

To close the dialog, press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6.

If Wi-Fi is disabled, focus lands on the Enable Wi-Fi button.

Press Select on Enable Wi-Fi to turn Wi-Fi on.

When Wi-Fi is enabled, Orbit Speak searches for available networks.

A tone or message indicates that Orbit Speak is searching.

After the search finishes, the available networks are shown in the dialog.

Connecting to a Wi-Fi Network

To connect to a Wi-Fi network, do the following:

1.         Open Wi-Fi Settings.

2.         If Wi-Fi is disabled, press Select on Enable Wi-Fi.

3.         Move to the networks list with Tab.

4.         Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the available networks.

5.         Press Select on the network you want.

A list of actions opens.

1.         Navigate to Connect.

2.         Press Select.

If the network requires a password, a password edit box opens.

1.         Enter the Wi-Fi password on the Perkins keyboard.

2.         Move to OK with Tab.

3.         Press Select.

Orbit Speak attempts to connect to the network.

If the connection succeeds, Orbit Speak speaks a confirmation message.

If the connection fails, Orbit Speak speaks an error message.

Wi-Fi Network Actions

When focus is on a Wi-Fi network, press Select to open the available actions.

The actions can include:

           Disable Wi-Fi

           Refresh Network List

           Connect

           Disconnect, when connected

           Forget, when the network is saved

           Close

Disconnecting from Wi-Fi

To disconnect from a connected Wi-Fi network, do the following:

1.         Open Wi-Fi Settings.

2.         Move to the connected network.

3.         Press Select.

4.         Navigate to Disconnect.

5.         Press Select.

Orbit Speak disconnects from the network.

Forgetting a Wi-Fi Network

To forget a saved Wi-Fi network, do the following:

1.         Open Wi-Fi Settings.

2.         Move to the saved network.

3.         Press Select.

4.         Navigate to Forget.

5.         Press Select.

The network information saved is removed.

If you want to connect to the network again later, you must enter the password again.

Refreshing the Network List

To search for available networks again, choose Refresh Network List.

Use this option if the network you want does not appear, or if you moved to a different location.

Disabling Wi-Fi

To turn Wi-Fi off, choose Disable Wi-Fi from the Wi-Fi Settings dialog.

When Wi-Fi is disabled, internet features are not available.

17.5  Bluetooth settings

Bluetooth Settings allows you to turn Bluetooth on or off and manage supported Bluetooth connections.

Bluetooth Settings opens as a dialog.

To open Bluetooth Settings, do the following:

1.         Open Settings.

2.         Open Device Settings.

3.         Navigate to Bluetooth Settings.

4.         Press Select or press B (Dots 1 2).

Use Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2) to move between the dialog controls.

When focus is inside a list, use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move between items in that list.

Press Select to activate the focused button or selected item.

To close the dialog, press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6.

If Bluetooth is disabled, focus lands on the Enable Bluetooth button.

Press Select on Enable Bluetooth to turn Bluetooth on.

When Bluetooth is enabled, Orbit Speak can search for supported Bluetooth devices.

Managing Bluetooth Devices

To manage a Bluetooth device, do the following:

1.         Open Bluetooth Settings.

2.         If Bluetooth is disabled, press Select on Enable Bluetooth.

3.         Move to the devices list with Tab.

4.         Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the available or saved devices.

5.         Press Select on the device you want.

A list of available actions opens.

The actions can include:

           Disable Bluetooth

           Refresh Device List

           Connect

           Disconnect, when connected

           Forget or remove, when the device is saved

           Close

The exact actions depend on the selected device and connection state.

Disabling Bluetooth

To turn Bluetooth off, choose Disable Bluetooth from the Bluetooth Settings dialog.

When Bluetooth is disabled, Bluetooth connections are not available.

17.6  Date and Time settings

Date and Time Settings allows you to configure the device date, time, time zone, and related options.

To open Date and Time Settings, do the following:

1.         Open Settings.

2.         Open Device Settings.

3.         Navigate to Date and Time Settings.

4.         Press Select or press D (Dots 1 4 5).

Date and Time Settings can include options such as:

           Set Time

           Set Date

           Time Zone

           Time Format

           Automatic Date and Time, if available

Date and Time Settings is a dialog. Use Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2) to move between the controls.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to change combo box values.

Press Select to open a setting, check or uncheck a checkbox, or activate a focused button.

Correct date and time settings are important for alarms, calendar events, file dates, downloaded content, weather, and online services.

17.7  Screen Reader Settings

Screen Reader Settings contain speech, text-to-speech, and screen reader feedback options.

To open Screen Reader Settings, do the following:

1.         Open Settings.

2.         Navigate to Screen Reader Settings.

3.         Press Select or press S (Dots 2 3 4).

Screen Reader Settings contains the following options:

1.         General SettingsG (Dots 1 2 4 5)

2.         Select TTS EngineS (Dots 2 3 4)

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the list.

Press Select to open the focused option.

Press Left Arrow to return to the Settings group.

17.8  Screen Reader General Settings

Screen Reader General Settings contains general screen reader feedback options.

To open Screen Reader General Settings, do the following:

1.         Open Settings.

2.         Open Screen Reader Settings.

3.         Navigate to General Settings.

4.         Press Select or press G (Dots 1 2 4 5).

General Settings is a dialog and can include options such as:

           Read Widget Roles

           Read Position Information

           Typing Echo

           Capitalization Alert

           Control Type Announcement

           Speak Hints

Use Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2) to move between the controls.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to change adjustable settings or combo box values.

Press Select (Dot 8) to check or uncheck a checkbox, open a setting, or activate a focused button.

Press Left Arrow to return to Screen Reader Settings.

Read Widget Roles

Read Widget Roles controls whether Orbit Speak speaks the type of focused control.

For example, Orbit Speak can announce whether the focused item is a button, edit box, checkbox, combo box, or list item.

Read Position Information

Read Position Information Controls whether Orbit Speak speaks the position of items in lists.

For example, Orbit Speak can speak “1 of 11” when focus is on the first item in a list of eleven items.

