Talking Technology with V I Labs
This podcast is focused on technology that supports people who are blind and visually impaired. Our panel of IT Trainers & guest panelists discuss all the latest in mainstream and inclusive technology innovations in a fun and informative manner. V I Labs is the technology function within Vision Ireland. Vision Ireland is the national sight loss agency in Ireland. V I Labs provide technology assessments and training for all our service users. We are a not for profit charity, which offers support and services to people of all ages who are experiencing difficulties with their eyesight. Visit www.vi.ie to discover more about our technology services and other range of services Vision Ireland provide
Talking Technology with V I Labs
Talking Technology with V I Labs episode 92 - New courses from Vision Ireland
In this episode of Talking Technology, we explore some of the upcoming courses available from Vision Ireland.
We catch up with Dominique and Des to hear their perspective on courses, as well as hearing from Dereck about what we can expect in the future.
We receive a much-anticipated update on Raheem‘s smart washing machine drama, discuss the benefits of meta glasses in a Jacuzzi, as well as learning about a brand-new product from the team at Hable.
With Glide announcing that they won’t be shipping to Europe for the foreseeable future, we share a teaser ahead of our interview with Amos Miller later this week, and we give you a heads up on a talkback issue impacting Revolut users on Android.
Join the conversation with a WhatsApp voice note. The number you need is +353 86 199 0011
0:00 Intro
4:07 Voice Notes on washing machine, glasses, and Jacuzzi
30:19 Dominique & Des on VI Labs courses
37:56 Dereck on upcoming courses
52:51 Talking Technology News
1:09:39 Outro
This Vision Ireland podcast contains chapter markers. If you want to skip the intro or a topic you don't like, you can use chapter markers to do so. Chapter markers are only supported in some podcast apps. Enjoy the show. Welcome to Talking Technology with VI Labs. At VI Labs, we believe technology is the single greatest enabler for people with sight loss and all disabilities. If you're looking for the latest news and conversation on tech from a more accessible perspective, you've come to the right place. Yes, indeed you have. Hello gang, hope you're keeping well. Welcome in to Talking Technology with VI Labs, episode number 92. Hope all is going well with you on this Tuesday, the 26th of August. We are flying through the year. We will be at Christmas before we know it. Hope you enjoyed the extra episode of Talking Technology that we had for you just recently where we were discussing the Ally Solo's new glasses from InVision. So we've had a few smart glasses discussions over the last little while on both the Meta glasses and the Ally Solos. And we do have a few voice notes in on that as well. So we'll be listening to those in just a bit. But before we do, just to let you know that we will actually have another extra episode of Talking Technology this week on Friday. Once again, we are keeping those extra episodes coming. We did have a catch up with Amos Miller. Amos is the CEO of Glide. Glide announced last week that they won't be coming to Europe for the foreseeable future. And we caught up with Amos to tell us a little bit more about that. A lot of people quite disappointed about that. But we will discuss that in great detail on Friday. So if you're not subscribed to Talking Technology, please do subscribe either on the VI Labs YouTube channel or you can just subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Buzzsprout, Overcast, Overdrive, Downcast, all of them. You can subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. And we will have that coming out for you on Friday. But as for today, though, we have a packed show for you. We're going to be telling you all about some of the training courses that we have coming up here in September at Vision Ireland. And we're also going to be diving into loads of really interesting Talking Technology news stories, including Soundscape on Android, as well as a brand new product from Hebel. So we have all that to come. But first, a reminder that this isn't just our show, it's also your show. And hey, we do always love to hear from you. And if you would like to join the conversation, there are loads of ways that you can get in touch. So if you would like to join that conversation, be part of the discussion, we'd love to hear from you. You can send us a WhatsApp voice note if you'd like. You can do that by sending a message on WhatsApp to 086-199-0011. That's 086-199-0011. Remember, a voice note is not a voice call, so you do want to find the voice message button. That's located at the bottom right hand corner of the screen. That's where you'll find that. So select that, hold it on down there, and you will send that message straight to us. You can also send us an email if you'd like. You can send that to content at vi.ie, that's content at vi.ie. And that will reach us just the same way. So if you would like to get in touch, we'd love to hear from you. So please do. And we'd be delighted to share your perspectives on the news, on topics, some tech you've tried. We'd love to share it all. So do send it to us. 086-199-0011 on WhatsApp or content at vi.ie. Right though, to go through some of the voice notes that we got in, in recent weeks. I am joined all the way from Kilkenny by Mr. John Onaghan. Joe, how are you? Hi David, I'm good, thank you. Excellent stuff, Joe. How have things been in Kilkenny? Yeah, well, things are good down here and I suppose we're all looking forward to the Meta Glass era coming up. So the smart glasses era, whichever way you want to put it, but yeah, and summer for kids, almost over. Kids going back to school on Thursday. So look, a lot of new beginnings and things are going well, David. Super stuff. Have you got to try the Meta Glasses yet, Joe? Believe it or not, I haven't yet, David, but I'm watching this scene very closely because I do think it's an exciting time and I will be purchasing one soon. But I want to get to a shop like when you mentioned that shop that all the visual impaired people love at the moment, Brown Thomas. Yeah, so I want to get there and try out a few different types on my face before I actually purchase it. I don't like ordering things online unless I really have to, like what I mean by that is I wouldn't order something that I need to wear online, you know what I mean, that much. I'd rather try it on, see what it's like, see how heavy it is and best styles, whatever, you know, or even talk to the customer service agent in the shop and get a good feel for it. And I think the people were chatting about revenue coming back to people and saying you can't have your VAT back because you bought in Brown Thomas. But I think there's