Hardware & Accessory Reviews

I previously reviewedthe Brailliant BI 40X. In that evaluation, I mentioned there was a 20-cell model as well. Unlike when I reviewed the Focus Blue Fifth Generation displays, which are the same display other than the amount of cells, the two models of Brailliants sport some differences. Physical differences aside, the software functions the same. This includes how these…

The following review is an adapted version of this evaluation to suit the AppleVis website. It was originally written in April 2021. You can read the full review on the Technology, Research and Innovation Center's web page. This expanded evaluation includes a comprehensive review of the internal applications and how well the Brailliant BI 40X works with other screen readers not within the Apple ecosystem.

What's…

I am severely visually impaired and as such my vision varies depending on the light conditions around me. When the light is in my favour, I cannot see anything below nose level for around 20 feet and my peripheral vision starts at around 10 feet. I also suffer with disability glare.

I came across the Sunu band review, by accident, on the Blind Life YouTube channel. I then looked at other reviews of the Sunu band before deciding to buy one.

The Sunu band is intended to be used…

I was in search of a pair of Bluetooth earbuds which were noise cancelling, and had multi point capabilities. For those of you who aren't geeks like me, multi point is the ability to be simultaneously connected to two Bluetooth devices at a time. For example, my iPhone and my android media player, but that's neither here nor there. Anyway, upon recommendation from an AppleVis member, I decided to buy the jabra elite 85t's. At the time, when I first sought recommendations for…

The midiPlus AKM320 is a cheap, small, and compact USB MIDI keyboard that fits on a table or in your lap.
FEATURES:
• 32 velocity-sensitive keys
• Pitch and modjulation wheel
• Volume slider.
• Octave and transpose buttons up and down.
• Sustain pedal input.
• Works with iOS via camera adapter / MAC / Windows.

When I bought my midiPlus AKM320, I was quite surprised by the size. Bearing in mind that I had never owned a MIDI keyboard, I was not…

I thought I'd come on here and give my review on this awesome portable charger.
I received this charger as a christmas gift about a year ago. The person I got it from purchased it from qvc. Not sure of the price at the time but now it's around $39.00.
I did find one similar that has 2 USB ports, mine only has 1. This charger is about the size of a small cellphone. The concept is that this charger has one of those sticky patches on the back of it so that it can stick…

I have a love-hate relationship with Anker. I think their charging accessories are solid, but I find the rest of their products to be mediocre. I’m also not at all fond of their aesthetic choices. Why they insist on covering everything with shiny black plastic is baffling. Guys, it’s going to scratch 5 seconds out of the box. Still, some of their stuff is good, and I think I may have found another gem. Before we continue, I should add that this station does not have Magsafe charging. If you…

""Don't be afraid of the guy in shades …" -- Corey Hart

I love good headphones and clear discrete audio. Anyone who knows me will tell you I am a speaker nut! However, I am the last person you would typically expect to pay $250 for good headphones or sunglasses. I am way too cheap! I can hear my younger self saying Reggie; you have completely done lost your mind!"

My first pair of Frames was the first generation Alto model from 2019.
They…

Years ago, Bose introduced the SoundLink Mini 2, the second generation of its mini Bluetooth speaker. Now, they have the SoundLink Mini 2 SE. The changes are minor, but in this case, that’s a good thing. As they say, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Here, I’ll give an overview of the changes and my thoughts and opinions.

What’s different?

As I said, not much has changed. Instead of Micro USB, you’ll find USB type C on the side for charging with modern (non-iPhone) cables.…

Based on Mosen at Large review/recommendation and others, last week, I upgraded to Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine and UniFi Access Point BeaconHD.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081QNJFPV/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apip_TGb6PL1PabtbS
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081QNNDVY/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apip_F43YsZqKhq3RG

Similar to…

Preliminaries and Pricing

First of all, I was going to do this review next week, but right now these earbuds are on sale in the United States for $45.99. In Canada, they are 106 Canadian dollars, and in the UK, they are £49.99.

I heard a different pair of these earbuds reviewed at the beginning of last week. They sounded good, but there were features missing that turned me off from them, namely no volume control on the earbuds. However, I searched for other earbuds by the…

In this review, I am actually covering two products, but they are so similar that I feel this will work just fine. For our purposes, we will be calling the original Pamu Slide "the Slide", and the Pamu Slide Mini will be referred to as "the Mini." When I first bought the Slide, it was one of the most funded kickstarter campaigns ever, and most certainly for a truly wireless earbud. It was also endorsed by many, many celebrities and very highly reviewed from early testers. Is it worth it…

To begin with, let's give you a little information about what these earbuds contain:

• Titanium Composite dynamic driver: Balances powerful bass and exquisite detail to deliver Music as the artist intended it to be heard.
• Fast and stable connection: integrating Qualcomm chip with aptX and AAC compatibility provides a rock-solid connection for an optimized level of audio excellence.
• Extended playtime: experience up to 6.5 hours of non-stop enjoyment on a single…

As I have become more integrated with technology, one of the challenges for me has been keeping that equipment powered up. While I have an iPhone and braille display, I also have other things that need to stay charged such as the microphone that delivers a direct audio signal from the person wearing the device to my hearing aids. It often serves as a life line to keep me able to communicate with those around me who only use speech. Depending on the context, there are many other types of…

The Brailliant BI 14 from Humanware refreshes instantly, silently, and reliably. Those three words should be kept in mind in what follows, because they may well overshadow every other quibble and criticism I feel obligated to mention in this review, and they in fact set it apart from the Orbit Reader 20, which was my other serious contender…

This review of the Dot Watch provides an additional point of view to the reviews posted here on AppleVis and Access World. I purchased the watch at the end of 2019, two and a half years after its launch.

The first time I checked the time on the Dot Watch, I was struck by a conviction that a digital Braille…

I've been using AfterShokz bone conduction headphones since 2013 and they are a regular companion on my daily walks, allowing me to listen to music, podcasts, books, and VoiceOver while still being able to hear traffic and whatever else is going on around me.

The $159 Aftershokz Aeropex are the company's smallest, sleekest, lightest, and most advanced bone conduction headphones yet. They are well-designed, have good build quality, and are extremely comfortable to wear.

In…

I got these headphones as a backup pair of headphones in case my Bose QC35's ever broke, because it's quite noisy at my house, and noise-cancelling headphones are a must for me. Anyway, on the left ear cup, you will find two buttons, going from back to front, first is the button that you press and hold to turn active noise-cancelling (ANC) on or off. Next to that button is the power button, press and hold it to turn the headphones on. ANC will come on by default, if you don't…

Hello everyone. I'm back again with another review and today I have something I think is truly unique. Today I'm taking a look at the Stealth Labs Speaker Backpack. This backpack can hold up to 12 liters of space, with a main compartment big enough to hold a 15-inch laptop, a change of clothes and all your other essentials and a little more. The zippers are hidden out of the way to discourage thieves, and the bag also has a built-in speaker that doesn't sound half bad as well…

So, for the longest time iPhones have only been able to capture audio in mono. That all changed with the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR. The catch is, you can only get stereo audio when recording video. This has it's cons and pros. For one, the stereo mics on these phones aren't lined up with the camera, so you get an inaccurte stereo image compared to the actual image. But on the good side, they exist, but that's not what I'm here to talk about. I am here to talk about the…