Typing Echo

Typing Echo controls what Orbit Speak speaks while you type.

Depending on the available options, Orbit Speak can speak characters, words, both characters and words, or no typing echo.

Capitalization Alert

Capitalization Alert controls how Orbit Speak indicates capital letters.

Use this setting if you want capital letters to be announced or indicated while typing or reading.

Control Type Announcement

Control Type Announcement controls whether Orbit Speak announces control types.

If Read Widget Roles is also available, use the setting name shown on your device.

Speak Hints

Speak Hints controls whether Orbit Speak speaks extra help information for controls.

Hints can be useful when learning the device.

Turning hints off can make speech shorter after you are familiar with the interface.

17.9  Select TTS Engine

Select TTS Engine contains text-to-speech engine and voice settings.

Use Select TTS Engine when you want to choose the speech engine, language, voice, rate, pitch, and speech volume.

To open Select TTS Engine, do the following:

1.         Open Settings.

2.         Open Screen Reader Settings.

3.         Navigate to Select TTS Engine.

4.         Press Select or press S (Dots 2 3 4).

Select TTS Engine can include the following options:

           Speech Engine

           Language

           Voice

           Speech Rate

           Pitch

           Speech Volume

           Main Volume

Select TTS Engine is a dialog. Use Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2) to move between the controls.

Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to change adjustable settings or combo box values.

Press Select to check or uncheck a checkbox, open a setting, or activate a focused button.

Press Left Arrow to return to Screen Reader Settings.

Speech Engine

Speech Engine controls which text-to-speech engine Orbit Speak uses. On the Speech Engine combo box, use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to choose Runa TTS, Google, or Vocalizer.

Available engines depend on the voices and engines installed on your device.

Language

Language controls the speech language used by the selected speech engine.

Choose the language that matches the voice you want to use.

Voice

Voice controls which voice is used for speech.

The available voices depend on the selected speech engine and language.

If you install additional voices using a Voice Manager, restart Orbit Speak before selecting the new voices.

Speech Rate

Speech Rate controls how fast Orbit Speak speaks.

Choose a slower rate if speech is difficult to understand.

Choose a faster rate if you want information to be spoken more quickly.

You can also change speech rate from anywhere using the speech rate shortcut commands, Space + F1 and Space + F4.

Pitch

Pitch controls the tone of the selected voice, if supported by the speech engine.

Some voices or speech engines may not support pitch changes.

Speech Volume

Speech Volume controls the volume of speech feedback.

This setting affects the voice used by Orbit Speak for screen reader feedback.

Main Volume

Main Volume controls the overall device volume.

This can affect speech, tones, and media, depending on the current application and audio output.

17.10  Voice Manager for Runa TTS

Voice Manager for Runa TTS allows you to install and manage the various voices available for the Vocalizer-based Runa TTS on Orbit Speak. This application is designed to be simple and easy to operate.

Use this application when you want to add more Runa TTS voices or remove Runa TTS voices you no longer need.

Voice Manager requires an active internet connection to retrieve and install voices.

Opening Voice Manager for Runa TTS

To open Voice Manager for Runa TTS, do the following:

1.         Press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 to go to the Home Screen.

2.         Navigate to Settings or press S (Dots 2 3 4).

3.         Press Select.

4.         Navigate to Voice Manager for Runa TTS or type its first letter.

5.         Press Select.

When Voice Manager opens, Orbit Speak plays a tone and announces that voices are being fetched from the internet. Wait until the voice list is loaded.

Voice Manager Layout

Voice Manager contains the following controls:

           Language combo box

           Voices list

           Install button

           Remove Voice button, when an installed voice is selected

           Close button

When the application opens, focus is set to the Language combo box. The default value is All Languages. When All Languages are selected, voices for all available languages are shown.

The Voices list shows available and installed voices. Installed voices are always shown at the top of the list, making it easy to distinguish installed voices from those available for installation.

Use Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2) to move between the controls.

Filtering Voices by Language

To filter voices by language, do the following:

1.         Move to the Language combo box.

2.         Press the Up Arrow (Space + Dot 1) or Down Arrow (**Space

           Dot 1**) key to choosing a language.

The voices list updates based on the selected language.

Choose All Languages to show voices for all available languages.

Installing Voices

You can install one voice or select several voices and install them together.

To select voices for installation, do the following:

1.         Move to the Voices list with Tab.

2.         Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the voices.

3.         Move to the voice you want to install.

4.         Press Select (Dot 8) to select the voice.

To select more than one voice, repeat these steps for each voice you want to install.

1.         Move to Install with Tab.

2.         Press Select.

Orbit Speak downloads and installs the selected voices.

During installation, Orbit Speak speaks progress messages.

When installation finishes, Orbit Speak speaks a success message or an error message.

After voices are installed, Orbit Speak must be restarted before the new voices can be used. A dialog appears and asks whether you want to restart now.

           Choose Yes to restart Orbit Speak immediately.

           Choose No to continue using the device and restart later.

If you choose No, the installed voices become available after you restart the device.

Using an Installed Voice

After installing a voice and restarting the device, choose the voice from the appropriate speech settings.

To use a Runa TTS voice as the main system voice, open Select TTS Engine, choose Runa TTS as the speech engine if needed, then select the language and voice you want.

To use a Runa TTS voice for Book Reader only, open Book Reader Speech Options, choose Runa TTS as the speech engine if needed, then select the language and voice you want.

Removing Voices

To remove an installed voice, do the following:

1.         Open Voice Manager for Runa TTS.

2.         Move to the Voices list with Tab.

3.         Navigate to the installed voice you want to remove with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys.

4.         Press Select to select the voice.

5.         Move to Remove Voice with Tab.

6.         Press Select.

Orbit Speak removes the selected voice.

When removal finishes, Orbit Speak speaks a success message or an error message.

Closing Voice Manager for Runa TTS

To close to the Voice Manager, move to Close and press Select, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6.

17.11  Voice Manager: Google

Voice Manager: Google allows you to install and remove Google text-to-speech voices on Orbit Speak.

