All posts for the month October, 2022

Beauty Quadrant: BReasons for Beauty Brands Going Bankrupt

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe. I am back with another post!

Makeup Brands Going Bankrupt!

Again, I was watching What’s Up in Makeup and found out that Morphe is considering bankruptcy as well since months ago I heard that BH Cosmetics was going bankrupt but got bought out and then of course Revlon, one of the big ones in drugstores, also going bankrupt and there are some reasons why which I will be talking about!

Disclaimer: This post is based on thoughts and opinions of the lead writer of this blog. Please respect his thoughts on this subject. You have been warned!

So far, I have heard that BH Cosmetics has been bought by Makeup Revolution but on the heels we do have Revlon and Morphe’s parent company, Ferma, also going down this hole due to certain factors. Becca Cosmetics did go out of business recently and who knows who else would go that route and it’s hard to tell who is doing good or who is doing bad in the makeup sphere. Let’s see some factors I think that may contribute!

The Pandemic!

2020 was a new year and new things on most makeup brands’ horizons but what they didn’t expect was that a pandemic would happen. As we know, the virus known as CoVid 19 came to our world and basically changed it in not only viruses affecting each other but also the market itself. Becca closed its doors due to how they lost sales during the Pandemic but it is weird to say that a lot of online sales took place for a lot of brands because no one hardly took a step into a makeup store. Also, a lot of people were wearing masks and it was hard wearing foundation, powder, and concealer due to how much it gets into pores and they can’t breathe, the pores I mean. So, everyone did their makeup above the mask instead of under. BH Cosmetics  felt this the most because people were not buying as much when it came to their makeup and I had a feeling most people preferred getting skin care due to how people got a lot of acne underneath. I even was a victim of that for a short time.

Relying On Influencers

Jen pointed out the history of Morphe and one part of the history with them is how big they relied on the influencer market on YouTube due to how audiences were buying what they used. As I remembered as someone who watched a lot of YouTube back then and of course did buy things I seen advertised there, I always heard the famous line of “Use my code ‘insert name here 20’ for 20% off at checkout!”” I didn’t use the codes due to not having a job nor my own money in my account. I did get an Ulta credit card when they were heading to Ulta, well to build credit of course. I did purchase the vegan brush set and was not impressed, which will be my next point. I did notice as time went on that Morthey started losing these influencers due to scandals and even one, Jackie Eina, decided to take her code off from Morphe which can happen. Relying on influencers as your main market can be good at first due to how how they advertise on their channels except it can backfire due to how the audience would step away from the influencer with what takes place and that audience can also step away from the brand they promote, which Morphe relied on and relying just on that alone can lose sales. 

Quality Does Not Match the Price

One of the issues of makeup brands is the quality can be either good or bad depending on how well the formula has been put together or the tool has been made. Morphe has been famous not only for their shadows but their brushes. I remembered how some of the influencers said that the brushes are the best ones you’ll ever use. As someone who has used brushes from many brands, these aren’t what I’ve expected, especially using the vegan set I purchased from Ulta. The brushes were not the best and I felt that one of them almost felt like it was about to shed. I heard in reviews on YouTube that they shedded while washing them and that can break a brush brand. Another example of quality being horrible, Revlon’s eye shadows. I have enjoyed some of Revlon’s shadows but have noticed some were not as pigmented such as one quad I got a while back. I had a hard time blending and flaking off my eyes. I preferred the products but I did have one instance when the lip tints had no product, which was odd! I mean one of the tints. Plus, these sponge tipped lip tints are mentioned through Allure and top notch. So, quality is a big thing when it comes to getting customers because they are putting their hard earned money, whether it’s being paid from their jobs or working through YouTube or Tic Toc, they want to spend their money on good quality and that is what most customers prefer.

