We regularly receive positive feedback from satisfied customers. Every now and then we pick out some of these unsolicited testimonials to share with you since their words will mean a lot more than our own biased opinions. In that spirit, here is one noteworthy message from one of our DocuScan Plus users, reprinted with permission: Greetings From Your New Biggest Fan; My name is Ryan Eversole and I have been using accessibility software since 1997 or so. I have been a beta tester for Dolphin SuperNova for nearly a decade now, I have done beta testing for ZoomText from the time they rolled out a 64-bit solution until present and I have even done beta testing for JAWS. Beyond that I am the only approved trainer within about 100 miles of my home town for ClaroSoft products like Lightning and Thunder. Additionally, despite my visual impairment I work full time as both a fully licensed California insurance agent and an I.T. Manager/Consultant. In my spare time I am actually building an invention that is guaranteed to bring blind and low vision mobility and independence to the next level. At present I am working on prosecuting my patent so for obvious reasons I cannot go too far into … [Read more...] about A DocuScan Plus Endorsement
DocuScan Plus
DocuScan Plus Will not be Fooled!
You might remember Brad Dunse from his contributions over on the SeroTalk blog. He’s got a knack with the words, and when we received the following email from him, we thought it worth asking for permission to reprint it here. He agreed, and so here you are, proof positive that DSP really is everything it’s cracked up to be, from the words of one satisfied customer. Here’s Brad: Even a cell pic of an old photo copy can’t fool DocuScan Plus I run two businesses, three when I’m doing my musician thing. And, I like being independent. On top of that, I volunteer for a state committee. Recently, one committee member forwarded a PDF to some of us blind folk to look at before a meeting. Here’s the exact exchange that went on. Check it out. Begin paste: “Dan, Do you have another format for the form. JAWS reads it as a 'blank document'. Brad, Did you have the same issue? Thanks Tim” Dan’s reply: “Tim, Unfortunately we were never given electronic copies as the limits were always subject to change, so this is a cell phone picture of a photo copy from several years ago.” End paste. You know what I did? I took that old slop of a cell pic. Put it through DocuScan Plus, and … [Read more...] about DocuScan Plus Will not be Fooled!
Our Position on Windows 10
If you're running most versions of Windows 7 or Windows 8, chances are good you've received an invitation to upgrade to Windows 10. You'll find a new icon in your System Tray that says as much, but is it a good idea to be an early adopter? The short answer, in our opinion, is unless you require Windows 10 for work, you should hold off on upgrading. Windows 10 is changing the way we receive updates. Up until now we've been able to schedule, postpone or refuse Windows updates, but moving forward, consumers will automatically receive the latest revisions. Automatic updates are not a bad thing. The new approach could make for more secure and stable systems. Nevertheless, at this early stage it is not unreasonable to find accessibility glitches for screen reader users. It would be worth considering allowing early adopters find major issues, accessibility or otherwise, and let Microsoft iron them out before jumping in so as not to impact your productivity. For Serotek's part, we are actively developing for Windows 10. We've always updated System Access as needed. If you were to run Windows 10 on Day 1, there are aspects of the new operating system that will work just fine with our screen … [Read more...] about Our Position on Windows 10
DocuScan Plus V3.0 is Here and It Has Brought Discounts!
After extensive development and excellent feedback from the community, we’re ready to unveil the final release of DocuScan Plus V3.0 for Windows and Mac! Already the most affordable assistive technology OCR package in the industry, we’re saving you even more money in the month of July. Keep reading for details. What is DocuScan Plus? DocuScan Plus, or DSP, is your affordable gateway to the written word. There are excellent mobile apps that let you snap pictures of items to read text, and while amazingly convenient, you sometimes need the efficiency of a dedicated computer app to consume books, brochures, bank statements, manuals, and important documents without fretting over camera views and proper angles. Every technology has a time and place. With DSP, we’ve taken what you know about using a computer and created an intuitive means of converting print to spoken audio. Each upgrade brings a new wave of features and improvements. Introducing DocuScan Plus V3.0 Is the new upgrade worth it? Well, check out these new features: You can count on clearer text results with the help of an updated OCR engine. With the new DSP, it’s possible to grab your favorite bestseller from … [Read more...] about DocuScan Plus V3.0 is Here and It Has Brought Discounts!