Use this application when you want to add more Google voices or remove Google voices you no longer need.

Voice Manager requires an active internet connection to retrieve and install voices.

Opening Voice Manager: Google

To open Voice Manager: Google, do the following:

1.         Press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 to go to the Home Screen.

2.         Navigate to Settings or press S (Dots 2 3 4).

3.         Press Select.

4.         Navigate to Voice Manager: Google or press V (Dots 1 2 3 6).

5.         Press Select.

When Voice Manager opens, Orbit Speak retrieves the list of available voices from the internet. A tone or message indicates that the voice list is being fetched.

Wait until the voice list is loaded.

Voice Manager Layout

Voice Manager contains the following controls:

           Language combo box

           Voices list

           Install button

           Remove Voice button, when an installed voice is selected

           Close button

Use Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2) to move between the controls.

The Language combo box lets you filter the voices list by language.

The default value is All Languages. When All Languages are selected, voices for all available languages are shown.

The Voices list shows available and installed voices. Installed voices are shown at the top of the list.

Filtering Voices by Language

To filter voices by language, do the following:

1.         Move to the Language combo box.

2.         Press the Up Arrow or Down Arrow key to choose a language.

The voices list updates based on the selected language.

Choose All Languages to show voices for all available languages.

Installing Voices

You can install one voice or select several voices and install them together.

To select voices for installation, do the following:

1.         Move to the Voices list with Tab.

2.         Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the voices.

3.         Move to the voice you want to install.

4.         Press Select to select the voice.

To select more than one voice, repeat these steps for each voice you want to install.

1.         Move to Install with Tab.

2.         Press Select.

Orbit Speak downloads and installs the selected voices.

During installation, Orbit Speak speaks progress messages.

When installation finishes, Orbit Speak speaks a success message or an error message.

After voices are installed, Orbit Speak must be restarted before the new voices can be used. A dialog appears and asks whether you want to restart now.

           Choose Yes to restart Orbit Speak immediately.

           Choose No to continue using the device and restart later.

If you choose No, the installed voices become available after you restart the device.

Using an Installed Voice

After installing a voice and restarting the device, choose the voice from the appropriate speech settings.

To use a Google voice as the main system voice, open Select TTS Engine, choose Google as the speech engine if needed, then select the language and voice you want.

To use a Google voice for Book Reader only, open Book Reader Speech Options, choose Google as the speech engine if needed, then select the language and voice you want.

Removing Voices

To remove an installed voice, do the following:

1.         Open Voice Manager: Google.

2.         Move to the Voices list with Tab.

3.         Navigate to the installed voice you want to remove.

4.         Press Select to select the voice.

5.         Move to Remove Voice with Tab.

6.         Press Select.

Orbit Speak removes the selected voice.

When removal finishes, Orbit Speak speaks a success message or an error message.

Closing Voice Manager: Google

To close to the Voice Manager, move to Close and press Select, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6.

17.12  Voice Manager: Vocalizer

Voice Manager: Vocalizer allows you to install and remove Vocalizer text-to-speech voices on Orbit Speak.

Use this application when you want to add more Vocalizer voices or remove Vocalizer voices you no longer need.

Voice Manager requires an active internet connection to retrieve and install voices.

Opening Voice Manager: Vocalizer

To open Voice Manager: Vocalizer, do the following:

1.         Press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 to go to the Home Screen.

2.         Navigate to Settings or press S (Dots 2 3 4).

3.         Press Select.

4.         Navigate to Voice Manager: Vocalizer or type its first letter.

5.         Press Select.

When Voice Manager opens, Orbit Speak retrieves the list of available voices from the internet. A tone or message indicates that the voice list is being fetched.

Wait until the voice list is loaded.

Voice Manager Layout

Voice Manager contains the following controls:

           Language combo box

           Voices list

           Install button

           Remove Voice button, when an installed voice is selected

           Close button

Use Tab (Space + Dots 4 5) and Shift + Tab (Space + Dots 1 2) to move between the controls.

The Language combo box lets you filter the voices list by language.

The default value is All Languages. When All Languages are selected, voices for all available languages are shown.

The Voices list shows available and installed voices. Installed voices are shown at the top of the list.

Filtering Voices by Language

To filter voices by language, do the following:

1.         Move to the Language combo box.

2.         Press the Up Arrow or Down Arrow key to choose a language.

The voices list updates based on the selected language.

Choose All Languages to show voices for all available languages.

Installing Voices

You can install one voice or select several voices and install them together.

To select voices for installation, do the following:

1.         Move to the Voices list with Tab.

2.         Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the voices.

3.         Move to the voice you want to install.

4.         Press Select to select the voice.

To select more than one voice, repeat these steps for each voice you want to install.

1.         Move to Install with Tab.

2.         Press Select.

Orbit Speak downloads and installs the selected voices.

During installation, Orbit Speak speaks progress messages.

When installation finishes, Orbit Speak speaks a success message or an error message.

After voices are installed, Orbit Speak must be restarted before the new voices can be used. A dialog appears and asks whether you want to restart now.

           Choose Yes to restart Orbit Speak immediately.

           Choose No to continue using the device and restart later.

If you choose No, the installed voices become available after you restart the device.

Using an Installed Voice

After installing a voice and restarting the device, choose the voice from the appropriate speech settings.

To use a Vocalizer voice as the main system voice, open Select TTS Engine, choose Vocalizer as the speech engine if needed, then select the language and voice you want.

To use a Vocalizer voice for Book Reader only, open Book Reader Speech Options, choose Vocalizer as the speech engine if needed, then select the language and voice you want.

Removing Voices

To remove an installed voice, do the following:

1.         Open Voice Manager: Vocalizer.

2.         Move to the Voices list with Tab.

3.         Navigate to the installed voice you want to remove.

4.         Press Select to select the voice.

5.         Move to Remove Voice with Tab.

6.         Press Select.

Orbit Speak removes the selected voice.

When removal finishes, Orbit Speak speaks a success message or an error message.