Being in the Times of Social Media

This is important because social media is where you want to be. Back in the 1980s and 1990s there was no social media. We had advertisements on television and in magazines, especially teen magazines such as Teen People, J-14, and Tiger Beat. I remembered Cover Girl being advertised in Seventeen Magazine when I was twelve. Nowadays, you not only have YouTube with ads about different makeup brands but of course influencers talking about makeup brands as they do their makeup, even now Tic Toc with talking about brands such as Charlotte Tilbury and Tarte. I only have seen Revlon advertised once on YouTube and that was when Gwen Stefani talked about one of their lipsticks since she was well-known for her red lip. That was all and after that it was Maybelline, Cover Girl, and L’Ireal. I think Revlon has lost its touch in the current time and can see why they have lost sales. If you’re advertising in the current world and using social media then the sales would keep coming. I remembered getting into makeup that YouTube was where I found out about my products and went to WalMart and Walgreens and remembered the girls at WalMart asking me how I know about these products and I told them the internet. Without the internet showing these items then the brand would not get their money. Money basically helps the brand survive and without it they would go bye bye. I think that is why Revlon should try to get back into the game by being more open to the influencer market and also create more internet ads for people to recognize their products.

That completes this post. I felt better writing about makeup again that is not just subscription based. Which, I apologize for not posting about my Glam Bag like I usually would. Unfortunately, due to some events I am going to just get my November bag and unsubscribe afterwards and will explain next month after RangerStop, which is in three weeks and we are excited to be back at an Orlando convention after three years due to CoVid. We did get asked about Holiday Matsuri last year but no longer go to that one which I still have my reasons for. I will be doing a post about nail polish since I needed to do that a while ago. So, stay tuned!

Leave a comment
by moonleopard85 on October 23, 2022  •  Permalink
Posted in beauty

Posted by moonleopard85 on October 23, 2022

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2022/10/23/beauty-quadrant-breasons-for-beauty-brands-going-bankrupt/

Beauty Quadrant: Thoughts on Ulta’s Podcast Episode with Dylan Mulvaney

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and I am back with a post that should be thought about and I figured I should also share my thoughts.

Thoughts on Ulta’s BackLash Towards Their Podcast with Dylan Mulvaney

Disclaimer! This post is based on thoughts and opinions from the lead writer of this blog. Please respect her thoughts and what she thinks towards the hashtag against the company since she is human! You have been warned!

So, I was watching What’s Up in MakeUp this morning while having my lunch from Fresh Set since I slept in on a fine Sunday, I deserved after working and studying all week and this came across on the episode where people are boycotting Ulta because of their latest podcast episode with a trans woman and people thought it was “Woman Face” where it’s like “Black Face” where it’s bad to have a trans woman on to talk about her journey in becoming her own self and how beauty affected her. Even the host, David Perez who was gender fluid also talked about his journey as well. I felt like posting about this since it’s been a while talking about LGBTQ related issues such as this since we did lose a dear friend who has helped us and was about to go on their own journey.

As you know, I have been shopping at Ulta since around 2012 after finding their location at the Millenia Mall back then and fell in love with shopping in the NYX section every time I get that moment. I have bought from other brands such as Ulta’s own, Essence, Smashbox, and even Urban Decay. Makeup has been a creative outlet for me as a visually impaired person since I can’t draw on paper as much as I had in the past doesn’t mean I can’t find my new canvas. One thing that has been big ever since living with a conservative family is that I was drilled in my head that makeup is for girls only! However, makeup has not been really. The earliest time that men wore makeup was around 3000 BC in China where men wore nail polish as part of status, another example is Ancient Egypt with the eyeliner look we are familiar from seeing in ancient artwork along the tomb walls or even at the Mummy ride in Universal Studios. Even the Silla people of Ancient Korea believed that beautiful souls inhabited beautiful bodies that beauty belonged to both men and women, even their Hwarang army wore jewelry, powder, and rouge in battle. 

So, let’s fast forward to 2016 when we started seeing new trends in wearing makeup where James Charles came onto the scene by being CoverGirl’s first Beauty Guy and this shook up the beauty game. I am pushing aside his controversies for this post because he has given a new path to new faces on YouTube where we have men like Manny MUA, Gabriel Zimora, even Jeffree Starr showing up and making videos all about makeup and this gave a new idea in self-expression, which some people have forgotten. Heck, for years, my favorite bands have worn eyeliner such as Good Charlotte, Green Day, Simple Plan, and so many more and they haven’t given smack for it either so why a transwoman in the first place when men have taken the beauty space and made it more unique? And why does it have to have boundaries?

