In 2024, two new Braille input devices joined the assistive technology arena: the BT Speak from Blazie Technologies, and Orbit Speak from Orbit Research. Here, I take a tour of these units so you can decide for yourself which one is right for you.
Some, but by no means all, of the functions of these two devices are similar:
- Both have a Braille input Perkins-style keyboard
- Both are portable, lightweight, and comfortable to use with good battery life
- Both can connect to a computer as external storage devices, or paired with your headphones/external speaker
- Both support Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
- Both support external media with a good hierarchy file structure and several file formats to choose from
- Both offer a voice recorder for taking notes or those all-important phone numbers
- Both contain a plethora of functions which we will discuss in further detail below
- Both have comprehensive documentation and aftersales support
But here is where they differ
- BT Speak is open source and runs on the Linux operating system while Orbit Speak uses the Android operating system
- BT Speak can run in two modes, traditional or Desktop Mode
- BT Speak measures 15.5cm wide, by 7.1cm deep, by 1.9cm high, or 6.1 inches, by 2.8 inches, by 0.75 inches, and weighs 240.9g, or 8.5 ounces
- There are two flavours of Orbit Speak, Standard and Plus
- Orbit Speak measures 16.0cm wide, by 6.5cm deep, by 1.5cm thick, or 6.3 inches wide, by 2.5 inches deep, by 0.6 inches thick, and weighs 180g or 5 ounces
- BT Speak’s hardware comprises 32gb Flash8gb RAM; 32gb Flash Memory hard drive; Micro SD card slot supporting unlimited external storage; nine-key Perkins-style input Braille keyboard including two modifier keys; WiFi supporting 2.4ghz and 5.0ghz protocol; Bluetooth 5.0; USB C and Mini HDMI; stereo speakers; and a Lithium Polymer 8200mah rechargeable battery offering up to 10 hours use
- Orbit Speak’s hardware comprises a full-size SD card slot with capacity up to 2tb, 3.5mm headphone socket, onboard WiFi and Bluetooth, backward and forward Braille translation, and a Perkins-style Braille input keyboard with a four-way navigation pad and additional shortcut keys
- Orbit Speak has a fast-charging long life battery of approximately 15 hours with USB C connectivity and haptic feedback
Menu Structures
BT Speak offers the following menu items:
• Editor
• Voice Command
• Voice Notes
• Media Player
• Radio Tuner
• Pandora (US only)
• AI (Chat GPT)
• Agenda Calendar
• Scientific Calculator
• Stopwatch and Countdown Timer
• Dictionary
• Weather
• Gregorian Date Calendar
• Morse Code
• LibreOffice Writer (word processor)
• Mozilla Thunderbird (Email client)
• LibreOffice Calc (spreadsheets)
• Chromium and Firefox (web browsers)
Orbit Speak offers the following menu items:
- File Manager
- Editor
- Media Player
- Internet Radio
- Utilities that let you check battery status, time and date; perform calculator functions; use the calendar; set alarms; add contacts; use the voice recorder; and format an SD card
- Settings
- Help
Functionality
Both devices have a comfortable, ergonomic keyboard with good key travel. BT Speak has stereo speakers, but given its size, the speakers are tinny. In this regard, while Orbit Speak has one speaker, sound is much better though this, of course, is subjective.
Given that BT Speak is open source, apps can be added to it with the addition of using Linux and the Orca screen reader. Apps for the Orbit Speak can be added through Orbit Research software updates.
At the time of writing, both devices offer multiple Braille tables, but Orbit Speak only appears to offer the US system language. Both units offer multiple speech synthesis.
Both units allow you to enter text in computer Braille, Grade 1, Grade 2 and Unified English Braille. Both units also work in standby mode which means that you can put them to sleep and wake them by touching their respective power buttons. Both BT Speak and Orbit Speak Plus have good Internet Radio applications with the ability to search for stations by country as well as by category and name, and add them to a Favourites list.
The main difference between the Orbit Speak and Orbit Speak Plus is that the latter has an entertainment centre such as media player and Internet Radio where the standard version does not. The media player therefore supports a range of formats such as MP3 and DAISY.
Both models of Orbit Speak offer a very simple voice recorder which can be accessed directly from the main menu by pressing F3. Voice recordings are made in WAV format, and recordings can be renamed or deleted.
Documentation for both BT Speak and Orbit Speak is comprehensive and available as separate documents as well as being built into the unit. In each case, you can download documentation from
or
Contact Information And Pricing
BT Speak is available to purchase directly from Blazie Technologies in the United States. They do not have a UK dealer which means that you will incur heavy import duties. My experience of this was very unpleasant because shipping company FedEx charged me £217.07 in duties, and even though I paid these immediately and in full, FedEx sent me letters threatening to take me to court if I did not pay up! They went as far as instructing a debt collection company to act on their behalf, even though I had the evidence to prove the import duties had been paid in full. So if you do consider purchasing a BT Speak, please bear this in mind if you live in the UK because Blazie Technologies say that it is up to the UK government to collect taxes and duties. Blazie Technologies do not appear to want a UK dealer at the moment through which a BT Speak could be purchased. But if you are prepared to order one, just be mindful of what lies ahead if you do!
Orbit Speak is more straightforward as there are three UK dealers from which to purchase:
Aspire Consultancy, 01904 762788,
Computer Room Services, 01438 742286,
Sight And Sound Technology, 01604 798 070,
BT Speak costs around $1,200, but remember that import duties to the UK need to be added.
Orbit Speak comes in two flavours, Orbit Speak and Orbit Speak Plus. Orbit Speak costs £549.00 excluding VAT, or £699.99 for the Plus version excluding VAT.
Conclusion
These devices are welcome additions to the many note-taking products that are on the market. Keep in mind that, to some extent, both are a work in progress, so software specifications will change with each update. BT Speak is by far the more advanced of the two in terms of what it can do, and may have too many bells and whistles for some users. In this regard, Orbit Speak or the Plus version may well suffice if you are less inclined to experiment, and prefer features that are simple to use. Given my experience of ordering directly from the States and the issues this caused with FedEx, it alone would put me off. Apart from the additional cost, it was incredibly stressful to convince FedEx and the debt collection company they used that I had paid the import duties in full and without delay. How else would I have seen the BT Speak if I hadn’t paid up to get it released once it landed in the UK?
Both units have a lot to offer in their own way, it really depends on what you want the device to do, and how much you are prepared to spend.
Finally, the Turtleback leather case comes as an additional accessory for either unit so check them out here: