Happy first anniversary to the BT Speak!!
We have just released our anniversary Update: featuring one-handed mode, numerous Editor enhancements, append mode, time announcements, expedited web searching, YouTube expansion, improved Bluetooth, new languages, and much, much more.

blazietech.com/march-2025-anni…
#BTSpeak #Blind

Today, I celebrate my one year anniversary of working for Blazie Technologies. Truth be told, I had been providing feedback on the BT Speak Pro as a volunteer beta tester while I was still an employee at Comcast working as a product manager. Of course, I was not able to talk about the BT Speak in those days as it was still very much a secret project but I was thrilled to help test what would eventually be a brand new device, similar to the Braille ‘n Speak for the modern age.

The original Braille ‘n Speak was also a major part of my life. After buying a BNS Classic in 1989, I used it professionally in two different roles to help me manage data, along with using it as my only computer for managing contacts, creative writing and going online. I soon realized that I’d love to work for the company that developed it. I was in contact with Blazie Engineering fairly often, submitting bug reports and sometimes answering questions from other users on their bulletin board system, a type of online service that many of us engaged with before the Internet became a thing.

In 1991, my wish came true and I worked for Blazie Engineering primarily doing tech support as well as writing some of the user documentation, software beta testing and continuing to answer users’ questions on the BBS, later doing so on the first Blazie mailing list. Sounds remarkably like the job that I have now. 😀 Even in those early days, I wasn’t looking enough at the big picture. I didn’t view that role as the potential start of a career. I was a lot younger then and pretty much saw it as a cool job to have, which I admit it was. However, it did launch my career in this field, for which I will always be grateful to Deane and Bryan Blazie for making the decision to hire a very inexperienced, young and sometimes rather headstrong, starry-eyed kid.

After being one of those who was impacted by layoffs at my previous employer in October of 2023, I eventually started getting more involved with testing the BT Speak and an eventual opportunity opened to make my role with Blazie Technologies more formal, which I gladly accepted. I would like to thank Bryan and Deane Blazie, along with other members of the Blazie family, for giving me this opportunity and allowing me to be a part of an exciting and innovative project.
@BTSpeak@TweeseCake.social #BTSpeak
davidgoldfield.wordpress.com/2…

Celebrating My First Anniversary Working for Blazie Technologies

Celebrating My First Anniversary Working for Blazie Technologies Today, I celebrate my one year anniversary of working for Blazie Technologies. Truth be told, I had been providing feedback on the B…

^{Thoughts from David Goldfield}

Too many blindness technology companies: Blind people need dumbed down, simple technology that they've used for 20+ years and need everything to look like either DOS or Windows, and they format documents like they do in Microsoft Word. Also we're stuck on Android cause we're tired of making our own apps for MSN Messenger and AIM and all that fangled new Inter Net stuff.

Meanwhile:

People on the BT Speak email list: I'm enjoying writing in Markdown!

On a Linux computer with a Braille input keyboard that's a Raspberry Pi with 8 GB RAM and both a traditional mode and Linux desktop mode, with real Firefox, Thunderbird, and any other Linux program that works on Debian.

Okay so I know this isn't much. But I'm serious when I say, I think this company, @BlazieTech is making Linux, and some Linux concepts, a lot more mainstream as far as the blind community. I mean, navigating Markdown headings? Only Ulysses for Mac and iOS, and Emacs, could do that before, oh and Word with an addon. When they get Braille support going, or release a Braille model, I'm getting one.

Also did I mention this is an actual general-purpose computer? I was just struck by that yesterday, and then boom people were just, picking up Markdown! Now I think it's just a matter of time before we get link support, and writing Markdown in emails, which I'm sure would take a bit of linking programs together. A Markdown verifyer to be sure the typed Markdown is good for HTML conversion, maybe a optional linter for fixing stuff like headings without a space after the number signs, and Pandoc to convert before sending through SMPT or whatever. Not sure what can be done in desktop mode though. Anyway, exciting stuff!

#accessibility #blind #notetakers #btspeak

We've released a new update for the BT Speak. It includes many new features, including controls for increasing and decreasing the speed of media playback, adding and navigating by markdown headings, stopping speech on the last spoken line when performing a continuous read, improved file transfers from your BT Speak to your computer using the SMB protocol and more. Learn all about what we've added from our Web site.
blazietech.com/january-22nd-20…

#BTSpeak
DG

For a different audience who may not have seen this.

Watching discussions surrounding the BTSpeak here on Mastodon and on the main BTSpeak support list, I agree that there needs to be a discussion list for advanced users for various reasons. Surprisingly for me, I've created such a list. This is not an official list sponsored by Blazie Technologies. Take all warnings to hart. But join and have fun.

groups.io/g/BTSpeak-Advanced
#BTSpeak

BTSpeak-Advanced groups.io Group

This group is dedicated to providing an advanced forum for the users of BTSpeak and other potential hardware devices by Blazie Technologies.

^groups.io