Closing Voice Manager: Vocalizer

To close to the Voice Manager, move to Close and press Select, or press Space + Dots 1 3 5 6.

17.13  Closing Settings

To move one level higher in Settings, press Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3).

To return to the Home Screen, press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6.

18      Help

The Help folder is the last option located on the Home Screen after Settings. As the name suggests, it contains useful information for when you get confused with the device or you just want to know more about your device.

To go to the Help folder, press Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6 to come back to the Home Screen. Press the Down Arrow (Space + Dot 4) until you hear “Help folder,” or press H (Dots 1 2 5), the first letter for this item. Press Select (Dot 8) to open the folder.

Here are the options you will find inside the Help folder:

1.         User guideU (Dots 1 3 6): This option opens the pre-installed user guide in the Book Reader application. You can play it anytime you want by coming here and pressing on the option.

2.         AboutA (Dot 1): This option contains all the technical information about the device, such as serial number, application version, and firmware.

19      Remote Mode

In Remote Mode, Orbit Speak works as a braille display and braille keyboard for another device, such as a phone, tablet, or computer. You read the host's screen in braille and type and navigate using the Perkins keyboard and the navigation keys.

In Remote Mode, Orbit Speak emulates the Orbit Writer. To a connected host and its screen reader, Orbit Speak appears as an Orbit Reader 20 followed by the last four digits of its serial number, for example "Orbit Reader 20 1234". All of the Orbit Writer connection instructions apply to Orbit Speak in Remote Mode.

When you use Orbit Speak as a keyboard and display for another device, the screen reader on that device provides the braille translation and other braille settings. Consult the documentation for your screen reader.

Supported hosts and screen readers include Windows (JAWS, NVDA, SuperNova, and Narrator), Mac and iOS (VoiceOver), Android (TalkBack braille, BRLTTY, Our Braille, and Amazon VoiceView), and Chromebook (ChromeVox).

19.1  Opening Remote Mode

Return to the Home Screen by pressing Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6, move to Remote Mode with the Up and Down Arrow keys, and press Select to open it. You can also switch to a channel directly with its activation command, described below, without opening the Remote Mode screen first.

19.2  Channels of Communication

Orbit Speak provides six channels: five Bluetooth channels and one USB channel. Only one channel is active at a time; the others stay in standby. Orbit Speak sends your keypresses to the device connected on the active channel. Activate a channel with its command:

           Channel 1 (Bluetooth) — Space + Left Arrow + Dot 1

           Channel 2 (Bluetooth) — Space + Left Arrow + Dot 2

           Channel 3 (Bluetooth) — Space + Left Arrow + Dot 3

           Channel 4 (Bluetooth) — Space + Right Arrow + Dot 4

           Channel 5 (Bluetooth) — Space + Right Arrow + Dot 5

           Channel 6 (USB) — Space + Right Arrow + Dot 6

When you switch to a channel, its status is indicated by a vibration pattern: three short pulses if no device is paired on the channel, two short pulses if a device is paired but not connected, and a single short pulse if a device is paired and connected.

19.3  Communication Protocols

Each channel uses a communication protocol. The five Bluetooth channels use Screen Reader Profile (SRP) or Keyboard-HID; the USB channel uses Orbit-HID or Braille-HID. The defaults are SRP for Bluetooth and Orbit-HID for USB, and for most situations you do not need to change them. Select a protocol with its command:

           SRP (Bluetooth, default) — Select + Dots 2 3 4 7

           Keyboard-HID (Bluetooth) — Select + Dots 1 3 7

           Orbit-HID (USB, default) — Select + Dots 1 3 5 7

           Braille-HID (USB) — Select + Dots 1 2 7

           SRP (Screen Reader Profile): Orbit Speak communicates as a braille device to the screen reader. What each key does depends on the screen reader. Most screen readers support SRP over Bluetooth.

           Keyboard-HID: Orbit Speak behaves like a standard Bluetooth QWERTY keyboard and talks directly to the host operating system rather than the screen reader. Use this when you want to type into a device as a keyboard.

           Orbit-HID: the default USB protocol, supported by screen readers such as NVDA, JAWS, Narrator, VoiceOver on Mac, BRLTTY on Android, and ChromeVox. It behaves like SRP but over USB.

           Braille-HID: the standard plug-and-play USB braille protocol. The screen reader detects Orbit Speak automatically with no manual display selection. It is supported by VoiceOver on Mac, by NVDA, and by JAWS 2026 and later.

Note: After activating the Keyboard-HID protocol on a Bluetooth channel, turn off Bluetooth on any previously paired iOS or Mac devices on other channels before enabling pairing on the desired channel.

19.4  Pairing a Device

To use Orbit Speak wirelessly, first pair it with the host over a Bluetooth channel:

           Activate the desired Bluetooth channel with its command, for example Space + Left Arrow + Dot 1 for channel 1.

           If the protocol you want is not already active, select it. SRP is the default for Bluetooth channels.

           Press and hold the same channel-activation keys for three seconds to enable pairing. Orbit Speak responds with a single short pulse. Enabling pairing forgets any device previously paired on that channel.

           On the host, start a Bluetooth scan and select "Orbit Reader 20 XXXX", where XXXX is the last four digits of the serial number on the back of the unit.

           Orbit Speak responds with a single short pulse when pairing succeeds, or two long pulses if it fails. If no pairing request arrives within three minutes, pairing is disabled automatically.

Forget the devices on all channels: press and hold Space + Down Arrow for three seconds. This forgets the paired device on all five Bluetooth channels and restores every channel to the default SRP protocol.

Reconnecting: at power on, Orbit Speak reconnects to the device on the last active channel, using the same protocol.

19.5  Connecting to a Host

19.5.1   iOS (VoiceOver)

Over Bluetooth with SRP: turn on VoiceOver on the iOS device (Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver). On Orbit Speak, activate a Bluetooth channel and, if it is not already active, select SRP (Select + Dots 2 3 4 7). Hold the channel keys for three seconds to enable pairing. On the iOS device, go to Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Braille and select "Orbit Reader 20 XXXX" to pair.

