[gui-talk] Need Your Advice

[Tactile Display]

Hi Louis,

Thank you for your comments.  We will keep you informed as we proceed next 
year.

 The best, Peter

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <ljmaher at swbell.net>
To: "'NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List'" <gui-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, November 16, 2006 7:47 PM
Subject: Re: [gui-talk] Need Your Advice


> Hello,
>
> I am a programmer, and I would like a display 80 columns wide with about 
> ten
> to twenty rows.
>
> Regards
> Louis Maher
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Tactile Display
> Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 7:26 PM
> To: gui talk
> Subject: [gui-talk] Need Your Advice
>
> Hello friends and colleagues
>
>
>
> Tactile Display Corporation (TDC) can manufacture a multi-line refreshable
> braille display (RBD) and must now answer 2 crucial questions: How big 
> (rows
> high and cells wide) should the ideal RBD product be to function as a
> braille book reader? How big should our initial product be to be 
> acceptable
> in the marketplace?
>
>
>
> As you are aware, there are 2 different standards for the presentation of
> brailled text: 25 lines by 40 characters for embossed hard copy (except 
> for
> magazines) and 1 row by 20, 40 or 80 cells wide for refreshable braille
> devices.
>
>
>
> Both standards, of course, are somewhat arbitrary - based on history,
> production limitations, current costs - and not on intrinsic 
> psycho-physical
> and cognitive factors - reading rates, fatigue factors, and so on.
> Apparently, no research has been conducted on this question directly 
> related
> to RBD products in connection with textbook access - tables, charts, and 
> the
> like.
>
>
>
> I am aware only of research conducted at the University of Minnesota on 
> line
> length as a crucial factor that determines reading rates - 5 words or less
> drastically reduces reading rates in print as well as in braille.  Too 
> much
> context is lost.
>
>
>
> Also, it's well known that users are unable to read tables, charts, and
> spreadsheets with single-line braille displays; again, too much context is
> lost.
>
>
>
> Please think about and help us answer the question: What size multi-line
> refreshable braille display would you like, recommend, or agree to market?
>
>
>
> TDC can manufacture a multi-line RBD product at current single-line 
> 40-cell
> prices, so price should not be a deciding factor.  Let me know if you 
> would
> like to be a beta tester next year.
>
>
>
> Best regards, Peter Duran
>
> Tactile Display Corporation
>
> Fayetteville, GA
>
> Toll free:  877-993-4994
>
> tactiledisplay at bellsouth.net or brlinc at bellsouth.net
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> gui-talk mailing list
> gui-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gui-talk
>