Archive for May, 2009

SeroTalk Tech Chat 18 – Improving Your Quality of sleep and Productivity

Saturday, May 30th, 2009

In Tech Chat 18, we spoke with
Joseph T. Hull, PH.D.,

with the Division of sleep Medicine, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Topics included sleep disorders, issues facing many blind persons, circadian rhythms, sleep research, caffeine, exercise, sunshine, artificial lighting, Melatonin and over-the-counter and prescribed sleep aids. We also discussed using audio like reading books, music, and even software from
Pzizz for Windows and the Mac for power naps and more restful sleep.

Learn more by visiting the following resources:
sleepFoundation.org

P.B.S. Science Now interactive website:

Harvard Medical School Division of Sleep Medicine website

Interactive “Healthy Sleep” website

Listen to Tech Chat 18 on Improving Sleep Quality, Energy and Productivity.

 

SeroTalk Podcast 15 for May 25, 2009

Monday, May 25th, 2009

We extend the giveaway of the Blue Snowflake microphone and Icicle XLR-to-USB adapter for another two weeks. E-mail a creative audio file as to why you need a new mic, or why you like Serotek

resources@serotalk.com

Mike Calvo reviews the HP DV2 12 inch Notbook, running windows Vista 64–bit, 4GB of ram, DVD burner, 512 MB video card and more.

We speak with Bill Boules, creator of the

Friday Morning Podcast at www.BillBoules.com

He discusses rehab agencies, working for Social Security, notetakers, and purchasing and downloading unprotected 256K MP3s from

Amazon MP3

Listen to seroTalk Podcast 15 for May 25, 2009

 

System Access Mobile for $299 and One Year of SAMNet for Just $99 Through Memorial Day!

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

Now through Memorial Day, Monday May 25 at Midnight Eastern U.S., save $200 off System Access Mobile. For just $299, normally $499, you get licenses for two computers, plus a third license for a U3-enabled USB key to take to any other computer. With free lifetime upgrades, and the ability for you to switch to any two computers you choose, this will be the last money you will ever need to spend for a screen reader!

But that’s not all! An annual subscription to SAMNet, normally $129, can be had this Memorial Day Weekend only, for just $99. That’s $30 off all the great entertainment, information, news, movies, voice chat, social networking, third party e-mail and more, for one whole year, for just $99.

Both specials can be purchased separately, or together for even greater savings. Purchases must be made online only, and this offer will not be extended beyond Midnight EST on Monday, May 25. To create a new paid account, please visit
https://secure.samobile.net/signup/account_info.html

To log in to an existing account and purchase, please visit
https://secure.samobile.net/user/addon_order_start

The Serotek Team

SeroTalk Tech chat 17 – Mobile Data Cards, Plans, Speeds and Two Secrets

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

In Tech chat 17, Mike Calvo discusses:

www.LetsTalk.com to Get the Best Cell Phone Data Plans

EVDO Vs. HSPA.

Prices for services and hardware.

5GB caps.

Two things providers would prefer you didn’t know.

Canceling contracts.

and much more.

Listen to SeroTalk Tech Chat 17 on Mobile Data Connectivity!

 

Envision Selects Serotek Software for Youth Camp

Friday, May 15th, 2009

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn – May 15, 2009 – Serotek Corporation, the leading provider of internet and digital information accessibility software and services, announced today that Envision®, a Kansas based agency that combines employment opportunities with rehabilitation services and public education, has selected its System Access™ software for its 4th Annual Residential Assistive Technology Camp for Kansas Youth. The camp establishes independence for teens who are blind or visually impaired, through college and career development and technology instruction. Serotek CEO, Mike Calvo, will also be featured as an opening day

instructor at the week-long camp. Calvo will be distributing netbooks with the System Access software installed and will demonstrate how to use the software for the remainder of the camp as well as throughout college and into the campers’ careers. Serotek representatives will also be on hand to speak with students interested in careers in information technology. “There are more than 70,000 school aged children in the US who are legally blind, and yet fewer than 10 percent own the assistive technology they need,” said Calvo, “This camp and Serotek’s software open up a whole new world of educational and career opportunities for these teens, and we couldn’t be happier to support Envision’s efforts.”

System Access is accessibility software with text-to-speech screen reading and magnification which can be used on any computer and gives users full access to all the social networking, podcasting, twittering fun of modern Internet use while delivering full accessibility to the most widely used business applications such as Microsoft® Office®. It can also be trained in a tiny fraction of the time it takes a new user to become familiar with a traditional screen reader.

“This assistive technology camp is essential to helping these individuals obtain employment,” said Steve Stambaugh, vice president of Envision Low Vision Rehabilitation Center, “Thanks to our collaboration with Serotek, we’re able to better prepare these individuals for post-secondary education and expand their career options.”