different reasons people go to places like that, apart from being one of the only retail, famous retailers that sell it. There is other reasons as well that they have such good customer service, they have many different types on display and they do price match as well at their store. So, yeah, I plan to take a trip up there in the near future and I look forward to giving them a go. Super stuff. Well, we'll have a few comments on Metaglasses versus the Ally Solos in a bit. But before we do that, on our Metaglasses episode of Talking Technology, you may remember a voice note that we had in from Raheem about his smart washing machine. And, Joe, is it fair to say that you were a little unkind to Raheem? Oh, no, I wasn't unkind to Raheem. No, no, that's true. He never used a washing machine. But I do reckon, look, he's paid for a smart washing machine now that he'd be able to access every cycle and every program he wants to. I think the future is looking up in that household. Absolutely. But you would be adamant, Joe, that you were not unkind to Raheem. David, I'd never be unfair to Raheem. I had rumoured that Raheem never actually used a washing machine. So that was a force for everything. So I heard him say his partner, Tina, is going to give this a go. So that's the real truth of it, Dave. You can, when you're done doing it with the washing machine, you can do the whole lot again for the dryer, which is great. Raheem will have to start learning how to use it then and maybe, you know, Tina will have to push him 12 hours to wash the machine a bit more. I think you're being unfair now on poor Raheem here. I have full faith in Raheem. Just know yourself, Raheem, that I have full faith in you, even if Joe doesn't. So this is Tina from Raheem's washing machine voice message. So, yeah, I guess I would be the main user of the machine, but he wanted the smart machine. So now that he has this little gadget, he can he can use it more and no excuse on washing it in the wrong program. Anyway, we did fix it. I did have to ask someone with better vision than me. It still took kind of long. It was a multi-person effort. And one of the tricks we found is that you turn the machine on and then we found we had difficulties getting it into the pairing mode. Even though we did press the button, it just wouldn't, the smart button, it wouldn't activate it. And I think the trick is to turn the dial and then again, that's visual only. You have to kind of press the OK button because it's telling you all the great things it can do and you have to say, yeah, OK, get on with it. So I think you have to interact with the machine a bit first before the smart pairing works. That was our experience anyway. And I suppose the Wi-Fi was a bit confusing because I was trying to connect it to the house Wi-Fi instead of the water Wi-Fi, because I didn't read the manual because the writing was tiny, but my friend did eventually. So read the manual or read the PDF manual would actually be nice if they had word accessible manuals on the website. Maybe they do. I didn't look. Anyway, it is paired. I definitely agree with you. It takes kind of a long time and I don't think as a blind person, you'd be able to do it on your own. And the washing machine has a rude name now because we were so fed up with it. But thanks very much for airing this and thanks for your help. Thanks so much, Tina. And thanks for confirming that. Look, I have to eat some humble pie here because, Joe, you were right that it seems unless Raheem comes to defend himself, it seems I was being unfair to Tina here, that Raheem does struggle a bit with the washing machine. Yeah, well, it looks like she done all the hard work and got it connected. So, yeah, it continues. I'm confident he'll start using it now. And I mean, I'd be looking to see if you have a successful wash, nothing was shrunken, all that kind of stuff. But no, look, in all seriousness, it can be confusing when you're setting these devices up. And sometimes the manual doesn't even help. You know, it's the case of just getting it into pairing mode. That's the most important thing. A lot of these machines have QR codes on them as well, just to start the process. And in my experience, I know mine is a few years old now, so it could be a little bit of a change. But in my experience, you have to hold down that smart button until you see a flashing panel, basically. It'll say app in app mode or in app something or other. So when it goes into that mode, that's when pairing can start or that's when you scan the QR code. And hopefully you know yourself the next button until you get to the finish. And in between all of those, you have to put your Wi-Fi code in and all that stuff. But that is the hardest part about any of these smart devices is the set up, in my opinion. I know there is other difficulties afterwards, but they can be hard. You can get over because you can fiddle around with the app on the phone. And as long as you've tapped the smart button and it's all set up, you should be able to put the programs on successfully. Yeah, I look and look up as many YouTube videos. It's always somebody else in the world that has a similar problem to yourselves. But yeah, it's good to have your devices at home. If you're a competent smartphone user, it's good to have some smart home devices that you can actually 100 percent interact with. So I'm delighted to hear he has a SmartThings enabled washing machine and the dryer. Look, dryers as well. They've gone so advanced now as well. Heat pump dryers and from different companies like Samsung and Bosch, Siemens, all those. That their main, I suppose, function, apart from drying the clothes, is to also save energy and to help you not to shrink your clothes. They try them too quickly or have them come out in good condition and maybe in a condition that you don't actually have to iron them when they come out as well. So there's lots of different functions that a dryer does now as well. People just say, oh, it's just a dryer. Turn it on, let it do its job and look, it's not just like that. There is there is so much technology built in now that they can do more than just dry the clothes. So best luck to Raheem and Tina in their new home and hope all their smart devices in their utility room and kitchen work out. And you know where we are if you need us. Absolutely. You know, we actually had an interesting issue with our tumble dryer recently enough because we also got a new tumble dryer. And a lot of the new tumble dryers, they have sensors in them. So rather than, you know, setting it for a certain length of time, there's a sensor in it that will, you know, basically it will do it until the doors are until the actual clothes are dry. But for whatever reason, with our one, the sensor just didn't seem to work. So it would just keep going continuously and never actually finish, which was never great. So, yeah, that