Thoughts on Podcast Episode

I had to watch this podcast episode for myself to see where the backlash laid and there was nothing with it. I also just read Jeff Johnston’s article up to the point where a woman talked about on Twitter where Mulvaney can’t be a mother and how most women saw these two people in the video wearing makeup “mansplaining” girlhood. I saw more of a talk about how the two got to their point as a way of how to tell stories. As someone who has done podcasting, sorry for not having new episodes due to my schedule, podcasting is a way of storytelling and I have been in the audience of so many, especially Annie Spano’s Becoming Fearless where she talked about how she got out of a toxic situation and being her own girl boss and I think Mulvaney was telling his story from transitioning and that is what we need more of is seeing people going through their transitions as in seeing when they realize they were born in the wrong body and go through their transformation and seeing who they really are and doing things they didn’t like to what they liked and that is what this episode was about and Ulta celebrating it. Their response to it was even great where they said beauty has no boundaries and they are right about that.I feel that with how we are here in 2022 that beauty is one size fits all, I can see where Patrick Star got it, since we should not put a cap and say this is meant for girls when it’s really not, even with how history explained it all. I mean Ulta even featured someone in a wheelchair on their window displays as a way of celebrating people with disabilities and they are doing the same with transexual women and men. I did enjoy the episode and I hope Mulvaney keeps doing what she does since she wants to get back into theater and I respect that. I did love her story about the canopy bed since she was exploring decorating as a woman for the first time in her first apartment. I can relate since I had moved out in 2018 and didn’t start working yet so I couldn’t buy anything for my apartment after doing so, I had to rely on my dad on the moving journey by going to thrift stores, WalMart, Target, and Ollie’s for my stuff for kitchen and bathroom. 

Should Beauty Have Boundaries?

Hell no! It should not, even with how Ulta showed it in this episode. Like I said, it was nothing vulgar or anything bad being portrayed, it was just two trans men  talking about their lives and how they came to be in the end and that is what we need to hear more about. People in the LGBTQ community get a lot of bad rep and they shouldn’t anymore since we are all human in this world. If I would, I could have turned the clock back to my college days and taken the courses on this topic since it is part of our culture and we shouldn’t push them aside either. I think this episode is a pivot point in our society where beauty can be anything, anyone, and any sex and gender since beauty and makeup has evolved and came a long way. I would say watch the episode for yourselves and see what you think. I see it as two people connecting and showing who they are and telling a story while others don’t see it that way but if they are boycotting Ulta, so be it. I am not boycotting the store since I have a convention coming up and I know I have to hit the NYX section for my favorite lipstick and eyeliner!

That is it for this post, you can catch the “Beauty of…Girlhood with Dylan Mulvaney” on YouTube.. If you want to comment, they did shut off comments there but you can comment on their Twitter.  What’s next? I will be talking about brands going bankrupt!

Leave a comment
by moonleopard85 on October 23, 2022  •  Permalink
Posted in beauty, Internet, LGBTQ, Social Media

Posted by moonleopard85 on October 23, 2022

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2022/10/23/beauty-quadrant-thoughts-on-ultas-podcast-episode-with-dylan-mulvaney/

The Movie Quadrant: Hocus Pocus 2

R Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe. I am here for a new review and it’s a movie!

Hocus Pocus 2

Ever since I heard that they were making a sequel to the original after how many years, I was surprised since they could have done it a year after the original but Disney had to wait. Let’s get to the chase!

Disclaimer

This review is based on thoughts and opinions from the lead writer of this blog. Please respect her opinions unless you want to be turned into a cat for the next couple of centuries!

What Is It About?

