Archive for the ‘K-12’ Category

28 Interviews from ATIA 2010

Monday, February 1st, 2010

SeroTalk was able to get 28 interviews on January 27 and 28 at

ATIA 2010

held in Orlando Florida

Adaptive Switch labs

American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) Programs and Services

Fitness Products from A P H

Assist Touch System for A L S and ChatterVox Voice Amplifier

Demo of BookPort Plus from APH Coming in March 2010

GW Micro Announces Support for SAMNet Content in the Next BookSense Release

Click and Go Maps from In Touch Graphics Offer directions Via TTS or Telephone

EnableMart Products

EVAS (MIS) – Reader and Multi-Purpose Information system

Great Talking Box Company

HandyTech North America iRead OCR and Easy Braille Displays

Latest from Humanware as of January 28, 2010

Independent Living Aids – Kapten GPS, PenFriend Labeler, Large Display Cell Phone, Fully Talking Cordless Phone and Franklin Money Identifier

Inclusive TLC – Alternative Input Devices

Judy Lynn software – 18 Cause and Affect Applications

KNFB Reader latest Version

LevelStar Icon Update, October 2009

MacSpeech 1.58 Personal, MacSpeech Medical and MacSpeech Legal

CodeFactory Newly-Released MobileSpeak 4.0 for Windows Mobile and Symbian Phones

News-2-You Newspapers with Images Helping children Learn to Read

Two New Magnifiers from Optelec

Perkins Products – NLS Cartridges, New Braillers and Seka Braille Displays

RFBD Latest Supported Devices

Soft Touch – Software for Special Needs Children and Adults

Talks 4.5 Will Give Access to Touch Screens on Nokia Symbian Phones

TextHelp Fluency Tutor

Vizzle – 2,000 Plus Lessons with Visuals That Sizzle

ZoomText 10.0 Rewritten Will Run from USB Device in Summer 2010

 

Serotek at ATIA 2010

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

Serotek Corporation cordially invites you to drop by booth 520 at the 2010 ATIA conference at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, January 28 – 30.  Come and see hands-on demonstrations of all the latest Serotek technology, including a new surprise or two.

 

If you’re wondering which sessions to attend at this year’s conference, Serotek’s CEO, Mike Calvo, is conducting a presentation that you won’t want to miss.  “The Art of Being a Change Agent” will be presented on January 28 in the Curacao room ¾, from 1:30 to 2:30. 

 

When you’re not attending sessions, drop by our booth and learn how you can have access to powerful and portable assistive technology without breaking the bank.  Serotek is the first company offering you the ability to purchase screen reading technology on an as-needed basis through our “Build A Bundle” service.   Starting at just $9.95 per month, you can now have access to one license of the System Access screen reader, with additional machine licenses for only $5 per month.  Try out the System Access Mobile Network, known as SAMNet, with over 2,100 described movies, thousands of radio stations, recipes, TV shows, the Socializer for instant messaging and social networking, voice chat to meet other interesting people, web-based email, and so much more for just $9.95 per month.  For an additional $5, you can provide remote support and training to other Serotek customers, and even access your own computers remotely from anywhere!

 

When you’d like to carry your SAMNet content with you, you can do so by transferring it to your favorite portable device.  SAMNet supports a wide variety of audio players, allowing members to sync a wealth of content from the network including movies, email, and now, books from the National Library Service BARD program. IN addition to the Victor Reader Stream from Humanware, the Icon from Levelstar, and Braile Plus from the American Printinghouse for the Blind, SAMNet content is supported on the Plextalk Pocket. Serotek is also proud to announce that we will very soon be supporting the BookSense player from GW Micro and we’ll be demoing this upcoming support in our booth.  If you don’t yet have one of these sleek and powerful players, drop by the GW Micro booth #413 and pick one up, or visit www.gwmicro.com for more information.

 

Ask about Serotek’s free Keys for K-12 program, offering free portable screen reading technology for all grade school, middle school and high school students, ensuring that truly, no student gets left behind.

