MBraille Pricing

No way am I paying £20 for braille input on a telephone. Brailletouche's price was reasonable when I bought it at launch, but the price for this is out of wack with reality. I know, it sounds like whining, but I am getting sick of paying over the odds for blindness stuff. Fair enough, the product might be alright, but I don't think it's functionality justifies £20, especially if your not on facebook and stuff.

yes, the price is a bit ridiculous. I've found that if I switch my key layout,it's pretty much like typing on a normal keyboar, though the cells sort of confuse me, since i've got to think of the cell being up and down,and not across. Heh.

It is absolutely opinion based, but I do not feel that 10 dollars more than similar apps is unfair when you factor in the increased usability and features of this app when compared to others. There are apps for sighted people which cost a comparable amount as well, and other VI related dedicated devices range in the thousands of dollars. Yes, 30 dollars is slightly high for an iphone app, but it seems worth it to me. That being said, some uncertainty is understandable and not every solution will be right for each person.

I agree that the price seems a little bit high, but also see the validity of the points made above. Besides, the developer has to make a living, and knowing what little I know about adding Grade II support, that likely cost him a bit of cash. I really like the idea of th is app, and will likely try the app. My only issue is that I already invested in BrailleTouch, so am reluctant to spend money on another Braille app. I will, however, if Grade II is never added to BrailleTouch.

MBraille got a good reception and I'd like to express my hearfelt thanks to everybody who has purchased it. It keeps the flame going and there will be soon an updated version. That said, I'm afraid the race to the bottom in app-store pricing is giving people false expectations. Most app developers are loosing money and I'd like not to be among them for too long. So the price is not going to be lower any time soon, but it might well be higher. Best Regards, Harri

Hmmm, just had to double check the price of MBraille. I thought NVDA might have been reading it wrong. But no it really is £20. Judging by some of the comments I thought it was £200. And here come the predictable complaints about app pricing. If you find the app useful then buy it. If you don't then leave it alone. It's pretty simple. The fact that Tap Tap See, VisWiz, Text Detective, Omoby etc are free or very low cost doesn't mean we should all wet ourself with outrage at an app that asks for a pretty standard price when it comes to software. Windows software is usually around the £15 to £50 mark. I sure Mac is the same. Don't let the incredible bargains of the cheaper apps in the App Store distort your perception on what is a reasonable price for truly useful software. The developer isn't trying to 'piss off' the blind community, he's trying to makes some money back on the time and effort put into producing this app. I'm assuming he didn't knock this app up in an hour. The price isn't outrages or ridiculus it's pretty standard for a premium app. If you don't consider MBraille to be premium then don't buy it. Same goes for Navigon, Tom Tom, Blindsquare, Prizmo etc. Of course whats a reasonable price for some might be considered expensive to others, but if you find an app that makes your life alittle easier for the price of a takeaway meal then it's got to be worth it. James Jolley, where do I even start??? lol. Let's look at your comment from a developers view. Typical arrogant software customer. I have been spoiled by the low prices of other apps and so expect you to work for nothing in order to help me. I now consider £20 to be an insane amount of money to pay for anything that I might find useful or make things alittle easier for me. Braile Touch has been promising contracted braille support for awhile and have failed to do so but your first release of this software has some issues I find annoying so I am going to over-react and take my ball in;. lol. Now, on your marks, get set, discuss Sending you all hot and saucy Uk love.. Shaun.

I do like this app a lot, but I agree with those who say the price is too high. I'm using the free version, and that's the version I'll continue to use.

Thanks for the fair response. I admit, I was very surprised to see the price as high as it is. It's probably one of those apps that you have to absolutely need because you find using the regular keyboard difficult. I do like Braille Touch though, although it's not able to do contracted braille, the price was acceptable. To be honest, there are some design features that I don't agree with either, having my text copied to the clipboard automatically isn't something I approve of personally - should be an option to disable this behaviour. Either way, different viewpoint and accepted.

I spent the money for the full version and have thoroughly enjoyed the fluid and easy way this app performs. I especially like making calendar entries and composing e-mails. Typing in Grade 2 Braille is great, and I'm next going to learn the commands for editing. So, understand if folks don't want to spend $$ -- I don't care to read the posts whining about it though. Pat

Typical arrogant software developer. I hardly think £20 is a race to the bottom for a braille input application. It is actually an insane price to expect blind users to pay, considering that the app isn't as good as Braille touch in many respects because of the keyboard. Either way, nice way to piss off the very community your trying to help by telling them that your not only disinterested in there viewpoints with regards to price, you could care less and will put it up. Sorry, you've lost a customer on principle. Bye-bye!

