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In this Tech Doctor podcast Allison and Robert speak with Michael Doise and Taylor Arndt about their company called Techopolis which develops AI based apps for iOS and Mac.
• Michael Doise, the founder, has over 16 years of experience in the assistive technology and accessibility industry, creating AI-powered apps.
• Taylor Arndt, the Chief Operations Officer, has 8 years of experience in accessibility and AI.
• The company, Techopolis, LLC, is expanding its focus to AI apps, starting with Perspective Intelligence.
• The app has been designed to run on various iPhone models including older iPhones.
• It includes advanced image and vision features, such as OCR, classification, and a cool color identifier.
• A significant addition is the video mode, which reads and describes the user’s surroundings in real-time.
• Techopolis also has an app called Perspective Transcribe. Perspective Transcribe offers a free trial and is designed to be a user-friendly transcription app with AI-powered features.
• The app allows users to dictate their thoughts and convert them into written posts or transcripts for meetings and podcasts.
• Taylor emphasizes the importance of privacy and data security, stating that the transcription is fully on-device and does not send data to third-party servers.
• It provides summaries using Apple Foundation models and other models for compatibility.
• The paid all-access feature includes action item reminders and a chat feature.

The Tech Doctors hope you enjoy learning about Techopolis as much as they did.

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This Tech Doctor podcast episode features Robert and Allison interviewing Michael McCulloch and Sandhya Rao, President and Vice President of iBUG Today (iBlind Users Group), about their organization’s history and activities.

Michael, a retired NASA engineer, explains how iBUG began in 2011 with a workshop at the University of Houston after he received his first iPhone with VoiceOver, eventually growing from 5 initial members to serving approximately 6,500-7,000 people annually.

Sandhya shares her journey from having a rare brittle bone condition that affected her vision to becoming involved with iBUG, emphasizing the organization’s focus on empowering blind people through accessible technology training and social activities.

The discussion covers iBUG’s various offerings including weekly “Buzz” calls, monthly Apple workshops, specialized training programs, and numerous social events ranging from Star Trek viewings to a monthly book club and a weekly movie night, all conducted virtually through Zoom. All iBUG services are provided by volunteers. There is no charge for any of what iBUG has to offer.

To learn more about iBUG Today, click
Here

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In this Tech Doctor podcast, Robert plays a presentation about amateur radio that he created for a non-profit group called iBUG Today.

In the introduction to the podcast, Robert explains that iBUG Today is an organization based in Houston that provides many excellent training and social opportunities for people who are blind. Robert encourages everyone to learn more about iBUG Today by visiting there website
Here

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Meeting summary
Quick recap
The Tech Doctor podcast team discussed Apple’s recent product announcements, including the MacBook Air M5, MacBook Pro M5, iPhone 17E, iPad Air, and MacBook Neo. They analyzed the features, pricing, and potential market impact of each device, with particular focus on the MacBook Neo’s limited RAM and targeted education market. The team agreed that while most of the new releases were solid improvements, the MacBook Neo may struggle to meet the needs of power users and developers. They also noted that Apple’s decision to release products via press statements rather than events was effective for conveying detailed information.

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Meeting summary

Quick recap

The Tech Doctor podcast featured a detailed discussion about the upcoming HumanWare BrailleNote Evolve, presented by David Woodbridge, who shared extensive insights about the device’s features and functionality. David explained that the Evolve runs Windows 11 Pro. It has a 32-cell Braille display with a dedicated Braille style keyboard, and includes 512GB storage, 32GB RAM, and an Ultra 5 processor. The Evolve does not have a built-in screen. He described how the device can be used with both NVDA and JAWS, and detailed the various input methods including the unique FN key system for accessing numbers and function keys. The discussion covered the device’s pricing ($6,100 USD), battery life (8 hours), and included features like Thunderbolt ports, HDMI output, and NFC capabilities for future smartphone integration.

Allison shared her positive first impressions after seeing the device, while Robert and David discussed the device’s potential impact on the Windows-based note-taker market.

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In this Tech Doctor podcast, Robert and Allison orient you to the Digital Advanced Player 2 from the National Library Service. Using both demos and discussion, they take you through an orientation to the layout and location of all of the buttons and ports on the player. They demonstrate how to use the key describer mode and how to navigate the User Guide. They walk you through the player’s menus and they demonstrate how to use the player to search for, download and play books from the NLS BARD collection.

This Digital Advanced Player 2 is available to all NLS patrons. If you feel that you can benefit from having one, the tech doctors encourage you to contact your state library and request one.

If you have any comments or questions for the tech doctors, click

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In this brief podcast, Robert and Allison explain that the Tech Doctor Podcast has prevailed through some difficult technical issues that kept us from podcasting much for the last few months.

Now that the technical problems are behind us, the Tech Doctors have decided to get back to podcasting with an even greater commitment to provide you with all of the information that you need to make good decisions about your technology.

Stay tuned for lots of in depth interviews and quality product demos.

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In this podcast, The tech doctors discussed Apple’s WWDC 2025 announcements, covering new features and updates across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS platforms. They explored the introduction of AI advancements, accessibility improvements, and design changes like the “liquid glass” interface, as well as enhancements to various apps and services. The group shared their impressions and concerns about the updates, particularly focusing on accessibility features and the potential impact on user experience.

To read or download a text-based summary of the podcast click

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In this Tech Doctor episode, Robert begins by speaking with the CEO of Orbit Research, Venkatesh Chari, about the Orbit Player. This product is in the late stages of development and is expected to be available sometime during the summer of 2025. The Orbit Player is a very small but full featured book and media player with a telephone style keypad and a good sounding speaker. Venkatesh explained that Orbit Research was able to create this high quality but very affordable player by doing the development and manufacturing in India.

Venkatesh describes how the Orbit Player has gone from a product designed to provide accessible and affordable technology for blind people in India to a product that will soon be available in the United States and eventually worldwide.

The remainder of the podcast is spent with Robert providing a comprehensive demonstration of a pre-released version of the Orbit Player.

There is more information about the Orbit Player on the
Orbit Research
website.

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In this episode of the Tech Doctor podcast, the Tech Doctors welcome special guest Nicole Bond and Tim Noonan.

Nicole and Tim were Braille ’n Speak users who enthusiastically explained why they loved the Braille ’n Speak. Nicole got her Braille ’n Speak at age 7 and used it through college. Tim used the Braille ’n Speak both on the job and in his personal life.

Robert, also a Braille ’n Speak user provided some historical context and talked about his role as a Braille ’n Speak beta tester.

Allison, Robert, Tim and Nicole are all now BT Speak users. They explain how the BT Speak has filled the void that was left during the many years  when there was no Braille ’n Speak like device available.

They also looked at how far the BT Speak has come in a little less than a year. Tim demonstrated some examples of how the BT Speak is evolving to meet the needs of its users. In a future update, the BT Speak will offer a One Handed Mode for people who need it. There will be a new much advanced way of managing multiple files in the editor and the famous Braille ’n Speak Append Mode is coming to the BT Speak.

As exciting as all of this is, at only one year old, the BT Speak is just getting started. The Tech Doctors will report new developments as they unfold. Stay tuned. We will be back.

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