 

Serotek’s Accessible Event offers true Section 508 compliance to corporate meetings, webinars, classroom lectures and government projects.  You won’t want to miss getting a look at the very latest exciting innovation from Serotek and Accessible Event, so be sure to drop by our booth and see the technology that organizations and corporations like The Federal Communications Commission and Humanware are using to make meetings accessible to their entire staff.

 

If you’re not able to make it to Orlando this year, you can still keep up with the latest happenings at ATIA by putting

http://serotalk.com/feed in to your favorite RSS reader or podcatcher,

or simply by visiting http://www.serotalk.com, where we’ll be bringing you news and interviews from the show floor

 

The Serotek Team

 

Serotek Announces Build A Bundle – Computer Access for Less Than a Meal!

Monday, January 11th, 2010

Serotek Corporation demonstrates its continued commitment to providing accessibility anywhere at an affordable price with its build a bundle offering.  Build A Bundle is an exclusive online offering which allows an individual to customize a package of Serotek products and services to specifically meet their financial and technical needs.  With Build A Bundle, customers can choose from Serotek products and services such as the System Access screen reader, SAMNet content, and SAMNet Remote Training and Support.   The package is billed on a monthly basis, and individuals can add or subtract services at any time in order to best suit their particular accessible digital lifestyle.  “We believe that assistive technology should be as easily attainable by a consumer as a phone line or cable service,”, said Mike Calvo, CEO.  “Now, with Build a Bundle, consumers can have accessibility on the go for less than the cost of a meal.”

 

Build A Bundle is available to Serotek customers who wish to add to their existing package, as well as to those who currently have no Serotek products or services.  The default synthesizer for the Build a Bundle offering is the DECTalk TTS engine, and Neospeech and Eloquence synthesizers are available as one-time purchases which will remain a part of your account from the purchase point forward.  For a limited time, Serotek is offering the Eloquence TTS engine for free with any Build a Bundle purchase.  For those who don’t currently wish to purchase a Build a Bundle package but would like to use the Eloquence TTS engine with Serotek’s free System Access to Go service, Eloquence may be purchased for $40, a portion of which will be donated to the Accessibility is a Right (AIR) Foundation.

 

Building a bundle is easy.  Existing customers may log in to their accounts through System Access to Go, or from the Serotek software installed on their computer.  Those who do not currently have an account may create one by launching

www.satogo.com

and choosing the “create a System Access to Go” account from the login screen.  Once logged on, simply choose the “my account” option by pressing the modifier key plus the letter f, followed by the letter a.  From the “my account” screen, choose the “build a Bundle” option and begin creating your customized package for affordable accessibility anywhere life takes you.

 

To see a list of frequently asked questions and a price list for Build a Bundle, read the Build a Bundle faq at

http://serotek.com/build-a-bundle-faq

 

Serotek Build A Bundle Frequently Asked Questions

Monday, January 11th, 2010

Q1: What is Build A Bundle?

A1: Build A Bundle is a new, affordable way for anyone to have access to Serotek’s suite of products and services. With Build A Bundle, access to your Windows-based computers is now even more affordable than ever. No longer will anyone be excluded from the accessible digital lifestyle due to an inability to pay for expensive access technology. Select a combination of System Access screen reader licenses, SAMNet content, and remote access to your home PC, for your specific needs, and at a low monthly price.

 

Q2: Which products are included in Build A Bundle?

A2: The System Access screen reader, SAMNet, and SAMNet remote access to your home PC are included. Choose from one to five System Access installations, as well as access to the SAMNet interface and content. Need to access your home PC while on the road? You can do that, too.

 

Q3: Is there a minimum length of time that I must purchase my bundled services?

A3: Bundled services can be purchased on a monthly basis. You are only obligated to the services you choose for the time you have paid. There is no obligation to continue your services for any length of time beyond what you have paid for up front. As with all of our other services, there will be absolutely no refunds for unused time.

 

Q4: Can I add or subtract services in the middle of a billing cycle?

A4: You may add services to your bundle, and these will be prorated based on the time to your next billing cycle. At the next billing cycle, you will be charged the published cost for additional services. If you remove a service from your bundle, that service removal will not occur until the next billing cycle.

 

Q5: What are the costs for the Build A Bundle offerings?