poor dryer has been replaced, unfortunately. But you can have weird and wonderful issues with these things. It's always good to be aware that there are services like Aira out there that do provide like visual assistance. Like Tina said there, you know, if you did need if you didn't have a friend coming over or whatever and you did need visual assistance, it's a good use case for something like Aira. But glad that you guys got set up and hopefully the washer will be doing its thing long into the future. Yeah, and it's good as well to have a couple of those little tiny bump on the locator dots on. I have one on my smart button on the washing machine because you have to touch the smart button every day, anyway, to keep it in smart mode so that you can actually interact with the washing machine. But because the buttons are so touch screen sensitive, just to make sure I'm touching the right one, I have a little bump on. So it's a good idea as well to have bump on at hand for for those difficult to find buttons. Absolutely. Tina and Raheem, thank you so much. Really appreciate that and hope everything goes well with the washing machine and that Raheem, you got to start up skilling or do get back to us and defend yourself either or best of luck with things. We do have another voice note in now, Joe. This one from Keon and Keon is really interested in Metaglasses, but specifically in how they can help him with his jacuzzi, if you don't mind. Hi, guys, Keon here. I have to say your last topic, you know, I mean, with the Metaglasses, I have to say thanks so much for raising that, guys. Thanks to David, thanks to Joe Lonegan and thanks so much, especially to Mr. Brian Manning. One thing I would like to know is, right, I was listening to the extra and I heard a cartoon from some sort of thing called Ally. And again, I'd be more inclined to see the thing is I'm trying to find out, is there any difference with the the Ally glasses other than the Metaglasses? Because I don't know what he meant when he said you don't need any assistance setting them up. I'm pretty sure the Metaglasses might be easy to set up too, you know what I mean? Because I tried my friend's ones out and I really wanted a pair. But especially hearing you talk about it on the show, it's after making me want them even more now. So I'd be more inclined to get the Ray-Bans, you know, in the Metaglasses. Would they be easy enough to use as well? Because I want to know what I would get myself into, because I had a little listen to this podcast, right, that that particular episode where you were doing the topic. And I got up the next morning and I was like saying, I want them even more now. Anyway, what would you guys say about the Ally and the Metaglasses? Because I'd be more inclined to get the Ray-Bans Meta ones, because hearing the way they worked, like, you know, a Meta and all that and stuff. But here's the thing, do I have to have the app open on my phone in order for the glasses to work? And here's a very important question. We have a Jacuzzi, a hot tub out our back garden. And at the moment, it would be very challenging for me to basically put the chemicals in and stuff, because, you know, you're dealing with chlorine and all the rest and stuff. But my dad is showing me how to do it. However, do you think it's possible if I was to test the levels, the glasses might work for something like that? Let me know, please, guys, it'd be appreciated, because then that way I'd be able to get a bit more independent with these things. Thank you, guys. Great show, as always. Cheers, Keon. Thank you so much. And a Jacuzzi now, Joe, do you have a Jacuzzi that we can fact check this information on? David, no way do I have a Jacuzzi. It's great to see how the other side live. Sure is. I was in a Jacuzzi once in my entire life. I was in a Jacuzzi and that was in a hotel. Yeah, well, that's true as well. I was in a hot tub and a Jacuzzi, but both times I was in hotels. Yeah, and I had to switch out the chemicals. Yeah, no, I never had to do all that. That was one for me, thanks to God. But yeah, I think it is a job Keon could probably do. When his dad finishes giving him a lesson on that. But I'm not sure when you put chemicals in, I suppose it comes up on a panel and it displays if everything is at the correct level. But yeah, I believe a lot of I did look into that as well. And like from what I can tell, a lot of these cases and you can get back to us on this, Keon, is like a lot of the Jacuzzi, they use like testing strips as well. So you have a testing strip for testing the water in your Jacuzzi. So it shows the amount of chlorine, of brorine or whatever the other ones are called. And it just shows then on the thing. So in theory, you could just be like, you know, hey, META, tell me what chemicals are being shown on this or whatever. And it would in theory do it. The only thing I would say is just be careful, like do it, you know, twice to just make sure. And then just to be aware of the the water resistance as well isn't hectic either. So like it is just one of these things to be aware of, I think, you know. Yeah, look, we need a voice note coming straight from the Jacuzzi. I want to hear the bubbles the next time just to see is it actually, you know, is it working, you know? But anyway, so not joking aside, to answer Keon's question on the glasses, I couldn't give him a direct answer because we haven't tested both and put both glasses to the test. But from what I hear, yeah, the META would do the job for Keon at the moment. He could also call a volunteer. So you can say, hey, META, call a volunteer and it will call Be My Eyes. And somebody from the Be My Eyes service or a volunteer will be able to see what Keon sees through the glasses, through the camera of the glasses, of course. And we'll be able to see the testing strip or the panel, whatever way the Jacuzzi works. And we'll be able to give him a visual result and tell him through the earphones of the glasses, watch what they see. And they can stay on the line for a few minutes, of course, as long as Keon needs them. Obviously not too long, they're only volunteers. But you know, you get what I'm saying. Absolutely, yeah, and I'm sure they'd be well impressed with Keon's Jacuzzi, you know. Yeah, they'd be like, just keep your clothes on in the car. Exactly. That's it, you know. But yeah, that's a different type of service if you start doing other stuff. There you go. Anyway, moving on. But do let us know how you get on with that, Keon. But yeah, as Joe said, definitely the META glasses will be more than sufficient for what you're looking to do. And we don't know whether the Ally Solos will be better than them right now. But for now, META glasses, definitely a solid option worth considering. Someone else who had similar questions about META glasses and the Ally Solos is Waheed. Waheed sent us a voice message all