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Self-service, At Your Service

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At Serotek we want you to be able to enjoy your Serotek products and services anytime, anywhere, without waiting to talk to a customer service representative. To that end we offer a variety of self-service options for managing your account, your subscription, and your licenses.

Of course, the first step to using a Serotek product or service on a new machine is to log into your account. But what if you don’t have your account number and PIN handy? No problem; just use the “Forgot your login information?” link, and we’ll email you with your account number and a link you can use to reset your PIN.

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The Word on System Access

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Word on the street says we’re closing the lid on System Access. So, what gives?

While it is true that we are evaluating all products to make sure they’re still relevant, System Access is very much a part of your foreseeable future. We are anxious for the day when you can go out and buy a PC with an extensive screen reader out of the box. That’s part of being an independent consumer, right? Alas, that day is not quite here.

Serotek is not in the business of leaving you out in the cold. Rest assured, System Access will enjoy ongoing development for as long as the product is needed. In fact, even if Windows 10 miraculously came with a robust screen reading solution, we would still give everyone a year’s notice before discontinuing support for our screen reader.

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Revving Up for the Road Ahead

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Serotek is undergoing some changes to better meet your needs as a digital consumer. The assistive technology industry has been shifting for a while now, and it would be foolish to believe yesterday’s formula will continue to work in today’s age of wearable technology, smart homes, and interconnected media.

Understandably, there may be questions about the longevity of the products and services you have come to rely on. For years Serotek has thought outside the box to deliver the most affordable solutions with the best customer and product support, and there are no plans to reverse this pattern of innovation to meet you where you need us.

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Serotek and iBlink Radio bring You Coverage from today’s Apple event

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Apple’s highly anticipated press event, where new products are expected to be announced, begins at 1 PM Eastern today and iBlink Radio will be bringing you full coverage, no matter what platform you’re using. There’s lots of coverage to choose from. Apple will be streaming the event live for those using an iDevice with Safari, and you can tune in to that event here.

If you’d like to hear the event with live commentary, you’re in luck. iBlink Radio will carry mainstream coverage from Leo LaPorte and the TWiT team, as well as a couple of streams with commentary from an assistive technology perspective. During the Apple event, catch commentary from community leaders including Jessie Lorenz, executive director of the Independent Living Resource Center in San Francisco, Mike Calvo, co-founder of Serotek, and Derek Zarda, assistive technology educator.

… Read the rest “Serotek and iBlink Radio bring You Coverage from today’s Apple event”

Serotek and iBlink Radio bring You Coverage from today’s Apple event

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Apple’s highly anticipated press event, where new products are expected to be announced, begins at 1 PM Eastern today and iBlink Radio will be bringing you full coverage, no matter what platform you’re using. There’s lots of coverage to choose from. Apple will be streaming the event live for those using an iDevice with Safari, and you can tune in to that event here.

If you’d like to hear the event with live commentary, you’re in luck. iBlink Radio will carry mainstream coverage from Leo LaPorte and the TWiT team, as well as a couple of streams with commentary from an assistive technology perspective. During the Apple event, catch commentary from community leaders including Jessie Lorenz, executive director of the Independent Living Resource Center in San Francisco, Mike Calvo, co-founder of Serotek, and Derek Zarda, assistive technology educator.

… Read the rest “Serotek and iBlink Radio bring You Coverage from today’s Apple event”

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Serotek Announces iBlink Radio for the Mac

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Earlier this summer, the “accessibility anywhere” people brought you exciting updates to our iBlink Radio app across multiple mobile devices, including iOS, Android and Amazon’s Kindle Fire product line. Our commitment to providing cross-platform access continues with the release of iBlink Radio, with the SAMNet Connect feature, for the Mac. Now you can access all your favorite blindness-related radio stations, podcasts, and local and national radio reading services either from your mobile device or your Mac computer. Additionally, if you’re a SAMNet subscriber, you can access all your news, entertainment, SAMNet forums, notes, media library and much more right from within the iBlink Radio app.

… Read the rest “Serotek Announces iBlink Radio for the Mac”

Exciting Update to iBlink Radio!

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Serotek is proud to announce an updated version of iBlink Radio for iOS, Android, and now the all new Amazon Fire OS! The latest version of the software that many have called “The Pulse of the Blind Community” is taking Serotek’s mission of “Accessibility Anywhere” to an entirely new level to include “accessibility On Any Mobile Device.”