DocuScan Plus 3 Release Candidate Now Open for Testing
Download the DocuScan Plus V3 audio demonstration here. Serotek proudly announces the first public release candidate for DocuScan Plus V3, a powerful and affordable OCR option with cross-platform support. Before we deem it final, we’d like you to help us kick the tires. You do not have to be a current Serotek customer to participate, but note that certain features may only be available for customers who have pre-ordered the product. New features Updated OCR engine OCR for other languages, including: Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (including Brazilian), Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish Bookshare integration Improved heading detection Place marking within large documents Ability to import documents in popular text formats so users can convert them to DAISY, MP3, or Braille, and store them in the cloud; formats include: .epub, .doc, .docx, .rtf, .txt, .html Ability to open image files, including: .jpg, .png, .tiff, .gif, .bmp Ability to open documents in DSP directly from Windows Explorer More efficient processing of long PDF documents Better consistency in functionality and UI between the Windows … [Read more...] about DocuScan Plus 3 Release Candidate Now Open for Testing
Will We See You at CSUN?
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. Maximizing Potential with Mainstream and Assistive Technology Thursday, March 20 - 9:20 AM Presenting: Ricky Enger, Dave Wilkinson, and Joe Steinkamp Location: Golden Hill AB, 3rd Floor Seaport Tower Join Serotek and HIMS, Inc. to discuss the intersection of mainstream and assistive technology. HIMS displays, iOS devices, and DocuScan Plus are a few examples of the way technology has overlapped to create a more accessible digital lifestyle. And, speaking of accessible digital lifestyles, if you can’t make the conference, we will … [Read more...] about Will We See You at CSUN?
Ringing in the Holidays with a Special Promotion!
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. Existing customers do not need to contact us for trial access to products they do not own or subscribe to. The whole idea is that anyone can tap into our growing menu of services for the undisputed king of prices: FREE! Self-restraint? What self-restraint. Some of us have already bought gadgets we probably didn’t need, but DocuScan Plus will be right there to turn that printed manual into spoken word. And speaking of word, go ahead and spread this one: Socializer is a fully-featured platform that lets you … [Read more...] about Ringing in the Holidays with a Special Promotion!
Connecting the Community Open House
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. Houston participants will also get a chance to learn more about the Sight into Sound Radio Reading Service, and in Dallas you’ll have a chance to learn about the North Texas Radio For The Blind Reading Service. Here’s your chance to see top-notch Braille displays, notetakers, portable magnifiers and digital book players from HIMS. Learn how these products can work alongside Serotek’s award-winning System Access screen reader, DocuScan Plus for Windows and Mac, and the SAMNet service including the Socializer for seamless social networking. Who should attend? The “Connecting The Community” … [Read more...] about Connecting the Community Open House
Accessibility Anywhere Turns One
July 1 marks one year since Serotek unveiled its most ambitious disruption to the assistive technology market. Other companies develop singular products and pitch them to the consumer base as standalone products. Well, we do the same, because we understand you want to choose what goes into your toolbox, but we also understand the limits on your wallet. Unlike our fellow peers, we do something about it. So our team went to the drawing board. Reliable screen reader? Check. Outstanding document scanner? Check. Instant access to information and entertainment? Check. System Access, DocuScan Plus, and SAMNet have each resonated with the community all on their own, but what if we wrapped these up into the never-before-seen price of $21.95 a month? Click here for all the details. So, where are we as we raise our glass to celebrate the first birthday of this dynamic package? Windows 8 Compatibility “Well, duh,” you might think to yourself. “Everyone’s doing something with Windows 8.” Yet, the truth is Windows 7 is now the most popular operating system in the world. People are choosing to stay put rather than upgrade to the latest OS, and as a small company we could have chosen to use that … [Read more...] about Accessibility Anywhere Turns One
Crowdsourcing as a software development tool
With the recent release of DocuScan Plus, the product development team would like to share with the community what we believe to be a new and exciting method of developing assistive technology. We feel that this tool is especially useful when developing assistive technology because of the unique challenges involved with creating this type of software. Assistive technology, unlike some other types of software, must be simultaneously easy enough for brand new computer user's to use, yet powerful enough to satisfy the needs of those with long term experience as well. In addition, developing a product that is so essential to so many people means that great care must be taken in every step of the design process.How software is traditionally developedThe traditional method of software development is for a design team to generate specifications for a software product. After mapping as much of the product out as possible, including features, UI (which stands for user interface and defines how a user interacts with the software,) the overall capabilities of the software, pipe dreams, Et cetera, the design team hands these requirements off to the programmers. From this point forward, the … [Read more...] about Crowdsourcing as a software development tool