The camp supports 30 – 40 students who are selected for this program through nominations by Kansas Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVI). The 2009 session will be conducted from June 1 to June 5. For more information about the camp, visit

www.envisionrehab.com

For more information about Serotek Corporation and System Access software, visit

www.serotek.com

Serotek Corporation

Serotek Corporation is a leading technology company that develops software and manufactures accessibility solutions under the System Access brand. Committed to the mission of providing accessibility anywhere, Serotek began with the launch of the first online community specifically designed to meet the needs of people with visual impairment. Since then, Serotek has introduced several powerful, affordable solutions that require minimal training and investment. The companyÂ’s Keys for K-12 program puts blind children on par with their sighted peers as it relates to computer usage. For more information, visit

www.serotek.com

Envision

For more than 70 years, Envision has combined business with human services, creating employment opportunities and offering vision rehabilitation services to individuals who are blind, low vision or developmentally disabled. A private, not-for-profit agency founded in 1931 as the Wichita Workshop and Training School for the Adult Blind, the agency has helped countless individuals live independently. For more information, visit

www.envisionrehab.com

 

Target Will Improve Point of Sale Equipment to Benefit Shoppers with Visual Impairments

Friday, May 15th, 2009

Minneapolis, Minn. (May 14, 2009)– The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), American Council of the Blind (ACB), California Council of the Blind (CCB) and Target (NYSE:TGT) announced today that the organizations have collaborated to improve the Target checkout experience of guests with visual impairments and ensure their privacy.

The AFB, ACB and CCB applaud Target’s efforts and urge other retailers to follow its example.

Point of Sale Improvements

Target will add tactile keypads to point of sale devices at all

Target stores. This improvement allows shoppers who have visual

impairments or difficulty reading information on a touch screen to

privately and independently enter their personal identification

number (PIN), protecting their financial privacy. The devices feature keys arranged like a standard telephone keypad and work in conjunction with Target’s current point of sale  terminals. All Target stores in California will have the new devices by December 2009, and keypads will be installed in all Target stores nationwide by the end of 2010.

SeroTalk Tech chat 16 – Twitter Tools

Friday, May 15th, 2009

Tech Chat 16 discusses third party aps for Twitter including:

McTwit from Jamal Mazrui – www.EmpowermentZone.com/MtSetup.exe

OutTwit for Outlook 2003 or 2007 From TechHit.com

Twitterific for the Mac, plus third party websites.

Listen to SeroTalk Tech Chat 16 With Accessible Twitter Tools

 

 

SeroTalk Podcast 14 – Quality Blue Microphones

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

Follow SeroTalk on Twitter.

Call the BlabLine toll free at (866) 997–BLAB (2522)

Register to win a Blue Snowflake quality microphone simply by e-mailing or sending a voicemail to us telling us why you need a new microphone,

E-mail Resources@SeroTalk.com

Or win a Blue Icicle which makes any XLR microphone work through a USB  port on either the PC or Mac. Just send us an audio creation about why you like Serotek. This can either be a song, jingle, poem, limerick, or whatever your audio specialty.

E-mail Resources@SeroTalk.com

Extended through May 31, Serotek is offering $200 off System Access Mobile™ for anyone whose software maintenance agreement has lapsed, or who is not entitled to any additional upgrades with their SMA for Jaws® for Windows® or Window-Eyes™. For just $299, purchase System Access for two computers that you can change at any time, plus one license for a U3 Smart Drive that you can use to make any computer come alive with speech, Braille, and screen magnification. And with free upgrades for life, this will be the last money you will need to spend for regularly-updated and innovative screen reading and magnification.
Just provide your serial number as proof that your SMA is past due, and System Access for two computers and one U3-enabled USB license is yours for only $299, that’s $200 off the regular price of $499.
To get started, simply visit the “my account” section of an existing SAMNet account. You can do this by opening the System Access menu with modifier+f and choosing the “My account” option, or by choosing option 16 from the SA Mobile Network Home screen. If you do not yet have an account with Serotek, you may create one by visiting

www.satogo.com

and choosing the “create new account” option.
Once you have logged in and accessed the “my account” option, choose “buy more products and services” and follow the prompts in the buy wizard.
You can also receive assistance from a Serotek sales representative by calling (612) 246-4818.

In SeroTalk Podcast 14, we spoke with Tyler Barth from

Blue Microphones – www.BlueMic.com

about the Mikey for the iPod, Icicle XLR to USB converter, snowBall and SnowFlake mics plus the Blue Eyeball webcam and pro gear for musicians.

Download Blue Mikey Audio.zip to hear the Blue Mikey and iPod REcorder In Action.