That’s right! You can now enjoy all of your favorite iBlink and SAMNet content across all of your mobile devices on IOS, Android, and now Amazon’s Fire OS. Enjoy enhanced access to your SAMNet account and community through the all new SAMNet Connect feature.

… Read the rest “Exciting Update to iBlink Radio!”

Serotek And SPN at this year’s Summer conventions

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There’s a lot to be excited for at this year’s NFB and ACB summer conventions, and whether you’re jetting off to Orlando or Vegas to enjoy them in person or you’re experiencing them from the comfort of your own home, Serotek and SPN have got you covered.

First, we’re proud to announce updates to iBlink Radio for Android and iOS devices. We’ve been hard at work on an API (Application Programming Interface) which will make it easier than ever for third-party vendors to access your favorite Serotek services from other devices. Our Android update, which will be found in both the Google Play and Amazon stores once approved, is the first app to use the Serotek API, and we’ll have more partnerships to announce in the coming months.

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Working in Partnerships to Better Serve You

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Partnership and collaboration are terms more commonly associated with social causes. Two nonprofit organizations get together, combine their efforts, and deliver better services for their beneficiaries, but at Serotek, a for-profit venture, we’re in the business of working with partners inside and outside of the assistive technology industry to provide you with awesome opportunities.

You may have heard of our In It to Win It promotion. The short version is that SAMNet and Accessibility Anywhere subscribers are randomly selected to win a prize just for being subscribers. Each month we will feature a different vendor.

… Read the rest “Working in Partnerships to Better Serve You”

Will We See You at CSUN?

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Join our very own Ricky Enger and Joe Steinkamp at this year’s CSUN! In addition to the thorough coverage you have come to love and expect, Ricky and Joe will be making two presentations you will not want to miss.

Crowd-sourcing as an Effective Development Strategy in Assistive Technology

Wednesday March 19 – 1:50 PM

Presenting: Joe Steinkamp and Ricky Enger

Location: Torrey Hills AB, 3rd Floor
Seaport Tower

Learn about how we’ve tapped our community to assist in software development. Socializer and DocuScan Plus are just two examples of end user involvement that paved the road in software development and set the overall direction of the projects.

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A Word to Ambassadors

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If you haven’t signed up for our Serotek Ambassador’s Club, what’s the holdup? It’s the perfect way to sell the products you already use and love and earn cash while you’re at it. Call us crazy, but that sounds eerily like a win/win for everyone involved. Click on over to the S A C page for all the detes.

If you’ve already jumped in, our very own Lisa Salinger from the SeroTalk Podcast Network has produced a tutorial to help maximize your experience. Learn what to avoid, keeping records, and other concrete tips to make your time in the Club that much more enjoyable. Download the presentation and then head on over to the exclusive S A C forum to swap ideas on winning strategies.

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A Toast to GW Micro

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Serotek raises a glass in celebration of GW Micro’s latest achievement. The recently announced partnership between gW Micro and Microsoft marks the beginning of a new chapter in assistive technology history, and the team at Serotek applauds a huge step forward that can only bring positive benefits to the blind consumer.

Speaking about the recent announcement, Serotek’s CEO, Michael Fox, had this to say. “There is a misconception that in an industry with very few players, there must surely be a great deal of animosity between companies. In reality, nothing is further from the truth. While I’ve only been CEO at Serotek since August of 2013, I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with representatives of numerous companies within the assistive technology industry for the past 11 years.

… Read the rest “A Toast to GW Micro”

In it to Win it: The Easiest Contest you’ll ever enter!

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If you’re a current SAMNet or Accessibility Anywhere subscriber, you surely already feel like a winner. But what if your membership in the SAMNet community could be made even better, with a chance to win free stuff?

We’re not going to make you write a limerick about accessibility to enter the drawing which will take place each month, though we’d no doubt find it entertaining if you did. We won’t make you write a five-paragraph essay on the merits of SAMNet voice chat, though you’re welcome to do that too. Instead, we’re making it surprisingly easy. All you have to do is be a current subscriber to a SAMNet or Accessibility Anywhere package, opt in to be eligible for promotions and giveaways, and you’ll be automatically entered for a chance to win fantastic prizes from members of our own community.

… Read the rest “In it to Win it: The Easiest Contest you’ll ever enter!”