the way from India. Here is what he had to say. Hi, this is Waheed from India. Query regarding the Ally Solos glasses. It mentioned that a one year live, one year pro subscription will be available as a free with the Ally glasses after the one year of purchasing and after the one year completion of the subscription. This subscription is only based on app or does it affect on this glass also? Like suppose I bought this Ally glasses. Now do I get all the premium features unlocked forever or I have to still pay for the subscription? Now, second thing, I understand although Ally glasses are based purely for the visually impaired VI users, dedicated to blind users, but META-AI ribbon glasses also doing the same work including the META-AI. It is fully non-subscription based. It comes with specifically META-AI ribbon glasses. I understand that in October it will be shipping started, but whatever has Envision has announced and give the descriptions and everything. Can you suggest that does it seems that META-AI is still worth it in terms of subscriptions and everything because live AI feature, video AI, it still has a subscription based in Ally glasses, but in the META-AI is it included with the device. I feel that META-AI still is worth it right now. Thanks so much Waheed, really appreciate the voice message. And yeah, you raise a very valid point. So just to clarify with the Ally Soros, yes, the subscription is going to be required for the glasses, but there are going to be a lot of things that are available for free. So for example, you can have 10 minutes of a conversation. You can still do lots of different things, but Ally Pro, which is what you're referring to, that is included for a year with the glasses, but after that you do have to purchase that to get access to things like the future live AI, the conversation history, shortcuts, different things like that. So you are paying to keep the glasses kind of with all of their premium features, which is I suppose disappointing in some ways, but it's also that's how they're going to make their money on these realistically. Also I think it's worth noting that we did mention that the price on the podcast before at £3.99, that was accurate when we published it since moved to £4.99, which is a little bit less appetizing, I guess, especially compared to the META ones. I mean, there are some things that META is going to probably do better for a bit. There will be some things that the Ally will probably do better for a bit, but right now, META is still very much in this game, Joe, I think. Yeah, META are here right now. So that is the main thing to anybody getting smart glasses, your option right now is META. Well, you wait a couple of months, yeah, we will have Ally Solos. So what's the difference, I suppose, is the main question from Waheeb and Keen really. I suppose charging is one of them. You can charge the Ally Solos with the USB-C's and they have two detachable arms and they have a longer battery life, but META will come on a new glass with longer battery life as well. So how long do you wait? As you said yourself, David, you can't wait forever for these products. So at the moment, META, you do have an easier way of charging, in my opinion. You have a case, you put the META glasses in a case, but the case also has some charge in it to bring around with you. So while you have the glasses in the case, they are charging. So that's another advantage, I suppose. And the META ones, well, some people argue they're probably not as private as the Ally Solos. So there's one up for the Solos. They probably have a few better privacy features. So look, there is a few differences. In America, of course, there is live AI mode on the META at the moment. I'm not sure how good it is. Obviously, we didn't test that either. But Wahib could test or check out his own settings in India if live AI is available there or not. I don't think so yet. And it probably won't be coming here for a good while yet, judging on our EU privacy laws. The EU privacy laws are there for a reason, and I'm quite happy they're there. Obviously it is frustrating. Some of the settings don't, we can't override them for accessibility reasons. But there's other reasons you want privacy laws and I'm quite happy they're there right now. But look, the META for Wahib and Keane, I think there's lots of reasons they're good smart glasses right now. If you want to pre-order the allies, go ahead, but META are in the game and we have to see what happens, David. Absolutely. Yeah, time will tell on all of this, but I would say, you know, if you are and if you do have a need for the META glasses, you can absolutely go for them. I mean, they are still going to have a lot of really good and really useful features. They're proving really popular down here in Cork. So look, I mean, you can always hold out for future tech, you know, but how much you want to keep holding out because, you know, if you keep holding out, you'll never get something. So look, that's a decision that you kind of have to weigh up. Right now, the ally glasses, yeah, they're looking like an interesting competitor, but I mean, you know, they haven't actually shipped anything. We haven't held them in our hands or tried them yet. So I would, you know, if you're still looking for the META glasses, I've seen the META glasses, I've tried the META glasses, they are good. So if that is what you're looking to do, Waheed, absolutely check them out. And same for Keon as well. Lots of people have questions on those. And David also, you have to be careful, you check your regional advice from META and see what works in your area as well. In America, I think they have some sort of live AI at the moment, you know, but it's not in every region. And it probably will be a long time before it will come to the EU, especially with our privacy regulations. I agree with a lot of our privacy regulations. I know they might hold back some of the accessibility, but it's good to get it right, I think, until it's released. So just check out your regional settings before you purchase as well. I haven't checked out the Indian settings, but it's up to Waheed to do that. Absolutely. Thank you so much, Waheed, for the voice note and to Keon and Tina as well. Really appreciate that. If you guys would like to send in voice notes or messages, you can do so on WhatsApp, the number that you need, 086-199-0011, we'd love to hear from you on any topic whatsoever, so please do send it in. Or you can send us an email to content at vi.ie as well. That's content at vi.ie. But moving on though, one of the things that we do here at VI Labs in Vision Ireland is provide lots of different training courses, and about a year ago we began rolling out a whole new variety of online talks and courses. And we've taken a break for August, but those courses are going to be back in September, and we wanted to tell you a little