We began with the latest A T headlines:

the Pocket WiFi Modem available from Verizon starting in mid-May for $100 with two-year contract after rebate, is  the size of a triple-thick credit card. It has one power button, one status light and a swappable battery that looks like the one in a cellphone. When you turn on your MiFi and wait 30 seconds, it provides a password-protected wireless hot spot.
The MiFi gets its Internet signal from Verizon’s 3G (high-speed) cellular data network. If you just want to do e-mail and the Web, you pay $40 a month
for a lackluster 250 megabytes of data transfer, 10 cents a megabyte above that. And a $60 plan gives you a wopping (5 gigabytes). And if you don’t travel incessantly, Verizon also offers a one-day pass: $15 for 24 hours, only when you need it with the MiFi costing $270.

Flying Blind, LLC and Optelec BV on May 11  announced the release of
“In Touch with ALVA: A Guide To Unleashing the Power of Your ALVA Braille Controller, Version 1.0. This comprehensive tutorial has been designed for users of Optelec’s ALVA Braille Controller, as well as both sighted and vision impaired service professionals responsible for training users in how to integrate this life-changing technology into their adaptive
technology journey.
The ALVA Braille Controller, the sixth generation of ALVA Braille terminals, began shipping in July of 2008. The ALVA Braille Controller not only allows users to interact with their PC and accessible mobile devices via a Braille display, Braille keyboard, and optional audio input/output via either USB or Bluetooth connections, but it’s built-in system and flash file storage options enable the user to portably manage information as well as host a Screen Reading session directly from the ALVA Braille Controller.


Download In Touch with ALVA: A Guide To Unleashing the Power of Your ALVA Braille Controller, Version 1.0


Johanna Sarkinen from Finland is spearheading a new online radio
station, called The Global Voice. It’s slogan is: “Helping world’s blind
and sighted communities see eye to eye”.
The Global Voice


Two online broadcasts regarding technology for people with vision loss.
One, Innovations, produced by people on the last Main Menu team,   airs
for one hour on the Global Voice four times weekly: GMT Sunday at 07:00, Tuesday at 17:00, Thursday at 00:00 and Friday at 14:00.
An earlier Main Menu team has re-launched Main Menu on
ACBRadio airing beginning Fridays at 8PM Easttern, or Saturday at 01:00 GMT with broadcasts repeated throughout Saturday.



ACBRadio.org


The May, 2009 issue of The Braille Monitor contains an article entitled
Low-Cost Screen Readers


VISIONS 3rd Annual Employment and Technology Institute, Summer 2009 runs from July  22-28, and costs $75, or you can take part in the included intensive technology weekend only, July 24-26, for $50.  Round-trip bus
transportation from Manhattan to the rural conference facility in Rockland county is included.


July 2009 Employment and Technology Conference Registration


 Google has announced that they are partnering with Lime to offer a $10,000 U.s. scholarship and $5,000 Canadian scholarship to students with disabilities who are pursuing university degrees in the field of computer science.


U.S. and Canadian Computer Science Scholarships


The Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) is
holding a YouTube Video Contest to showcase people and how
assistive technology has helped them. You could win a prize if your video is among those that receive the most views on YouTube.  For details go to


ATIA Video contest


October 1, 2009 marks the 10th anniversary of the first Talking ATM in the United States. In preparation for that milestone, Linda Dardarian and Lainey Finegold invite you to share your Talking ATM stories.  Further information is available at:



Talking ATM Stories


Listen to SEroTalk Podcast 14 – Blue Mics That Make YOu Sound Great!


 

SeroTalk Tech chat 15 Discusses four OCR Software Options

Friday, May 8th, 2009

Follow SeroTalk on Twitter by going to

www.twitter.com/serotalk

Call the Blab Line and tell us what you think! (866) 997–BLAB (2522.

In Tech Chat 15, We discuss four OCR software packages:

Serotek’s Document Scan for $159 – One Sixth the Cost of the Other Three!

KNFB Reader for the Nokia N82 and 6220 Classic for $995

Kurzweil K1000 Version 11 for Windows XP and Vista

OpenBook Version 8 From Freedom Scientific

Listen to SeroTalk Tech Chat 15 – Discussing Four OCR Software Options

 

SeroTalk Tech chat 14 – Using Serotek Remote Access to Optimize Windows XP

Saturday, May 2nd, 2009

In SeroTalk Tech chat 14, Michael Lauf allows Mike Aarigo to remote in to his computer and optimize Windows XP for speed and performance, using the remote access capabilities available to all subscribers of SAMNet.

Listen to SeroTalk Tech Chat 14 Using Serotek Remote Access to Optimize Windows XP