Seasons Greetings From Your Serotek Family

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At Serotek, accessibility is our bread and butter. When we jumpstarted this operation in 2002, we came to the table with our own approach to the well-known issue of expensive assistive technology. We were on fire, and never mind that all odds were stacked against us. By conventional standards Serotek Corporation should have collapsed after the first year, not just because this is true of more than 50% of all companies, but because we were the little fish swimming in a small pond with large sharks. Enough of you gave us your support and allowed us to bring to the market our own version of “affordable technology.”

… Read the rest “Seasons Greetings From Your Serotek Family”

Ringing in the Holidays with a Special Promotion!

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Nothing kicks off the holiday season like Thanksgiving. Think about it: food, football, door buster deals, parades and plenty of justification for the Christmas decorations you never took down! Well, this year, Serotek is going to add one more bonus to make the gateway holiday even more memorable than usual.

Perhaps we should have come up with a cool marketing name for this special deal. But then, what do you call fourteen days of free, unfiltered, use all you can, where ever you want, whenever you want access to all of our Serotek consumer products?

That’s right. Starting Wednesday, November 27 you’ll be able to e-mail, chat, scan, entertain and socialize to your heart’s content.

… Read the rest “Ringing in the Holidays with a Special Promotion!”

A Fresh Season of Updates

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Hello everyone,

Fall is in the air. The leaves are changing, it’s growing colder outside, and for whatever reason the combination of it all seems to prompt tech companies to release major updates to their products. I suppose curling up by the fire and downloading a new operating system for your device is one way to usher in a new season.

Over the past month we’ve seen major updates including Apple’s iOS 7 and Mavericks, Microsoft’s update for Windows 8.1, as well as an announcement for a new version of Android by the end of October. As a cross-platform company with products running on each of these operating systems, Serotek has kept busy making sure everything is working perfectly with each of the new updates on the day those updates are released.

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Unveiling the Serotek Ambassadors’ Club

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In my last post I alluded to an upcoming opportunity to reward those of you who help promote our products and services. We’ve hammered out the details, and I am proud to announce the launch of the Serotek Ambassadors’ Club.

The Serotek Ambassadors’ Club allows you to make extra money for signing up new customers to designated products. We’ll give you a unique URL you can use in your websites, blogs and social networks to direct customers to our website. If the new customer makes an eligible purchase, you get a percentage of the sale.

Interested in further details? You can read our FAQ to learn how the program works.

… Read the rest “Unveiling the Serotek Ambassadors’ Club”

Connecting the Community Open House

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We’re going on a road trip around the Lone Star, and you’re invited! Join Serotek Corporation and HIMS, Inc. at one of two locations to interact with cool technology.

The Houston Lighthouse

Thursday, September 19

11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Location: The Lighthouse of Houston

3602 West Dallas Street

Houston, TX 77019

AFB Center on Vision Loss

Thursday, September 26

11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Location: American Foundation for the Blind Center on Vision Loss

11030 Ables Lane

Dallas, TX 75229

You’ll have an opportunity for hands-on demonstrations of products and services from HIMS, INC. and Serotek Corporation.

… Read the rest “Connecting the Community Open House”

Truth in Cliches

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Curiosity may’ve killed the cat, but the satisfaction of experimenting with great features and low prices brought the beast back. That’s the fuel that’s kept the Serotek engine humming these past eleven years.

There’s a reason that clichés exist, and it’s because they usually contain a lot of truth. “Time flies when you’re having fun.” I can certainly relate to that as I reflect on all that the Serotek team has accomplished recently. I’m astounded to realize I’m only in my fourth week as CEO of this company. In my first post to this community, I made some pretty bold statements when talking about my goals for Serotek, and I’m proud to say that in these past four weeks we’ve made an impressive start to accomplishing those goals.

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Moving Forward

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My name is Michael Fox and this is my first, though certainly not last, post to the Serotek blog. As many of you already know from having read the blog post from Mike Calvo, there has been a change in leadership at Serotek. Since Mr. Calvo made the announcement that he would be taking over as executive director of the AIR Foundation and I would be assuming the role of CEO at Serotek, we have had a tremendous outpouring of support from the community. We’re both extremely grateful for that support, and I want to thank all of you who have welcomed me so warmly to this new role, and to this community.

Still, when most people hear about change, even if that change appears to be positive, there is always a sense of trepidation.

… Read the rest “Moving Forward”