bit about some of the courses that we have upcoming. But before we do that, let's catch up with two people who have joined some of those courses, joined multiple courses in fact, Dominic and Des, to get their perspective on how they found the courses from VI Labs. And now on talking technology, I have not one but two people who have had experience of some of our courses, starting off with Miss Dominic. Dominic, how are you? I'm very well, thank you David. And we are also joined on what is his first time on talking technology by Des, Des, how are things? I'm very good, thank you David, and thanks for the invitation. Brilliant stuff. So Dominic, I'm going to start off with yourself. You've been a fan of our courses, how many courses have you done specifically? I've done ten of them so far David. Ten? That's a fair few. It is. It is. Very good. You clearly enjoy them. I did. What do you find the benefit of the courses generally? Well, it actually gave me more information, because you can never have enough information and I always like to improve on techniques when it comes to voice over or the meta glasses or anything when it comes to technology. Fantastic stuff, and you mentioned the meta glasses, there will obviously have an event coming up on that, one of our first in September. So we'll be telling you more about that in a bit as well. But what about yourself, Des, what have the benefits been for you? One of the huge benefits I've found, David, is the fact that I can do them from home. Because I live in North West Ireland in County Leitrim and I'm ten kilometres from the nearest bus stop, so for me to be going anywhere to do a course takes quite an investment. So the thoughts of going to Dublin for a nine hour return trip isn't great, and to be able to log on on Teams and do it that way is just brilliant. And do you want to tell me about some of the courses that you've done? Some of the courses I've done, like there was the Smart Kitchen one, which is of big interest because we're hoping to be moving house reasonably soon. So as to how best we can organise that, and the apps and the devices and so on that we can use so that I can actually go and do some cooking and not use my sight loss as an excuse not to do any. So that was very interesting. Another one I've done is booking flights, and this was quite an interesting course because it was an hour long and while the course wasn't in any way aimed at people using guide dogs, it's something that I have travelled, I have flown before with a guide dog, only the once mind you. And I found it a very complicated exercise to get all the paperwork right and the injections and so on that the dog has to have. And that was quite stressful and quite worrying. And I was asked for feedback after the course, and I said that and I wasn't really expecting anything out of it. You know, they were saying how did you find it and so on, and I said it was great as far as it went. And three or four days later, she came back to me with a list of items, a to do list really if that if you're flying somewhere, what you need to do to bring a guide dog along. And I must say I was blown away. That was not something that I expected. It was exactly what I was looking for. And I was really impressed with that. And it's something I hope to be using this autumn. So it'll be checked in real life. And I was just hugely impressed with the service that gave. And that's going to be available to anybody and it was it was cross checked with guide dogs. So they will have it available as well. And I think it was a great piece of work that Vision Ireland did. And Dominique, what about yourself? Any standout courses for you? The Echo speaker was a good one, even though I know all the commands to use. And the the course you you did yourself, the Seeing AI. Stop trying to flatter me now, Dominique. Goodness. But yeah, it's like and how did you find like there's a good variety of courses there as well, you know, but do you find like was there any courses that you found, you know, that you learned something new from, I guess? The Seeing AI is also good because I've learned how to if I get photographs, I go into recognize with Seeing AI and it gives me more description of the photo, which I wasn't really aware of until that course and new techniques that you can use. I gained a lot of information from all the courses. Goodness, Dominique. I think some people will start to think that we're paying you. Des, if I come to you, what advice would you have, I suppose, for those who maybe are a little nervous about doing the courses that they haven't done it before? What advice would you have for them? Would you have any advice? I would. Yeah, I found it very positive. Like on some courses, I would have known nothing before I started and I felt quite free and welcome to ask questions. And I've always felt that there isn't really any such thing as the stupid question. So if I don't understand something, I'm quite happy to ask it. And I felt that that was welcomed by all the presenters that there wasn't anyone that made it difficult. So even if you know nothing about it, or even if you've no intention of going down that route and you just want to find out something about it, I found it very positive. And for the ones I do want to do something about, it was great because now I know her to look and just be knowledgeable about what I'm going to need in the future. And that was very easy. I would just say, don't be nervous about it. Just go and listen and ask questions. Dominique? Well, there's no need to be nervous because Fishing Ireland Labs are amazing trainers and they're always there willing to help and the courses are very well structured and very easy to follow. Well, thank you so much, Dominique, Des, really appreciate you taking the time to join us on Talking Technology. Glad you're enjoying the courses. We'll be back with them in September, but for now, thank you both so much. And there you have it. Thanks to both Dominique and Des. I think we're going to have to start paying Dominique, she's so positive about our stuff. But it is great to see people benefiting from courses like this and great job to the team there that have put a ton of work into providing these courses. And one of the people who has been putting in a massive effort into organizing and getting these courses booked in and all of that is Derek, and Derek joined me earlier this week to tell me about some of the new courses that are going to be coming up in September. Some really interesting stuff. So here's what happened when I caught up with Derek. Joining me once again on Talking Technology, I am delighted to be joined by one of our awesome technology trainers, Mr. Derek Carollan. Derek, how are you? Welcome back to Talking Technology. Hi, David. How are things? I'm good. I'm good. Very good. So I am. It's great to be back on the show. Excited to be here