The perfect companion for proloquo4text
Added on Thursday 09 March 17
My speech has been slowly recovering in the 18 months since my operation, however it is still far from consistent or easy. In some situations my speech works well, but most of the time I rely on speech generation software to facilitate my communication. My speech app of choice is Proloquo4text which is iOS based.
I recently got a 12.9”iPad Pro via my work and I found it was very good for Proloquo4text, however I found myself frustrated by the onscreen keyboard.
The Studio Neat Canvas and a Apple Magic Keyboard where my solution. This combination is now my go too AAC setup.
The canvas is a very simple idea wonderfully well executed. It’s a bit of, well, canvas which wraps around my Magic Keyboard. When unwrapped it then becomes a stand for the iPad Pro (or any other device i was to slip in).
The combination of a sturdy and light stand, a great full size keyboard and iOS 10’s keyboard support adds up to a wonderful typing experience. I’d argue it’s better than typing on my MacBook which has the silly ultra slim Apple keyboard.
When i am communicating using my iPad i use it two different ways. One way (when the person is sat next to me at a table) is to type into Byword and have them read as i type. This is the quickest method. As a bonus, the studio neat places the screen closer to me than a MacBook does which means i can get it working on smaller tables and don’t make my wrists sore on the edge of the Mac.
Sometimes i have to be verbal, and in these situations i type into proloquo4text and then output the sound via the iPads speakers or via the headphone jack to a a PA system (for example if i am on an panel at a conference).
The studio neat is very clever, very well priced and it works wonderfully. Better yet as its not iPad or Apple specific i can use it on all my future iPads and even continue to use the magic keyboard on my Mac if i need too.
All in the studio neat is properly the single most useful iPad accessory i have every used. I am not longer trapped using a Mac for speech. I can enjoy a flexible, full speed communication exprience on everything from my iPod to my iPad.