Becca is a teen that has been into witchcraft and has been collecting many objects related to the craft even has known of the legend of the Sanderson Sisters ever since she has been living in Salem. On her sixteenth birthday on the faithful holiday of Halloween, she is given what was supposed to be a replica of the black flame candle that brought the three back twenty-nine years ago by the magic shop owner who changed the old house into his shop. With her friend Izzy, they go into the woods to do their yearly ritual and light the candle to find that it was not a replica but a real one and the magical three, Winnie, Sarah, and Mary, are brought back and this time not only looking for the book that was given to them as children but to use a powerful spell that could cost Winie’s true treasure after promising that she won’t cast the spell. Now Becca, Izzie, and their estranged friend, Cassie, must stop the Sandersons from casting the spell.

Thoughts

With most Disney sequels, they don’t keep up with the original as in they tend to stray from it and become a different movie on their own. Some examples include the Lion King: Simba’s Pride, or not as great as the original like The Little Mermaid 2 as another example. This one did fit with the original for the most part since we did get to have some back story on the sisters since we hadn’t in the original. In the original we got to see how the Binks siblings got involved where Emily lost her life with the Light Spell and how Thaqary turned into a cat. In this one we got to see how they got the book in the first place, which I watched again to see if it was also audio described like this and then found it interesting how the sequel made it different. In the original, it said the devil gave Winnie the spell book you see but it was an elder witch that gave them the book when they ran into the forbidden woods outside of Salem. They also changed the bit about Billy Butcherson since they decided to point out historical inaccuracy, which does happen from time to time, and it was a running gag like with the virgin bits in the original.

I did find it interesting how they set this movie in more of the modern times where we have smartphones and other technology instead of keeping one in the mid-90s. Even though it would have worked back then, giving the story more of a modern twist where it passes the torch down to newer characters makes it easier to play around. Even though we didn’t get to see any kids from Max, Dani, and ALison which I would love to see if Max and Alison did stay together after the original or if Dani had kids of her own and try to look into the legend themselves but having new characters getting into in witchcraft themselves and having powers fits a bit more. It did play with the idea of the three witches being more powerful than just having one and having them as friends rather than blood. Yes, Winnie, Sarah, and Mary were great as who they were since Winnie did rely on them to help with extending her power and it went the same with Becca with Izzie and Cassieb when they helped Winnie in the end. I guess they are having the message of keep the ones close the closest that you may lose them one day, which was the message in the first one between Dani and Max since Binks did say the same thing to Max,

One thing I did have to mention that they did keep was the singing and oh man, I know Disney loves their musicals and they did call back to the original with the stage bit. First, they did have the three sing a song about them returning which was also in the trailer. You also hear it in the start of the credits as well and later you do hear them do “One Way or Another” by Blondie. RJ did make a point, he was watching this with me by the way, the song about them being back makes sense but how did they know the Blondie song? I did notice throughout this movie that they were blending in with the era than the first. With the fist movie they were out of touch due to being from the 1600s and don’t know about what had changed since then such as the roads, candy, and even Halloween costumes. In this one, they just blended in such as being in Walgreens with Becca and Izzie looking at the skin care items and meeting their fans and having a selfie with them. I guess Disney decided that “One Way Or Another ” would fit with the idea of this movie since I did have the Sabrina the Teenage Witch soundtrack for a little while before selling it in a garage sale and I did remember Melissa Joan Hart did sing that song there. I guess I am just overlooking that but Bett Midler did do well singing it after not being in this movie for many years. She was a singer a while back after all.

Rating: 4 Star Paw Prints Out of 5

Even though I did like this movie, I did have to knock it off by one point for the musical parts. I think this movie could have done just one and stick to it like the original when they did “I Put a Spell On You.” But they did keep a lot of the original bits that they called back to which included the candle of course, the salt which trapped them this time, and did better with the Halloween bits by having festivals instead of Trick or Treating. To me, which I have been noticing, that has been a bit of a dying tradition since we didn’t have anyone come by last Halloween but people around work did appreciate my candy donation. Anyways, they did do a bit of a sequel bait and I am hoping if they are going for a third movie then they should not wait too long because Bett Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Catherine Nujinny are getting up there in age and we already lost some awesome actors and actresses along the way during some projects. I mean, Kingdom Hearts 3 is a big example since Leonard Neemoy did die years after they started working on it after Nimura decided to go and work on Final Fantasy XV which was a bad idea to do so which caused them to get a replacement once they decided to finish the game. I would say is that they either do it next year which would be the thirtieth anniversary or in 2024 or just leave it as is.