and to chat about our training courses. Awesome stuff. So Derek, you've been doing a ton of work on these training courses over the last little while, along with a number of other trainers, Dennis, our training manager as well. There's been huge work happening in this space, but we've been doing courses now for a little while. Specifically, these are our online courses. Do you want to tell me a little bit about what we've done up to now? Yeah. I suppose last August, OK, so we're just coming up to about a year, really. So since about last August, we kind of we decided that we're going to try and do more virtual sessions around training, so we did. So we came up with a plan. I was selected to try and kind of lead it or run it. And kind of luckily for me, I have a great bunch of trainers that have kind of rode in behind us in this project. So we've had a great year, to be honest with you. I think in the last year that we've covered something like 50 different topics, OK, we've had over 400 sessions and we've had just over 2100 attendees at those sessions throughout the year. OK, and quite simply, we've picked topics that we felt that people would like to know more about, would like to join a group, get involved in. So that's what we've been doing for the last year. The idea is most of our courses would normally run on a Tuesday or a Thursday, a few on a Friday, and they're usually for about an hour. And what happens is we would advertise them and we can start a little bit more in more detail later on. But the idea then is that people would join us virtually, OK, from the comfort of their own home. OK, the groups have generally been kept in around the five or six mark, you know, maybe a little bit less on occasion, maybe a little bit more on occasion. So you get to link up with one of the trainers, we kind of have an outline of what we're going to cover. OK, we kind of go through it in detail, loads of opportunities to ask questions, loads of opportunity to learn from other people in the group, which is absolutely brilliant. And overall, the feedback that we've received throughout the year has been extremely positive. So we're looking forward to kicking off again this September. Super stuff. So do tell me about then September. We're getting back to courses and, you know, there's some serious numbers there and you mentioned over 50 topics. What are some of the things that we're going to be looking at in the next couple of months? Yeah, so we try and stay on on topics of smart glasses and glasses are kind of the big thing out there at the moment. So we're going to do a session on those where people have the opportunity to to come in either a come into the centre to us or also join us virtually online, first of all, and get a sense of what what what these glasses can do for you. OK, and then if they if they like what they're here or they want more information, they're always very welcome to come back to us or even link in with their own local trainer. OK, we've touched typing, which has been a firm favourites for the last year. Anytime we advertise the touch typing, people are very, very interested in. So that's one that we're coming back online in September again. We're going to have Chris back with High Digital. So I digitally is linked in with photo phone and what we're doing there is we kind of cover some of the basics of the Internet. OK, so once again, very, very popular. OK, we're also looking at one of the ones that we kind of tried last year to see how would it go. And it kind of took off a bit with the idea of booking public transport. OK, so we're we're going to do a session on that again. And also, there's a very interesting one about choosing the right assistive assistive technology as well as there's loads of assistive technology out there. And what works and what doesn't work, what should what should you look out for, you know, what can you do when you when you're looking for the items, you know, so on and so forth of that kind of idea. So that's that's a great little session as well. And then we also have a firm favourites, which is the old smart technology smart kitchen smart app. So that's kind of just an idea of a few of the topics that we're going to cover in September. Super stuff. So there's lots in there, you know, and some classics as well around the smart speakers and smart apps. That's always very popular, as are those courses on, you know, choosing the right assistive technology. And that's becoming increasingly important as we start to hear, you know, we had voice notes earlier on in the show about, you know, people having to choose between devices like the Metaglasses or the Envision Ally Solos or all of these different types of technology. And it is about finding what's right for you. So it's good to hear that there's some stuff there, isn't there? Exactly. Exactly. Look, there's such a wide range of technology out there. OK. And there's a lot of products that are similar to each other. OK. And one of those, one of our big beliefs is if you can kind of get your knowledge about what's out there, also, if you get the opportunity to get into one of the offices and try to test it. But the more information we can provide with people before they kind of decide which way they're going to go, the better the outcome is. And that's that's the aim of a lot of these courses and talks that we do just to provide information on a wide range of products and then the choosing the right assistive technology course kind of helps tie that all together. Yeah. Super. So in terms of, you know, choosing what's right for each person, you mentioned that we have different types of courses, you know, the main ones that we do are those hour long kind of explainer courses. But we also have different types as well. We have Vodafone High Digital. We also have bite sized training. Do you want to give me a rundown of just these different types of training courses that we have available and how do they differ and who are they for, you know, what are the differences between them? Yeah. And so I suppose we have we start with the traditional type courses. So we'd have stuff like and just I'm going to name one or two that there are many more. OK, so we have our touch typing and we have our NVDA course, our screen reading course. OK. And there are sessions that are run over multiple sessions. OK. So they kind of build up a scale for the person that joins the course. OK. So after you touch typing, you should be more comfortable typing on your keyboard. And with the NVDA, you should have a good sense of how the screen reader would work for you and you've kind of going to learn to kind of switch it on, get in, navigate around a little bit with it. OK. So they're kind of being the traditional ones. And there are a few other ones there as well that have multiple sessions. OK. After that, then we kind of have the talks where we kind