Over USB: activate the USB channel (Space + Right Arrow + Dot 6) and the Braille-HID protocol (Select + Dots 1 2 7), then connect the cable. VoiceOver detects the display automatically. For best results, use iOS 17 or later.

As a keyboard: to use Orbit Speak as a plain keyboard instead of through VoiceOver, select Keyboard-HID (Select + Dots 1 3 7), enable pairing, and pair from Settings > Bluetooth. Orbit Speak then connects directly to iOS as a keyboard.

19.5.2   Mac (VoiceOver)

Over USB: activate the USB channel (Space + Right Arrow + Dot 6) and the Braille-HID protocol (Select + Dots 1 2 7). Turn on VoiceOver with Command + F5, then connect the cable. VoiceOver recognizes the display automatically. For best results, use macOS 15 or later.

Over Bluetooth with SRP: activate a Bluetooth channel and SRP, then hold the channel keys for three seconds to enable pairing. With VoiceOver on, open VoiceOver Utility (VO + F8), choose Braille > Displays > Add (+), and select "Orbit Reader 20 XXXX".

19.5.3   Android

On current Android versions, TalkBack includes built-in braille support, which is the recommended way to use Orbit Speak with Android. Orbit Speak also works with BRLTTY (Bluetooth or USB) and the Our Braille app.

Over Bluetooth with SRP: turn on Bluetooth on the Android device. On Orbit Speak, activate a Bluetooth channel and, if needed, SRP (Select + Dots 2 3 4 7), then hold the channel keys for three seconds to enable pairing. Scan for and pair with "Orbit Reader 20 XXXX". Open Accessibility settings and turn on TalkBack braille (or Our Braille). TalkBack then detects the display automatically.

Over USB: activate the Braille-HID protocol on the USB channel and connect the cable. TalkBack detects the display automatically.

19.5.4   Chromebook (ChromeVox)

Over USB: activate the USB channel (Space + Right Arrow + Dot 6) and the Orbit-HID protocol (Select + Dots 1 3 5 7), then plug in the cable. After a few seconds the Chromebook detects the device and turns on ChromeVox.

Over Bluetooth with SRP: activate a Bluetooth channel and SRP, enable pairing, then pair with "Orbit Reader 20 XXXX" from the Chromebook Bluetooth settings. Turn ChromeVox on with Ctrl + Alt + Z.

19.5.5   Windows: NVDA

NVDA automatically recognizes Orbit Speak over USB and Bluetooth. For a USB connection, activate the Braille-HID protocol on the USB channel. If NVDA does not detect the display, open the NVDA menu > Preferences > Settings > Braille, choose the display, and click OK.

19.5.6   Windows: JAWS

JAWS 2026 and later support plug-and-play Braille-HID over USB: activate the USB channel and Braille-HID (Select + Dots 1 2 7), connect the cable, and start or restart JAWS. It detects the display automatically.

JAWS 2025 and earlier use Orbit-HID over USB (Select + Dots 1 3 5 7) and require adding the display manually: in JAWS, open Options > Braille, add a braille display, and select Orbit Reader 20. Bluetooth connections use this manual selection procedure on all JAWS versions.

20      Firmware Upgrade

20.1  Device Firmware Upgrade

 

New versions of the firmware for Orbit Speak are released from time to time, containing improvements, bug fixes, and new features. This section describes the procedure for updating the Orbit Speak firmware.

The firmware of Orbit Speak can be updated using a Windows PC and a USB cable. The USB upgrade method requires a Windows PC, but the upgrade process is simple and quicker.

There are two parts to the upgrade procedure:

1.         Download the firmware package.

2.         Upgrade the Orbit Speak

The process for downloading the firmware package is common for either upgrade method.

20.2  Download firmware package

1.         Download the zip file “Orbit Speak - Firmware Upgrade Package vB0.00.00.XXrYY” to your PC from the link provided by Orbit Research.

When the download is complete, follow these steps:

2.         Open the folder on your computer where the firmware zip file was downloaded. This is usually your Downloads folder.

3.         Right-click on the file and choose "Extract all" OR select the file by arrowing it, pressing the application key and choosing "Extract All" from the Context menu.

4.         Follow the dialog steps to extract the zip file to a folder of your choice.

When finished, your chosen folder should contain a folder named after the version of the release, for example, Orbit Speak - Firmware Upgrade Package vB0.00.00.XXrYY. Make a note of the location of this folder for use in the next section of this document.

For information about bugs, fixes, and additions to the software, see the latest version's Release Notes available in the folder.

20.3  Using the Windows PC Upgrade Utility

The following are required to perform the upgrade to the Orbit Speaker with a PC:

1.         The Orbit Speak unit

2.         Standard USB-A to Type-C USB cable

3.         A PC running Windows XP or later.

4.         The Orbit Writer - Firmware Upgrade Utility file found in the Orbit Speak folder (see Download firmware package).Although the utility used here is of orbit writer, there is no need to be confused. This utility is completely fine to use.

5.         Orbit Speak Release Bin files found in the Orbit Speaker folder (see Download firmware package).

To upgrade the firmware, connect the Orbit Speaker to the PC using the USB cable.

In the Release folder on your PC, run the Orbit Writer - Firmware Upgrade Utility. If you receive an error message, see the Troubleshooting section. Assuming no errors, the program displays the message, “Note: Connect the device to the PC and put it into upgrade mode. To enter, Firmware Upgrade Mode, press and hold the 'Up' key + 'Dot 5' key. Then press and release the 'Dot 8' key. The other keys can be released after this” in the message field.

A screenshot of a computer

1.         Press and hold down the Up-arrow key + Dot 5, then press and release Dot 8. The utility shows the message “Orbit Writer is connected” in the Device status field. It shows the message “Do you want to upgrade the device?” in the message field at the bottom of the dialog.

2.         Release the Up-arrow key and Dot 5. This switches Orbit Speak to Upgrade mode. You should hear a tone on your PC.

