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VarioUltra includes a braille keyboard, a braille line with cursor routing
buttons, and a variety of other buttons and switches.
A BAUM braille keyboard is ergonomic by design. The 8 braille keys are
laid out in a slightly curved fashion. If you hold your hands parallel with
each other, you may miss dots 1 and 4 which sit more forward than the
other keys. Move the palms of your hands in the direction of the front
corners of VarioUltra and your fingers should naturally align with the
button layout. Braille keys are referred to throughout this manual as B1,
B2, etc., all the way to B8.
Depending on the VarioUltra model you own, it will have either 20 or 40
braille cells, and an equal number of cursor routing buttons that can be
found directly above each cell. Use cursor routing buttons to move the
cursor within a document, or to select options inside menus.
Display Buttons. There are 6 display buttons in all, 3 on each side of the
braille line. These buttons are used to navigate around a document as
you read. These buttons are also used to command and control certain
devices such as an iPhone or iPad. Display buttons are referred to as
D1, D2, etc. D1, D2, and D3 are on the left side of the device, while D4,
D5, and D6 are on the right.
Thumb Keys are located below the braille line, along the front, angled
edge of VarioUltra. They are an inch wide by half an inch tall. In braille
display mode, both buttons function as a space bar. In braille notetaker
mode, the one on the left is used as a command key; the one on the
right is space. The thumb keys are referred to as B9 and B0 throughout
this document.
The Navistick is a 5-way joystick, located between the two thumb keys.
Use Navistick to move left, right, up, or down by tapping the edge of the
button in the desired direction. Pressing in on the middle part of the
Navistick selects and/or confirms options within the menu structure of
VarioUltra. The Navistick can also be used to move through a document,
or to move through menus.
System Keys are small, circular buttons located along the front edge of
VarioUltra. You will find S1 and S2 to the left of the left thumb key, and
S3 and S4 to the right of the right thumb key. When in Braille Notetaker
mode, a long press of S3 always takes you back to the main menu. A
short press of S3 inside applications will open or close the Command
Menu.
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