of, you know, talk about a certain product. So we might talk about the meta glasses, we might talk about online shopping. OK. We might talk about smart kitchen and smart apps. OK. They're just so kind of once off one hour session. OK. Because to give people a good introduction into what's out there and how the products might work for you. OK. Then after that, we kind of have a number of kind of sessions that we kind of brought on recently with Elaine, it has been leading us and they're the bite size training and the clinic. OK. So the bite size training is a 15 minute session on a particular subject or topic. OK. So for example, we're going to do in September, we're going to do a 15 minute session on adjusting your voice over speaking rate on your iPhone. That's just one example. OK. So we've got a couple other options in there as well, the Siri and hands free tips and tricks. OK. In there as well. So just to be aware of that. OK. So they're kind of a 15 minute session and the focus is solely just on the topic that's mentioned. OK. So we have our clinic and the idea of our clinic is just ask a trainer. OK. So at a certain time in September, a trainer will be made available so you can come on, join them on a virtual meeting and just ask them about any kind of topic that you want to yourself. OK. So they get a good one on one session with a trainer that if you have any query or questions of something that we might have covered or it may be not be something we might have covered. It might be something that you've come across yourself in your own life that you're kind of wondering about or querying about and you might be just a bit kind of uncomfortable, shall we say, asking in a large group. OK. That's the option there. That's the option there. You can join our clinic, ask a trainer, one of the trainers will be on board and you can have a chat about it. OK. So that's the idea behind it. So I suppose the clinics and the bite size training probably are kind of follow ons if you'd like from the talks and the courses we do. So if there's anything in any of those courses that we do or those talks that we do and you want to find out more information or if you want to personalize this or customize it more for yourself, that's the opportunity for you to to do it on the bite size training of the clinics. OK. So that's the idea behind that. We also have the HiDigital. OK. So we've linked up with Photophone throughout the year and Chris has been very much driving this on. So HiDigital just covers kind of the basics of getting online, using your mobile phone, access and email, security or sorry, not security, but being aware of online fraud, scams, that kind of material. He also covers email and there are a number of other topics, but he brings them in at an introductory level. So if you're kind of new to technology and you want to kind of start off with the basics, what Chris covers in the HiDigital is of great interest. OK. So to be honest with you, David, a lot of the stuff we do is we kind of start from the bottom up and work our way up. So it's there for anybody. So any of the courses that we kind of run, if you have an interest in doing them, I kind of say don't be put off if you think you wouldn't be able to do it, because in all fairness to our trainers, they're very, very good. We're very happy to answer questions, very happy to link up with people before and after the course. And then we do have the follow up with the bite size training in the clinics as well. OK. So that's our Braille team. OK. And the Braille team are running their offerings of courses again. So they start off with the on contractus, which is the entry level or the basic level grade. That's run over a couple of weeks. And now they've added the follow on contractus, which is the next level course up. OK. So they say. So I suppose with the basic Braille, what you're doing is you're learning stuff like the alphabet, you're learning numbers, you're learning how to read. Like if you get into an elevator or a lift, you know, the Braille is there. You can read those signs. If you're a building and there's signs up, there'll be an uncontracted format. OK. So if you have medication at home, you know, Braille that will be on, that'll be on a contracted format. So that's the idea of the on contracta course moving on. Then after that, you have the contracta course, which is more if you want to read a book or stuff like that. That's that's what. That's your and for of the widths, all of that crack. Exactly. Exactly. It's kind of more abbreviated Braille so that you can read more. OK. Which is quite good. And also they do do offerings on the electronic Braille devices like the Braille sense six, the Focus 14, the Habo one and so on. They're all kind of Braille devices. So they're they're happy to to talk about that. But yeah, so we have the Braille team as well. So that kind of covers a fair range of the different types of courses that we offer. A fair range indeed. Absolutely. Derek, how can people find out more about these courses if they, you know, something in there because they're fancy or maybe they just want to explore what we do have coming up? Where can they find out more and how can they register for any of these events? Yeah. So the main place where all our courses are usually posted are up on the website. OK. So so all all courses are available on the website. OK. After that, we tend to advertise. OK. And we advertise in our own newsletter. So we do. So we kind of the week before or a couple of weeks before we post the next upcoming three or four courses. So you can find information about that there in the electronic newsletter. After that, we will promote it on X. OK. It goes on Facebook and it goes on Instagram as well. So they're kind of the main areas. OK. We also advertise them in our technology clubs. And I suppose coming into September, it'd be remiss of me if I didn't mention that our technology clubs are starting back up. So for anybody that might be aware of the technology clubs there, they're kind of clubs that meet mostly on a Wednesday. OK. There are a few variations, but mostly meet up on a Wednesday for an hour long and throughout different regions. It's all virtual again. People come together, they talk about what's happening in technology, they talk about their experience of using technology. So once again, it's the idea of meeting up with peers and sharing experiences of what's happening. OK. So we had a break in September as well because we had a little break there for August. So we had so just to be aware, though, so we would promote and advertise them there as well. I know you guys here on the podcast as well, you tend to advertise for us as well. So there's a wide range of advertising tools that we use. So the information is available at a number of different sources. But if anybody wants to find out more information or if anybody wants