3.         The utility shows the device serial number and the software version of the device at the top right corner of the window. If the serial number is blank, repeat steps 4 and 5.

4.         Activate the Browse button found in the dialog.

5.         Browse and select the firmware bin file from your PC. The file is in the folder you unzipped previously.

6.         Once the file is selected, the dialog shows the software version of the selected file. A dialog box will also display the information that the current file selected is firmware binary.

7.         Activate the Upgrade button. The utility starts upgrading the device.

A screenshot of a computer

8.         Do not unplug the cable. Wait for the message “Device upgrade has been completed” on the upgrade utility.

9.         The Orbit Speak is upgraded. Turn on the Orbit Speak to start using the device.

To check for a successful upgrade of the Orbit Speak, open the Orbit Speak Menu to check the version. The version number of the firmware release should match the number shown in the upgrade utility.

21      Troubleshooting

Like all hardware devices, sometimes your Orbit Speak can exhibit strange or unexpected behavior. If it is the case, before calling our technical support, please perform the steps outlined in this section.

General suggestion: If your device has just finished booting, give it a few seconds to stabilize.

21.1  Orbit Speak Does Not Turn On

           Hard reset the Braille keyboard by pressing Dot 8 + Up Arrow and then trying to turn the device on again.
Note: This does not erase your settings nor any of your data, so this procedure is safe.

           Charge the device for at least 10 minutes, then try to turn it on.

           If the device does not speak, try raising the speech volume.

21.2  Orbit Speak Does Not Respond to Key Presses

           Make sure Orbit Speak is not in sleep mode. Press the Power button briefly to wake the device up. If it were in sleep mode, you would hear a usual raising tone and a speech message.

           Press the Select key. It might be that your device is stuck in some dialog, so thus you will make it leave this state.

           Try to go a step back or close the current application. In most cases Space + Z (Space + Dots 1 3 5 6) will do the job. If not, try returning straight to the home screen by pressing Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6.

           Press Dot 8 + Up Arrow to hard reset the Braille keyboard, turn the device off if needed, then turn it on again.
Note: This does not erase your settings nor any of your data, so this procedure is safe.

21.3  Orbit Speak Is in an Unknown State and the Battery Is Charged

           Unplug the USB cable, if plugged in.

           Press Dot 8 + Up Arrow to hard reset the Braille keyboard.
Note: This does not erase your settings nor any of your data, so this procedure is safe.

           Press and hold the power button for two seconds. The device should start booting, and you should feel vibrations. Once the vibrations stop, try navigating by pressing the up and down arrow keys.

           When the vibrations finish, do not press any keys until you hear Orbit Speak announcing that you are on the home screen.

21.4  Orbit Speak is in an unknown state, the battery is charged, and the troubleshooting steps in 11.4 do not resolve the issue.

           Unplug the USB cable, if plugged in.

           Press F4Up Arrow and hold the keys for about 15 seconds to hard reset the Android system.
Note: This does not erase your settings nor any of your data, so this procedure is safe.

           Press and hold the Power button for two seconds. The device should start booting and you should feel vibrations.

           When the vibrations finish, do not press any keys until you hear Orbit Speak announcing that you are on the home screen.

21.5  Orbit Speak is Continuous Beeping

           Unplug the USB cable, if plugged in.

           Press F4Up Arrow and hold the keys for about 15 seconds to hard reset the Android system.
Note: This does not erase your settings nor any of your data, so this procedure is safe.

           Press Dot 8 + Up Arrow to hard reset the Braille keyboard.
Note: This does not erase your settings nor any of your data, so this procedure is safe.

           Do not press any keys until you hear Orbit Speak announcing that you are on the home screen.

22      Buzzer, Vibration and LED Indication

22.1  Buzzer and Vibration Indication

Sr. No

State

Indications

1

Power ON cycle start.

Two very short and then immediate single short vibrations.

2

Booting up.

First stage: one short pulse every 3 seconds. Second stage: one short pulse every 2 seconds. Third stage: one short pulse every 1 second. Final stage: one short pulse every 0.5 seconds.

3

Power OFF cycle start.

One short and then immediately two very short vibrations. This pattern loops for 7 seconds.

4

Booting down.

One short and then immediately two very short vibrations.

5

The charger plugs in during the OFF state of the unit.

One short vibration.

6

The charger plugs out during the OFF state of the unit.

One short vibration.

7

Mass storage mode enters.

Two short vibrations.

8

Mass storage mode exit.

Three short vibrations.

9

Sleep mode enters.

One short and then immediately single very short vibrations.

10

Sleep mode exit.

One very short and then immediately single short vibrations.

11

Error: Unit turns between 5-20 seconds after powering ON.

Single long buzzer indication.

12

Error: Unit turns OFF between 20-50 seconds after powering ON.

Two long buzzer indications.

13

Error: Unit turns OFF during the active/running condition.

Three short buzzer indications.

14

Error: Mass storage mode command applied while the wall charger is connected.

Two short buzzer indications.

15

Error: Mass storage mode command applied while the charger is not connected.

Single short buzzer indication.

22.2  LED Indication

The Orbit Speak has an LED light that provides visual feedback for different device states:

           When turning on the device from a powered-off state, the LED will briefly light up for one second before turning off. Shortly after, the device will vibrate, indicating the start of the boot process.

           When waking the device from sleep mode, the LED will turn on for one second before switching off, signaling that the device is now active.

           If the device is powered off and the charger is connected, the LED will turn on for one second and then turn off, indicating that charging has started.

23      Hardware Limited Warranty

Warranty obligations for Orbit Speak are limited to the terms set forth below:

Orbit Research warrants this hardware product against defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of ONE (1) YEAR from the purchase by the original purchaser ("Warranty Period"). If a hardware defect arises and a valid claim is received by Orbit Research LLC within the Warranty Period, at its option and to the extent permitted by law, Orbit Research will either:

Repair the product free of charge (or) replace it with a product that is manufactured from new or serviceable used parts and is at least functionally equivalent to the original product.

