the problem is that they are so expensive. in fact, anything that is marketed to the blind gets some cost boost because the manufacturers claim its a niche market (I don't call 26 million people a niche market). there is also the problem that these same manufacturers use government contracting as a primary source of their income, thus they charge the government as much as they can legally get away with.
If I had the money, I would certainly be finding a way to manufacture braille displays using good quality materials and still keep the price down (automated assembly). given enough of either time or production levels, I could have enough units selling far below the current market rate. this would also allow me to have spare parts and repair contractors for local delivery. Believe me, I have taken apart some of the more recent models of braille displays and they are cheap built. there is no reason why the market is so over-inflated. anyway, enough of my rant. -eric On Jul 28, 2012, at 11:47 AM, Jack Woehr wrote: > Amit Kulkarni wrote: >>> completely don't understand why there is still no "braile terminal" >>> available. > > Especially since they were invented back in the 1980's (at the latest). I played with a prototype at a meeting > of the Forth Interest Group circa 1987. > > -- > Jack Woehr # "We commonly say we have no time when, > Box 51, Golden CO 80402 # of course, we have all that there is." > http://www.softwoehr.com # - James Mason, _The Art of Chess_, 1905
