HIMS Inc. has announced a "maintenance" patch for the Braille Edge 40 that brings a few new added functions to the device. Some readers may be thinking this is old news, but it's not really. Though this patch was originally announced in September, it was pulled from the website shortly after due to some customers having the update fail.
Some of the features that are new to the Edge are ones Braille Sense customers may already be familiar with. The first is a feature called Typing Mode which makes it so that when the space bar is pressed in conjunction with keys, instead of performing a command, it will insert a space in to the document after the letter that was entered. This is now available from the Notepad. Exam mode is another feature that was added to the Braille Sense line of products earlier this year. The patch released brings this functionality to the Edge.
This patch also brings full UEB support to the Braille Edge including menus and internal messages. Prior to now, UEB support only existed within the Notepad. For instructions on switching to UEB, see this article which lists how to do so on many devices, including the Braille Edge.
Better JAWS support for using the 4 function keys on each side of the space bar also comes to the Braille Edge. This means that, if you press Alt on the Braille Edge, it will activate the Alt key on the keyboard. This also works with the Escape, Tab, Control, Insert, Shift, Windows and Applications keys. Finally, a new "test Mode", was introduced, giving users the ability to exercise their braille display.
This firmware update is free for existing Braille Edge customers, and you can follow the source link for both where to download the patch and also for a few more details on it. To update the Braille Edge, follow the source link above to download the zip file with the update. After extracting the .zip file to an SD card, put the SD card in the display, and while holding the f8 key, press the reset button along the left side of the back edge. A voice that sounds like Microsoft Mike will say "update started". You will then hear a series of tones to let you know that there is progress on the installation. There is no braille feedback, so if you cannot hear the tones, just wait until you returned to the main menu. After the update completes, the same voice says update success, unit will be restarted. Unlike the release from 2 weeks ago, I have been able to update 3 Edges with this one without difficulty.
Source: HIMS inc.Category: News
Well that explains why I couldn't find the firmware patch a few days ago when I was trying to help someone update their Braille Edge. Honestly, they could have put a message up to that affect. It would've been less confusing.
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