A replacement product or part assumes the remaining warranty of the original product or thirty (30) days from the date of replacement or repair, whichever provides longer coverage. Parts provided in fulfillment of its warranty obligation must be used in products for which the warranty service is claimed.

23.1  EXCLUSIONS AND LIMITATIONS

This Limited Warranty applies only to the hardware product manufactured by Orbit Research LLC that can be identified by the “Orbit Research" trademark, trade name, or logo affixed to it. Orbit Research is not responsible for damage arising from failure to follow instructions relating to the product's use.

This warranty does not apply in the following cases:

 

1.         Damage caused by accident, abuse, misuse, flood, fire, earthquake, or other external causes.

2.         Damage caused by operating the product outside the permitted or intended uses described by Orbit Research LLC

3.         Damage caused by service (including upgrades and expansions) performed by anyone who is not a representative of Orbit Research

4.         A product or part that has been modified to alter functionality or capability without the written permission of Orbit Research

5.         The serial number has been removed or defaced.

TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THIS WARRANTY AND THE REMEDIES SET FORTH ABOVE ARE EXCLUSIVE AND IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, REMEDIES AND CONDITIONS, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, STATUTORY, EXPRESS, OR IMPLIED.

EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN THIS WARRANTY AND TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ORBIT RESEARCH IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR DIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM ANY BREACH OF WARRANTY OR CONDITION, OR UNDER ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF USE; LOSS OF REVENUE; LOSS OF ACTUAL OR ANTICIPATED PROFITS (INCLUDING LOSS OF PROFITS ON CONTRACTS); LOSS OF THE USE OF MONEY; LOSS OF ANTICIPATED SAVINGS; LOSS OF BUSINESS; LOSS OF OPPORTUNITY; LOSS OF GOODWILL; LOSS OF REPUTATION; LOSS OF, DAMAGE TO, OR CORRUPTION OF DATA; OR ANY INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL LOSS OR DAMAGE HOWSOEVER CAUSED INCLUDING THE REPLACEMENT OF EQUIPMENT AND PROPERTY, ANY COSTS OF RECOVERING, PROGRAMMING OR REPRODUCING ANY PROGRAM OR DATA STORED IN OR USED WITH THE ORBIT RESEARCH PRODUCT, AND ANY FAILURE TO MAINTAIN THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF DATA STORED ON THE PRODUCT. THE FOREGOING LIMITATION SHALL NOT APPLY TO DEATH OR PERSONAL INJURY CLAIMS, OR ANY STATUTORY LIABILITY FOR INTENTIONAL AND GROSS NEGLIGENT ACTS AND/OR OMISSIONS. ORBIT RESEARCH DISCLAIMS ANY REPRESENTATION THAT WILL BE ABLE TO REPAIR ANY PRODUCT UNDER THIS WARRANTY OR MAKE A PRODUCT EXCHANGE WITHOUT RISK TO OR LOSS OF PROGRAMS OR DATA.

24      CONSUMER PROTECTION LAWS

FOR CONSUMERS WHO ARE COVERED BY CONSUMER PROTECTION LAWS OR REGULATIONS IN THEIR COUNTRY OF PURCHASE OR, IF DIFFERENT, THEIR COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE, THE BENEFITS CONFERRED BY THIS WARRANTY ARE IN ADDITION TO ALL RIGHTS AND REMEDIES CONVEYED BY SUCH CONSUMER PROTECTION LAWS AND REGULATIONS. Some countries, states, and provinces do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages or allow limitations on how long an implied warranty or condition may last, so the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights that vary by country, state, or province. This Limited Warranty is governed by and construed under the laws of the country in which the product purchase took place. ORBIT RESEARCH LLC., the warrantor under this Limited Warranty, is identified at the end of this document according to the country or region in which the product purchase took place.

25      OBTAINING WARRANTY SERVICE

Please access and review the online help resources referred to in the documentation accompanying this hardware product before seeking warranty service. If the product is still not functioning properly after making use of these resources, please send an e-mail to: techsupport@orbitresearch.com, for instructions on how to obtain warranty service. You must follow ORBIT RESEARCH warranty procedures.

ORBIT RESEARCH will maintain and use customer information in accordance with its Customer Privacy Policy.

If your product can store software programs, data, and other information, you should make periodic backup copies of the information contained on the product's hard drive or other storage media to protect the contents and as a precaution against possible operational failures. Before you deliver your product for warranty service, it is your responsibility to keep a separate backup copy of the contents and disable any security passwords. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE CONTENTS ON THE DEVICE BEING SERVICED WILL BE LOST OR REFORMATTED IN THE COURSE OF WARRANTY SERVICE, AND ORBIT RESEARCH IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO OR LOSS OF PROGRAMS, DATA, OR OTHER INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE MEDIA OR ANY PART OF THE PRODUCT SERVICED.

Your product will be returned to you configured as originally purchased, subject to applicable updates. You will be responsible for reinstalling all other software programs, data, and passwords. Recovery and reinstallation of software programs and user data are not covered under this Limited Warranty.

26      FCC Information

26.1  FCC Notice

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, 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. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

26.2  FCC Caution

To ensure continued compliance follow the installation instructions and this device must be installed with a computer or peripheral device certified to comply with Part 15 of the FCC rules for Class B limits. Use shielded interface cables only. Use the power adapter that is supplied with the device to charge its internal battery pack.
Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate this equipment.

27      Further Information

For the latest information, specifications, troubleshooting tips, software upgrade instructions, care and use information, warranty information, and more detailed instructions, visit the Orbit Speak website at https://www.orbitresearch.com/support/orbit-speak-support/.

For further questions or concerns not covered in this User Guide, please contact the distributor from where you purchased your Orbit Speak.

28      Appendix B: Keyboard Command Reference

This appendix lists the Orbit Speak keyboard commands in one place. Some actions can be performed in more than one way; alternative commands are separated by a semicolon. A plus sign means the keys are pressed together.