A5: Here is a list of Build A Bundle charges:

System Access Seats (Monthly charge):

One seat: $9.95

Two seats: $15.95

Three seats: $19.95

Four seats: $24.95

Five seats: $29.95

 

System Access Mobile Network: (SAMNet):

SAMNet Content Only (No remote access): $9.95

SAMNet Remote Access (No Content): $9.95

SAMNet, Full Subscription: $14.95

 

System Access and SAMNet content come with DECTalk speech. Other speech engines are available at an additional cost.

 

 

Q6: What if I want additional speech engines or Document Scan? Can I get those in a Build A Bundle?

A6: Neospeech, Eloquence, and Document Scan are only available as one-time purchases. However, once you purchase any of these products, they will always be available to you for all future Serotek products and services. Please note that these one-time purchases only work with Serotek’s System Access, System Access mobile, and System Access Mobile Network and cannot be used with other non-Serotek products.

 

Q7: Can I install System Access onto a U3 smart drive with Build A Bundle?

A7: If you sign up for at least one System Access seat, you may set up a U3 smart drive. Please note that only one U3 smart drive can be active per account. Also, a seat can be used on either a computer or a U3 smart drive but not both at once.

 

Q8: I am already a Serotek customer. Can I build a bundle?

A8: Most Serotek customers can bundle additional services on top of existing products. For instance, someone who owns System Access can add remote access to his/her account, or an extra System Access license on a monthly basis. Similarly, a SAMNet only subscriber can bundle a System Access license on a monthly basis. Please see the next question for Software As a Service subscribers.

 

Q9: I am subscribed to Serotek’s Software As a Service. Can I build a bundle?

A9: Subscribers to the SAAS No Strings plan ($39.95/month) may change to a Serotek Build A Bundle at any time. However, it should be understood that in doing so, access to Neospeech and Eloquence synthesizers will be lost, unless subsequently purchased with the new bundle. SAAS subscribers in a 48-month contract ($24.95/month) may not change to Build A Bundle services.

 

Q10: What is the $25 activation fee?

A10: The activation fee is a one-time fee to start your bundled service. It will not be charged to you more than once, and if you build a bundle now, then cancel and come back and reactivate your service, you will not be charged this fee again.

 

Q11: I don’t understand how this works. Can someone walk me through building my bundle?

A11: In order to keep your costs as low as possible, Build A Bundle is strictly a self-service offering. Unfortunately, our customer service and support representatives are unable to assist you in building your bundle. All the information you will need to make your Build A Bundle purchase is contained in this document. If you are encountering problems with the Build A Bundle process, please

Write to support@serotek.com

with a detailed explanation of the problem.

 

Q12: I’m ready to begin building a bundle.  What do I do?

A12: If you have an existing Serotek account, please log in to

www.satogo.com

with your credentials, or launch the installed software on your computer.  Once the software is running and you have logged in with your credentials, you may access the “my account” section by pressing the modifier key and the letter f, followed by the letter a.  Note that the modifier key can be caps lock, insert, numpad 0, or scroll lock.  From the “my account” section, choose the “Build a Bundle” option and follow the prompts.

 

Q13: I do not currently have a System Access to Go account.  What do I do?

A13: To create your System Access to Go account, begin by closing any open screen access software.  Press windows key+r to bring up the run dialog on your computer.  Type www.satogo.com

and press enter.  Follow the spoken prompts until you reach the login screen for System Access to Go.  Once there, press the tab key until you reach the “create a free sAToGo account” button.  Follow the prompts to create your account.  Once your account has been created, follow the steps outlined in answer 12 in this FAQ to begin building your bundle.

 

The Serotek Story – Part 1, Only the Beginning!

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

Listen to the story of Serotek, where we came from, where we’ve been, and where we are going. With initial recording and editing by Michael Lauf, and post-production by Mike Calvo, this one hour presentation is a must-have for your audio archive colection. We hope you will burn to cd, and share with others this fascinating story of dreams, hard work, and what can be accomplished when brilliant minds work together as a team.
Listen to the Serotek Story Part 1, Only the Beginning!