That is it for this review! I will be doing more reviews since I don’t have many subscriptions to cover each month. I am currently waiting on my Glam Bag to arrive and hoping that the USPS doesn’t lose it.  Not sure what is next but will think of something!

Leave a comment
by moonleopard85 on October 7, 2022  •  Permalink
Posted in Movies

Posted by moonleopard85 on October 7, 2022

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2022/10/07/the-movie-quadrant-hocus-pocus-2/

Convention Comet: RangerStop Orlando 2022

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! Time for a new convention post after a long time!

RangerStop Orlando 2022

Oh yeah! We are back with another year of RangerStop Orlando and this year it will be November 11th through the 13th at the DoubleTree near SeaWorld. I believe this is the same location as MythiCon since I saw the tower mentioned with our reservation and remembered walking around it during MythiCon. At first with conventions I was hoping to take a bit of a hiatus after Atlanta last year with RangerStop & Pop but with this year’s event being another anniversary for another season, we couldn’t miss it and need some fun while I’m already at my halfway point with school. Don’t worry, I will have my Pixel Book Go and my BrailleNote Touch Plus, which it’s time to give it a bit of a convention experience for the first time since I did take the Chameleon last year. I figured the Chameleon was easier due to it being smaller and lighter and easy to use with notes but I always hit that back button by mistake. I can use apps on the BNTP and could check things with the Wi-Fi more easily. If it gets too loud with my typing, which it has been one time, I can switch to Touch Braille. No further ado, let’s start with the location!

Hotel

Again, this convention will be held at the DoubleTree Orlando at SeaWorld which you can reserve for $109 a night.. This location is perfect due to the space having a good size for a convention. The Wyndham was nice but the main convention hall was a bit compact . The hotel does have the usual pool, work out room, onsite restaurant, and you can also have a digital key which you can access through the Hilton Honors app, which I suggest getting when making the reservation. I do like the app since it’s very accessible even when you need to edit things. I had to edit my payment info recently and was glad that it was easier than the Marriott app when we had to change our reservation to Weston. I had an issue and had to call in. Anyone who has an IPhone or Android, I would say check out the app with your screen reader. Orlando still has their usual sites and sounds such as Disney Springs and CityWalk nearby and a ton of restaurants to check out. I heard they opened up a White Castle and Fratellos which makes us more excited to visit Orlando again. I would say to check the RangerStop page to see if rooms are available and hurry since they may sell out soon. Anyone going to Holiday Matsuri, I would say check this hotel as a possible back up plan if they also have rooms for that weekend for Hol Mat in December.

Guests

This year will be an anniversary year and that is Wild Force which hits a twenty year point. Last year it was Time Force in Atlanta and this year at RangerStop in Orlando we will be seeing people from Wild Force. Of course we have Anne Marie Crouch who plays our princess in the series but we will also be getting Jessica Ray, Elia Volok, and others from this series. We will also be seeing people from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles which has been a favorite of mine both cartoon and the movies since I was a kid in the early 1990s. We will be getting Kevin Nash and Judith Hoage who played April in the first live action movie. Anyone who has loved the HalloweenTown movies, did you know she also played Piper Cromwell! 

Besides the new faces showing up this year, we will also be seeing some people returning including Steve Cardennas, Karen Ashley, Katherine Sutherland, Walter Jones, and Christopher Kayman Lee. You can check out the guest list on the RangerStop Orlando page, also more to come as the convention draws closer. I am excited since I will be bringing stuff to sign again!

Well that is it for this post! We are excited for this year’s event and since we will be doing press again, we will be having videos of panels as usual, and maybe an interview as well? Make sure you’re keeping an eye on our Twitter and YouTube channel! Hoping this month the USPS won’t screw up my Glam Bag, that is why I haven’t posted anything subscription related in September due to my bag being lost in the mail. Stay tuned!