28.1  Global and System Commands

Return to the Home Screen — Space + Dots 1 2 3 4 5 6

Open the context menu — Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4)

Close or exit the current application — Space + Dots 1 3 5 6

Go up one level or back, in menus — Left Arrow (Space + Dot 3)

Go up one level or back, in file and folder lists — Dot 7

Decrease speech rate — Space + F1

Increase speech rate — Space + F4

Decrease speech volume — Dot 7 + F1

Increase speech volume — Dot 7 + F4

Speak battery status — Space + Dots 1 6

Hard reset the Braille keyboard — Dot 8 + Up Arrow

Hard reset the Android system (hold about 15 seconds) — F4 + Up Arrow

28.2  Navigation

Up Arrow (previous item, move up) — Space + Dot 1

Down Arrow (next item, move down) — Space + Dot 4

Left Arrow (back, up one level) — Space + Dot 3

Right Arrow (forward) — Space + Dot 6

Select, activate, or confirm — Select (or Dot 8)

First-letter navigation — Type the first letter of the item's name

28.3  Book Reader (Reading) Commands

Start, pause, or resume reading — Select (Dot 8)

Choose the movement unit — Up Arrow / Down Arrow

Move by the selected movement unit — Left Arrow / Right Arrow

Decrease or increase Book Reader volume — Dot 7 + F1 / Dot 7 + F4

Decrease or increase reading speed — Space + F1 / Space + F4

Add a bookmark at the current position — Dot 8 + B

Find Next — Dot 8 + F

Find Previous — Dot 7 + F

Open the reading view context menu (Find, Go To, bookmarks) — Space + M

Close the book and return to the previous list — Dot 7

28.4  Editor Commands

Go to the next character — Space + Dot 6; Right Arrow

 

Go to the previous character — Space + Dot 3; Left Arrow

Go to the next word — Space + Dot 5; Space + Right Arrow

Go to the previous word — Space + Dot 2; Space + Left Arrow

Read the next line — Space + Dot 4; Down Arrow

Read the previous line — Space + Dot 1; Up Arrow

Move to the beginning of the line — Space + Dots 1 3

Move to the end of the line — Space + Dots 4 6

Move to the beginning of the document — Space + Dots 1 2 3

Move to the end of the document — Space + Dots 4 5 6

Insert a new line — Select; Dot 8

Delete the previous character (Backspace) — Dot 7

Delete the character under the cursor (Delete) — Space + D (Space + Dots 1 4 5)

Enable or disable selection mode — Dots 1 2 8

Copy selected text — Dots 1 4 8

Cut selected text — Dots 1 3 4 6 8

Paste text — Dots 1 2 3 6 8

Select all — Dots 1 8

Read the current line (press twice to spell) — Space + Dots 1 4

Read the current word (press twice to spell) — Space + Dots 2 5

Read the current character — Space + Dots 3 6

Read from the cursor to the end of the document — Dots 1 2 4 5 8

Read from the beginning of the document to the cursor — Space + Dots 1 2 4 5 7

Read the selected text — Space + Dots 1 2 7

Open the context menu — Space + M (Space + Dots 1 3 4)

Create a new document — Dots 1 3 4 5 8

Open a document — Dots 1 3 5 8

Save an existing document — Dots 2 3 4 8

Save a new or untitled document (Save As) — Space + Dots 2 3 4

Close the Editor application — Space + Dots 1 3 5 6

28.5  Remote Mode Commands

Activate remote channel 1, 2, or 3 (pairing mode) — Space + Left Arrow + Dot 1 / Dot 2 / Dot 3

Activate remote channel 4, 5, or 6 (pairing mode) — Space + Right Arrow + Dot 4 / Dot 5 / Dot 6

 

29      Appendix A: Revision History

Rev.

Date

Description of Changes

Author

0.1

26th July 2024

·       Initial draft

 

Andre

0.2

6th August 2024

·       Added troubleshooting steps.

·       Updated the section on Settings to reflect the most recent software update, namely adding 24-hour format setting for time.

·       Reformulated some paragraphs for easier reading.

 

Andre

0.3

8th August 2024

·       spelling and grammar

·       removed extra spaces and font changes.

 

Andre

 

 

0.4

9th August 2024

·       Heading numbering

·       Formatting text

·       Alignment of bullet points

·       Accessibility checks

·       Refinements

Sandip &Harshil

0.5

24th October 2024

·       Added Firmware upgrade steps

Vrajesh

0.6

4th November 2024

·       Update the Utilities menu contents.

·       Update the troubleshooting steps

Mohammad & Sandip

0.7

25thNovember 2024

·       Added the Internet Radio contents

Mohammad &Sandip

0.8

29thNovember 2024

·       Formatting

·       Review

Adi & Sandip

0.9

24th December 2024

·       Added Voice recorder contents.

·       Review & Formatting

 

Mohammad & Sandip

0.10

30th December 2024

·       Voice Recorder Content Review

·       Formatting

Adi & Sandip

0.11

5th February 2025

·       Added Voice manager contents.

·       Added Reader Contents

Sandip & Mohammad

0.12

27th February 2025

·       Format the headings and Sub-headings.

·       Spell check and Grammar

Sandip

0.13

27th February 2025

·        Updated Media player and Internet Radio contents.

·        Added Podcasts contents.

·       Spell check and Grammar

Mohammad

0.14

27th February 2025

·        Updated Voice Recorder, Podcasts, Contacts and Firmware Upgrade sections.

·        Spell check and Grammar

Mohammad

0.15

6th August 2025

·        Updated Voice Recorder, Podcasts, Contacts and Firmware Upgrade sections.

·       Spell check and Grammar

Mohammad

0.16

17th July 2026

·       feature set into the Orbit Speak

·       guide. Added General Navigation

·       Braille Reader, Newspapers, World Clock, Stopwatch, Countdown Timer, Weather, Contacts import/export, file protect and compress/extract, and Check for Updates. Expanded.

·       Media Player, Internet Radio, Podcasts, Book Reader, Voice, Recorder and Settings

·       All controls kept in Orbit Speak

·       Braille commands.

Adi