 

Season’s Meetings from Serotek

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

Accessible Event makes meetings, lectures, and webinars fully accessible to all participants, and no meeting is too large or too small for Accessible Event to handle.  We understand that important meetings don’t just happen in huge corporations.  To that end, we’ve made a few changes that make it easier and more affordable than ever to bring accessibility to even the smallest group event. 

 

First, any personal Accessible Event day pass or subscription now covers up to ten attendees.  We’ve doubled the number of allowed attendees, but we haven’t doubled the price.  For $9.95 for a personal day pass, $39.95 for a month subscription, or $29.95 per month for a year’s subscription, you can ensure that all your meeting content is accessible, including MS-Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations and web pages.

 

From now through January 31, you can sign up for a free, basic Accessible Event subscription entitling you to up to three attendees per meeting.  Are you a blind student who needs access to classroom presentations?  Do you hold a small group meeting every month and you’ve been looking for a way to make it accessible?  Do you attend meetings which utilize an inaccessible meeting platform and you’re tired of not having the same level of access as the other meeting attendees?  Whether running as a standalone product or alongside other meeting solutions, Accessible Event is perfect for your needs.  Use your free, Basic Accessible Event subscription to become a full participant in every meeting you attend.  And the best part is: while the ability to sign up for this free subscription ends on January 31, your access to it lasts a lifetime.  If you sign up between now and January 31, your basic Accessible Event account will never expire.

 

So give yourself or someone you know the gift of Accessibility Anywhere and sign up for Accessible Event today.

 

To learn more about Accessible Event, including the basic subscription for up to 3 attendees,  personal day passes and subscriptions for up to 10 attendees, and corporate day passes or subscriptions beginning at 25 attendees, visit www.accessibleevent.com

or call (612) 246-4818.

 

The Serotek Team!

 

 

Tech Chat 41 – Assembling a Portable Computer, Screen Reader and Reading Solution for Under $1,000

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

While some companies would like you to believe you need to spend thousands of dollars to use the internet and scan and read documents, Tech Chat 41 showed you how to put together a system with more power, more features, more storage, lite weight, user friendly and battery powered for up to 7 hours; all for between $750 and $1,000.
We covered off-the-shelf and non-proprietary netbooks, USB scanners and affordable optical character recognition software. So whether you are paying out of your own pocket and need to shop wisely, or simply want to tell your purchasing agency how to more efficiently use their limmited financial resources, this is the presentation for you.

View Tech Chat 41 – Portable and Affordable computer and Scanning Solutions.

Listen to MP3 of Tech Chat 41 – Affordable and Portable Computer Solutions.

 

SeroTalk Offers Free Weekly Training Via Accessible Event

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

In an effort to educate and inform all interested blind and partially sighted persons throughout the world, Serotek is pleased to be relocating our weekly tech chats to our new technology, known as Accessible Event.
Our weekly educational and informational events will be held every Thursday evening at 9PM Eastern, 8PM Central, or 6PM Pacific.

October 1st was our first global event. Our presenter was Janelle Schulenberg, Product Manager for Accessible Event. She gave us a demonstration of Accessible Event’s many features including:
real time editing and collaboration on Microsoft Word documents,
Excel spreadsheets, Powerpoint presentations, web pages, audio chat, showing video, taking text questions from participants, and much more.

Ms. Schulenberg demonstrated how this powerful technology can be used to give full access to college courses, corporate webinars,
product demonstrations, employee training, government communications and more.

Just some of the free presentations we will be offering in 2009 will include: shopping online, finding and procuring employment, improving oral and written communications, fundamental computer skills, using the internet for research, notetaking and study techniques for college students, and more!

We hope you will share these live and on-demand free weekly presentations with all interested persons and organizations.

Listen to MP3 Recording of Tech Chat 35, Our First Using Accessible Event, October 1, 2009.

Listen to and View Tech Chat 35, Our First Using Accessible Event.

Note: use of Accessible Event requires you have Adobe Flash 10.0 installed.

Download Flash Player 10.0.32.18 for Internet Explorer

Download Flash Player 10.0.32.18 for Firefox

For additional tips on getting the most from Accessible Event,
read the Frequently Asked Questions. If you are interested in hosting events, please read the User’s Guide for more information.