Also, if you all want to check out the RangerStop website for Orlando, RangerStop Orlando

Leave a comment
by moonleopard85 on October 2, 2022  •  Permalink
Posted in conventions

Posted by moonleopard85 on October 2, 2022

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2022/10/02/convention-comet-rangerstop-orlando-2022/

Technology Quadrant: My Experience with the Orbit Reader 40

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! I am back with a new tech post!

My Experience with the Orbit Reader 40

I think it’s time to tell my story with this product because I feel that I need to spread the word that the Orbit Reader 40 is not my favorite device. I am still kicking myself for buying this product and man I would love to roast this thing. But first!

Disclaimer

This post is based on experiences with the device that is being talked about in this post. Please respect the lead writer’s thoughts and opinions on this particular device.

How Did I Know About Orbit and Their Products?

Well, first, I knew about the Orbit Reader 20 when I started working in 2018. It was a cute little device and I wanted to learn more about it. I even saw people use it, even with their phones and it works very well. I was interested in getting one of these but was steered away from it at first since I wanted to get a Braillenote Touch Plus of course and did have my Polaris. Then American Printing House for the Blind introduced the Chameleon and Mantis a year ago and Orbit did announce the new 20+ and the 40.

Purchasing the Orbit Reader 40

After getting my Spring refund from my time at UMass, I was on a purchasing quest and did pick up the Chameleon since that caught my eye more and the Orbit Reader 40 since I liked to go big with Braille displays. After purchasing, I didn’t know that Orbit had it as more of a pre-order and that I had to wait for it. My Chameleon did come on time though and I was having fun with it. I was mad that my Orbit was taking over a month though and seeing that it was a pre-order was a bit of a red flag. I am also noticing this with other devices they are releasing, like the Orbit B Speak if I remembered correctly  coming out soon. I did eventually receive the Orbit 40 and it didn’t turn on when I pressed the power button and that was another red flag. I did contact tech support and they told me I had to reset it. I did that and it was working. I was a little weary of it since it did refresh every time when it was in idle mode which did creep some of our buddies visiting, one time they thought they were hearing the zombie roaches from Resident Evil. Not kidding!

Trying the Bluetooth

One thing I like about Braille displays is the ability to connect via bluetooth and use it with devices such as laptops and other mobile devices so I can read what my screen reader is saying. With the Orbit Reader 40 it was not working with the Bluetooth at all. I tried it with my laptop and nothing, I even tried it with USB and it was not working either and even tried it with my phone. So, another contact with tech support and they were even perplexed and had to send it back for a repair. Once it returned, it did work as a display with my phone and ChromeBook only. I already used the Chameleon and now my Mantis with my laptop and JAWS so I decided to save those for that and NVDA. The QBraille can be bluetoothed to my laptop beautifully as well with no problem. I don’t get how or why this one didn’t want to respond with JAWS or NVDA, even a co-worker was confused that it worked with his PC not mine.