Firstly, any need to be so confrontational and pathetic? Criticising someone over being concerned that a price is outlandish, pricing the software out of the market and showing concern is now worthy of the great troll tag "lol" is it? Trying to act tough on the internet and judging folk is hardly a good indicator of your personality, well it is but unlike you I am keeping my personal opinion of you to myself thanks. Secondly, I don't object to paying for applications, I object to developers thinking they can milk a small community for what they can get, and showing little concern for the viewpoints of said community when they're the ones paying for the software. Genuinely, I could care less what nurd rage you want to display in comment number 32767, you're just proving that the only person's viewpoint you are interested in is your own., and all the pathetic attempts at humour and derision won't change that. Now, you might be a teenager and I understand you may not be grown up yet, but if you are indeed a grown adult trying to talk like your the man to somebody like this on the internet then I can give as good as I get and believe me, i'd get banned in under 3 minutes. I'm not actually offended by your comment, i'm just disappointed. Disappointed in a community that sees opposing viewpoints as whining, when actually I am trying to assist the developer in not pricing himself out of contention. After all, why the hell should I care anyways, it's a braille input app that doesn't work as well as it should in the first place, because it doesn't even acknowledge translation properly when speaking braille input as an example, uses free API's to do it's twitter integration/google searches, employs a bit of a parser to enter events in the calendar and adds some editing that seems clunky from a UI perspective anyways, though I haven't considered as yet how i'd improve on it. I often wonder why nobody uses the roter to do some of this work but there we go, what the hell do I know, i've only developed software myself but yet again I am clueless about the harshness that is the life of mobile application developers. I'll carry on just whining for fun shall I. Talk about idiot attitude. The blind community shouldn't feel they are not entitled to have opinions just because you wasted in my view £20. People whine that equipment pricing is expensive, yet accept the status quo of being robbed because it is on a telephone. Don't like my opinions on this, Shame but there it is. I won't end this comment with some snarky trollish nonsense, i'm an adult you see, we try to be rational people unlike children who sit at keyboards and play tough.

Well James my old bundle of joy, Seems you are on one today, so let's see if I can let you know why I thought your comment to the developer was cringe worthy. James Said : "Typical arrogant software developer. " Well that's a well mannered start to a comment. Not at all demeaning or disrespectful. James Said : "I hardly think £20 is a race to the bottom for a braille input application. It is actually an insane price to expect blind users to pay," Ok, we'll be kind and say that this is just a personal opinion, but you must admit that using the word 'insane' is slightly over-reacting. We are talking £20 here not one of your fingers. James Said : " considering that the app isn't as good as Braille touch in many respects because of the keyboard." Your opinion and that's fine. James Said : " Either way, nice way to piss off the very community your trying to help by telling them that your not only disinterested in there viewpoints with regards to price, you could care less and will put it up. Sorry, you've lost a customer on principle. Bye-bye!" Wow. Shall we just take a minute to take this in? Did ANYONE else feel that the developer was saying anything like this in his comment? Where did you get this from? Reading through the comments on this topic yours is the only confrontational, rude or troll like comment. Let's just ignore the whole 'so easy to produce this app' nonsense you tagged on at the end. I look forward to seeing "Jollys Fun Braille" app in the App Store soon. Oh, and make sure its free. Other people have given their opinion on the pricing in a reasonable manner and that's perfect. I feel I did the same. If you really think I hated or trolled you in my comment then I apologise. And your last comment was so hilarious that I can't really stay mad with you. forever yours, Shaun. x

I'm not your bundle of joy either, do us a favour and let adults talk.

Fed up of being shot down for having opposing viewpoints within this community. Fed up with people assuming they know what my capabilities and experiences are. Fed up of everyone just lying down, taking it like idiots but will still play on lists and complain to each other about how the latest reading machine is expensive. Fed up of a community that disrespects it's patrons so to speak. Fed up of trollish comments from people who wish they actually had some sense of validity with what they think, but they are so insecure about things that they have to act tough on the internet. Fed up of being told how to think. Fed up of being taken as an idiot when I have something valid to offer a discussion. Funny, there is a lot to be sick of within the blind community, no wonder I hardly bother.

Hi James, In the simplest of terms, value is in the eye of the beholder. In a market where apps are free, $0.99, $1.99, or $2.99 for the most part, $30 seems like a huge amount to me. Especially since I already have BrailleTouch and am happy with it, minus the lack of Grade 2 support. Since I am happy with my current solution, I would be much less inclined to buy MBraille than someone who badly wanted the Grade 2 support and the other features that MBraille provides. I think people in general, both sighted and blind, have come to expect more for less when it comes to apps and prices. And while developers could charge $1.99 for the latest hit game and bring in the money until the cows come home, that just won't work for MBraille and the likes because they are very specialized apps for very small markets. There are two ways developers could handle this kind of a problem, as I see it: 1. Develop the app, charge next-to-nothing for it, and not make any money. 2. Develop the app, charge whatever they see fit for it, and get a return on their investment of time and resources. In the end, it's all about what is important. If MBraille doesn't seem worth $30 to you, that's perfectly okay. But calling Harri a "typical arrogant software developer" isn't going to help the situation.

Hi, I do agree that there is a race to the bottom on many apps. I think that in this case, £20 for what the app is seems really excessive though, and my reason for calling him out really was simple. People are trying to express that they are concerned about the price of his application, and he basically says"So the price is not going to be lower any time soon, but it might well be higher.". To me, that attitude says that he really could care less about his customers as long as he makes money. Pricing oneself out of the market is a valid concern, but I can only accept this to a limited degree. Braille Touch when I paid for it was £10, worth that for what it had. I think it's solution is slightly better in that it doesn't copy to the clipboard automatically as MBraille does. Really, we can argue about this all day, and taking away SeanUK's silly ideas about what constitutes humour away, I have my viewpoint, others have theres. On a side note, I suspect that braille touch are waiting until the release of IOS 7. I recall fondly all the developer feedback and discussions that Caleb had on the braille touch entry and think that's how you relate to customers. Each to there own.

I do think the harsh words spoken earlier on this subject helped no one, and I'm glad this has been moved to a separate topic. Since these braille input apps are specialized, the price is always going to be higher. If the developer of said app doesn't get a lot of people buying it, that's on them. You can choose to buy it or use the free version. Complaining about app prices helps no one. It's as simple as that, folks. It's even worse when people who don't even like an app complain about its price...It just seems pointless to me!