SeroTalk Offers Free Weekly Training Via Accessible Event

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

In an effort to educate and inform all interested blind and partially sighted persons throughout the world, Serotek is pleased to be relocating our weekly tech chats to our new technology, known as Accessible Event.
Our weekly educational and informational events will be held every Thursday evening at 9PM Eastern, 8PM Central, or 6PM Pacific.

Join us tonight, October 1st, for our first global event. Our presenter will be Janelle Schulenberg, Product Manager for Accessible Event. She will give us a demonstration of Accessible Event’s many features including:
real time editing and collaboration on Microsoft Word documents,
Excel spreadsheets, Powerpoint presentations, web pages, audio chat, showing video, taking text questions from participants, and much more.

Ms. Schulenberg will demonstrate how this powerful technology can be used to give full access to college courses, corporate webinars,
product demonstrations, employee training, government communications and more.

Just some of the free presentations we will be offering in 2009 will include: shopping online, finding and procuring employment, improving oral and written communications, fundamental computer skills, using the internet for research, notetaking and study techniques for college students, and more!

We hope you will share these live and on-demand free weekly presentations with all interested persons and organizations.

To participate in this evening’s presentation, please visit
www.AccessibleEvent.com

and enter the event code: 332130257 along with your name.

Note: use of Accessible Event requires you have Adobe Flash 10.0 installed.

Download Flash Player 10.0.32.18 for Internet Explorer

Download Flash Player 10.0.32.18 for Firefox

For additional tips on getting the most from Accessible Event,
read the Frequently Asked Questions. If you are interested in hosting events, please read the User’s Guide for more information.

FCC Selects Accessible Event for Meeting Accessibility

Friday, September 18th, 2009

NEWS RELEASE

Media Contact:

pr@serotek.com

612.720.1068

FCC Selects Accessible Event for Meeting Accessibility

The Federal Communications Commission has chosen Serotek Corporation’s accessible meeting platform

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn – September 15, 2009 – Serotek Corporation, the leading provider of internet and digital information accessibility software and

services, announced today that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has purchased Accessible Eventâ„¢ as its accessible meeting platform. Accessible Event makes meetings, webinars, lectures and other events accessible to the blind, deaf and deaf-blind members of the audience, staff and class room.

Much like a conference bridge, presenters set up an event and a meeting code is provided to invited participants.

Attendees who prefer assistive technology simply visit the Accessible Event web site from the browser of any computer or portable device, enter the meeting code, and the meeting becomes instantly accessible.

“When the people who make the rules choose you, it is a huge nod for the product,” said Mike Calvo, CEO for Serotek Corporation, “The entire Serotek team is honored to serve the FCC as well as bring the kind


of inclusion to its meetings and events that should be a given in every organization.”

Prior to the launch of Accessible Event at the National Press Club in June, those who are blind, deaf and deaf-blind were simply excluded from webinars and other presentations. Now, whether participants are in the room or across the world, Accessible Event allows everyone to have the same experience.

At the presenter’s determination, attendees can pose questions in text or audio formats, access and collaborate on documents and spreadsheets, participate in presentations and web demonstrations, and chat live.

“As organizations seek to save on costs, more meetings and classes are being conducted remotely,” said Calvo,

“We created Accessible Event to help corporations, agencies and educational institutions truly live up to their diversity and inclusion commitments.”

Accessible Event performs as a stand-alone solution as well as alongside mainstream products such as  WebEx, GoToMeeting, LiveMeeting, Connect and more. It is available in daily and monthly subscription packages ranging from $9.95 to $89, as well as in an annual subscription or an enterprise server option. No software is installed and no trace of usage is left behind on any computer or device at the meeting’s conclusion.

Current languages include English, Canadian French and Spanish.

Visit www.AccessibleEvent.com for More Information.

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.

Visit www.Serotek.com for More Information.

###Note: Product names, brands and other trademarks featured or referred to are the property of their respective trademark holders. These trademark holders are not affiliated with Accessible Event and do not

sponsor or endorse these materials.