The Repair That Was the Nail in the Coffin Plus One More Thing

I had to send it for another repair again recently and after this they did something that caused me to no longer be a customer anymore since you have to do something awful to make me no longer come around and it was this! So, I had to update the software since I noticed something weird where my Orbit Reader did not want to take a charge. I contacted tech support and told them the issue and they choked it up to a software update. Doing updates on this thing is not like what you get with the other displays where you get it via wi-fi and have to plug it to A/C power to re-charge it like the Braille Sense 6, QBraille, Chameleon, Mantis, and BrailleNote Touch Plus, this one you have to download the updates via their website, you also have to do it with the QBraille but that is a lot easier since it relies on a SD card to be loaded. Here you have to connect it and hope it detects it through your computer or on the SD doing a key combination. I notice my hands do tremble after a few seconds due to limitations on motor skills but this was something that caused me to lose faith in being a customer. My unit did update but it didn’t turn on again. I did send it again for a repair and I did have to pay for it and they did fix it and sent it back and it still didn’t turn on. I was glad for Tobi moving in because he took a look at it and concluded that the motherboard may be fried. I did contact Orbit and told them that it was still not turning on and explained we went through the Troubleshooting steps and had to send it again and they said it was fixed again and called me on my birthday to tell me what the problem was since they never stated in the email and that was the motherboard was fried! That was not the real nail though, the real nail was when I tried looking at the manual on my SD card since they needed that for any more software related issues and I found the manual for the Orbit 20+ instead! You read that right folks, my SD card was switched out without my knowledge and had to contact Orbit again to get it back. They tried telling me I can just download the manual and re-download the books I had on there but it was not just books I didn’t want to tell them, it also included stuff from my Braille Sense Polaris. At least the other companies would tell me to take out my SD card after backing up every file I may have saved if it was a repair needed but not here. I still need to send their SD card back since work and school has been keeping me busy, they haven’t contacted me back as of yet.

Will I Purchase Again?

After hearing that they were going to come out with multi-linear displays, I was going to give them another chance but after the crap I had to go through, I am no longer buying an Orbit display from these guys. I feel like it’s not worth the money to send it back for a repair if it’s not performing to standard and that is what I’m looking for in a Braille device, as in it’s supposed to do what the features are claimed to do when advertised on the website. If you guys want a display with forty cells, I Would say either the Mantis or QBraille are your better devices, especially if you still have a Mac with a touch bar like I have which I use my QBraille for physical function keys. I use my Mantis with my Surface Go since the Surface series keyboards are not the greatest. And so far it has done well with what I have to do for class during a week, heck I even brought my Mantis home during the hurricane this week. If you’re wanting something smaller, I would say wait for later this October to get it back, APH Chameleon is amazing for what it does, yes the Brailliant may have NLS Bard but you can still read Bookshare books in Braille on the Chameleon and I find the key response better, especially with the grade switch when I need to enter a password or two with computer braille. Sorry but in the end, Orbit is no longer getting any of my money after this device. Another thing too is that I don’t want to bother with their tech support since I felt as though I got a run around with the software updates when things inside the units can happen. Even Tobi can explain it in a video when it comes to tech since he has built computers for friends already. When I told him he was right about the motherboard after getting home from Jacksonville on my birthday he was like, “Told you it was the motherboard!” People thought H. I. M S. had poor tech support, at least they give you better solutions than just sending in for a repair because I had better calls with them and we got the thing fixed. Also, sending these devices is not cheap by any means, as sending the Orbit back is over $30 if you don’t have a box on hand, which I didn’t at first. When I had to send the Braille Sense back, I did have a box for that and it fit the thing which ironically was my box from APH when I got my Mantis.

In the end guys, I would say not to buy the Orbit Reader 40, yes it is cheaper than the Mantis but my experience is something that should not be overlooked. I like the idea of having a bigger display to read books on but I can still do that with my QBraille by extracting my books on my computer and transfer them to the SD like with this one and can just download from Bookshare on my Mantis, I would say save up or if you are working with your local Vocational Rehabilitation services and have not gotten a display or need a new one to be a replacement then you could look at the ones I mentioned above. I bet you’re wondering about the multi-linear displays, I’d rather go with the Canute since that has been improved in their tech over time. I think what Orbit needs to do is just modernize their units with bluetooth and WiFi capabilities that work and not have this weird download and have it be detected by the unit since a lot of the technology nowadays rely on those components in the first place. Also, have the tech support study the components and be able to be prepared for how to fix it without having the unit sent back all the time, as in pass on the knowledge better to the customers too. And, test the units before releasing out right because when mine came to me where it didn’t turn on out right of the box, that was not good from the start. I have to end this here because my next post will be the spotlight on RangerStop Orlando 2022!

Leave a comment
by moonleopard85 on October 2, 2022  •  Permalink
Posted in Accessibility, Blindness, Reviews, Technology

Posted by moonleopard85 on October 2, 2022

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2022/10/02/technology-quadrant-my-experience-with-the-orbit-reader-40/