A few years after his stroke my father was still able to get around thanks to an electric scooter. It was exactly what you think of when you think electric scooter. Now WHILL, Inc. Has launched its new Model Ci. Model Ci is an intelligent, personal electric vehicle (PEV). Here’s a look.
A CES Innovation Awards Honoree designation is nothing to gloss over, and the LIZN Hearpieces are as innovative as you can get at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in 2018. And the Hearpieces are a GREAT product that has many use cases.
One of the bothers that comes with getting older is that you’ll likely have to add at least a few medications to your daily routine. Whether you are keeping up with your own meds or those taken by an elderly relative, the PillDrill aims to make the process of remembering to take those medications as painless and streamlined as possible.
Leka Robot is a smart toy that is set on “changing the way children with developmental disorders learn, play and progress.” Today they are revealing their latest breakthrough in product development: autonomous features.
If the old-fashioned “ear-trumpet” is what you think of when you think of a hearing aid, you’re only a couple of centuries behind on the tech. Today’s hearing aids are tiny, little things that help their wearers hear well without being obvious or conspicuous.
One of the great things about a big speaker box under your television along with a subwoofer in the back of the room is that you get big, expansive, booming sound. But is it possible to get that same sound without sacrificing so much space? The answer is YES with the ZVOX Soundbar.SB400.
I recently reviewed the ZVOX SoundBase 450, and it is currently serving as our home theater sound system. It is impressive, and even when it was full price, it was affordable. ZVOX has just announced their Black Friday deals that start on the 15th, and let me tell you — this is a great time to buy.
No high-definition television purchase is complete without some kind of speaker system; it’s like there’s a conspiracy among HDTV makers that no unit — no matter how large it is or what it costs — can leave the factory with a sufficient speaker system for anything but the smallest room. The ZVOX 28″ SoundBase 450 can fix that for you.
Some time ago, I reviewed one of the SoundBase products from ZVOX. I was impressed by the relatively inexpensive device, but I did wish it had integrated Bluetooth and even better sound than it did. Well, the ZVOX SoundBase 670 does have Bluetooth along with bigger and better sound, and I’m a huge fan. Let’s take a look.
Those, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” commercials aren’t the least bit amusing if you or a loved one deals with old age or physical disabilities. My father, for example, is a stroke survivor, and anything that makes his life easier and/or safer is a good thing. That’s where the V.ALRT Personal Emergency Alert Device comes in.
The biggest challenge with televisions these days, at least in most cases, is the lousy sound they offer. A huge television with a beautiful big screen and smart functionality may be great, but if the speakers stink watching it won’t be enjoyable. The ZVOX SOUNDBASE.420 fixes that for surprisingly little money, and it’s simple to set up.
Nuance has just announced a brand new version of Dragon Dictate. Nuance Dragon Dictate for Mac Version 4 offers voice recognition that is faster and more accurate than ever. In addition, Dragon Dictate includes powerful audio file transcription prowess. I’ve been using the new version of the voice recognition app for Mac for the last week, and I’m impressed.
Enhanced voice recognition in OS X Mavericks means that you are no longer limited to the amount of time you speak and can dictate even when offline. It means global dictation is available everywhere and without time limits. It is a far easier way to write. In fact, I am dictating this and I’m not even wearing a headset.
There are several people in my family who have hearing troubles, some more severe than others. For instance, my mom started having degenerative hearing loss when she was in her early 20s, and for as long as I can remember she has worn hearing aids. My daughter, Sarah, has always had problems with certain tones; she has trouble discerning what people are saying if they don’t speak clearly or if they mumble, and she has used the closed caption setting on her TV to watch movies since she was 15 or so. I’ve had Sarah’s hearing tested, and although it’s…
Over the years that I have worked in an IT support role, I have often had the experience of talking to people who didn’t have perfect eyesight or who might have other disabilities. What might be easy for you or me to do on a computer might be extremely difficult for someone who doesn’t have perfect vision, hearing, motor control, or other disabilities. I have had friends who were completely thrown for a loop when their interface changed — not just because it looked different, but because their screen reader would no longer work or because the interface looked fuzzy…
I am fascinated by the ways technology can open up the world and make it more accessible for people with disabilities. What is a convenience for you and me may be a life changer for someone else. Unfortunately, sometimes technology outpaces itself, and leaves the accessibility features playing catch-up. It is something of a mixed bag in many areas, especially for the deaf and hard of hearing community. According to Slate, closed captioning is not required on Netflix, Hulu, and other digital media options. While Netflix does offer some closed caption titles, not all of their library is set up…
The iPhone is one of those devices that prompts its fans to declare “This phone changed my life!” Yes, the apps are great and add an immense amount of convenience to everyday life. And the ease of use means just about anyone can pick one up and grasp the basics within minutes. But then there are those individuals who can say “The iPhone changed my life” without hyperbole or out of tech geek exuberance. No, these people talk about how transformative the iPhone is thanks to the accessibility features built into it. Dan has written about how voice recognition, especially using…
photos by Kevin My mother has sensorineural hearing loss, and she has worn hearing aids in each ear ever since she was 36. My husband has hearing loss from working with loud machinery, and although he doesn’t wear hearing aids, he misses some tones and quiet speech is sometimes garbled. My friend Angie’s daughter caught a virus several years ago that wasn’t treated quickly enough; the result was that she went profoundly deaf in both ears and has since been fitted with two Cochlear Implants. My point is that hearing loss and forms of deafness are much more common than…
I’ve used a number of Andrea headphones for voice recognition in the past, and I’ve always been impressed. The company’s SuperBeam Phones are a departure from previous models, and I’m really loving the design choices that went into creating them. They are sleek on-ear headphones that drop the microphone boom, but still offer great voice quality. Here’s what the company has to say about them: SuperBeam headsets deliver Hi-Definition sound. Our unique integrated array microphone system is designed for use with Andrea’s patented beam forming and digital noise reduction audio software, providing “The Freedom of Voice”. SuperBeam also provides a new…
Along with 12 other site owners, I was invited to attend the Intel “Upgrade Your Life” experience in Santa Clara, California on July 13th. I went into this event with no itinerary and no idea of what we were going to see, but I figured it had to be more than “just” processor chips. Sure enough, I was in for an eye-opening day … After a greeting by Intel’s Social Media guru Alison Wesley and an ice-breaking game of ‘guess the tweet’ game, we were on to the first speaker … Suzanne Fallender – Director, Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy and…
I love new technology when it hits the automotive market, but sometimes I just cannot help wonder if someone else did not think of this first. Two releases I spotted this morning jumped out at me, and I was overcome by a strong sense of déjà vu. First, Ford Motor Company: Ford is aggressively accelerating its commitment to wirelessly connected intelligent vehicles – known as vehicle-to-vehicle communications – becoming the first automaker to build prototype vehicles for demonstrations across the U.S., doubling its intelligent vehicle investment in 2011 and dedicating even more scientists to developing this technology. “Ford believes intelligent…