to sign up for a course, if they want to drop an email to training at VI.ie and that applies for the technology club as well. If you'd like to find out more about the technology club that might be happening in your area, drop an email into training at VI.ie and we'll get back to you and update you with the information that you need. Super stuff. Loads of really interesting courses coming up. People can absolutely check those out on our website. Just head to the upcoming events section and training at VI.ie if you have any questions. But for now, Derek, thank you so much. Thanks, David. All the best. Cheers. And thank you so much as well to Derek for that. And also the incredible work that he has put into these courses. An absolute ton and a Herculean effort there from Derek and loads on the team. So fair play to everyone in that. And thank you to you for joining those courses. You can find more details on all of those on our website, VI.ie, and go to the upcoming events section where you will also find details of our MetaGlasses event that is happening on the 5th of September. So check out all the upcoming events from VI Labs. You can find those on our website, VI.ie. And hey, if you would like to send us a voice note or get in touch with us about anything at all, maybe you've tried out some of our courses, or maybe you want to share your thoughts on the tech news or anything else technology related, we'd love to hear from you. The number that you need for that 086-199-0011 on WhatsApp, or you can send us an email to content at VI.ie. But now though, it's time to cross over to Daniel for the new act. This is Talking Technology News. So with your latest Talking Technology News, I'm Daniel Dunn. Glide won't be coming to Europe for the foreseeable future. The mobility aid created by Glidance Incorporated had originally been slated for release in 2026, but now the company have announced that they are going to focus on markets including the US, UK, and Canada first. Those who had pre-ordered Glide from Europe have been told to expect a refund in September, but they will still be entitled to any discounts when the product does eventually launch in this region. Speaking to VI Labs in an interview set to air later this week, Amos Miller said the decision to postpone the launch of Glide in Europe was not easy. I know many of the people in Europe who have pre-ordered by now, I know them personally, I know you, how excited you are and have been to be part of this groundbreaking technology, the way at least I see it. It's definitely disappointing and frustrating to hear that hold back. We won't be able to get to you just yet, so I just really do understand the reaction. It really came about over the last three months or so, we've really delved into what does rollout actually look like and really focusing on this notion of a gradual rollout. Glide is not like another pair of headset that's going to hit the market or like a new iPhone that everybody's going to line up and overnight you'll have thousands and tens and thousands of people just getting a device and off they go home and have a good time. It's a very, very new technology, a very new type of product with lots of questions and I've been raising those questions in all our engagements and so on and so it doesn't make sense to flash bang this rollout. It has to be gradual in small groups. The news is being met with broad disappointment from those in Europe. It's not all bad news for Glidance though, as they announced last week that they had successfully raised four million US dollars in their latest funding round. They also continue to make significant improvements to their hardware and software and they're on track for the 2026 launch in the US and some other markets. You can hear our full interview with Amos on an other extra episode of Talking Technology airing this Friday. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss out. In other news, Hebel have today announced the launch of Speech Labels, the first new product since the Hebel Easy and their first non-braille focused solution. Speech Labels, pronounced as Speak Labels by Vice Overs Mora, is a mobile app that allows you to scan stickers and hear back a recorded note. The idea isn't new and is similar to concepts like the RNIB PenFriend, but Speech Labels works using just the phone and sticker. You can also get buttons for cloning that have the NFC technology included, so you can simply tap your phone off the button to hear the information. Speech Labels has existed previously and already has 1,000 users, but Hebel seem to have acquired the company and integrated with their tech. The app has now been reworked and made more accessible and contains modern features like cloud storage of Vice Labels. The app has launched in the Netherlands now and is set to launch in other territories soon. Prices for the labels start at just over €17, so they are relatively affordable, which is great to see. Do you ever use a labeling solution? Let us know with a WhatsApp Vice Note. And finally for now, Amazon are reportedly looking at moving their devices away from Fire OS over to using Android. Amazon discontinued their Android App Store earlier this month, however it does continue to be available on Fire tablets and Fire TV devices. It's unclear if the move away from a full Amazon operating system will also have an impact on TV devices or just the tablets, but it's a big move no matter how you look at it. Amazon has Device View screen reader on Fire OS, but TalkBack will also be available for Android users. Will this lead to less competition in the space and will we start to see higher prices for Amazon tablets as a result? What's coming next is hard to say, but it's probably not a great time to purchase a Fire tablet right now. Some will likely welcome the move, while others will mourn the loss of Fire OS, but technology never stops moving for anyone. And that's it for this week, a reminder that we will have an extra episode of Talking Technology on Friday discussing all the latest developments with Glide, so be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. For now though, it's back to you, David. Cheers Daniel, I do want to dive a little bit into the Glide topic in a second, but before we do that Android topic there Daniel, how are you as the Android connoisseur that you are feeling about this particular move from Amazon with the Fire tablets? Yeah, it's an interesting move and it kind of comes at the time where the EU have opened up, Apple in particular, that they have to push other app stores or allow other app stores operate on their platform. So I suppose as we talk maybe that little push coming from the EU ruling and that was going to make the tablet market a little bit more competitive from a software and apps point of view. It seems Amazon have actually rolled back the other way. So yeah, Fire OS looks to be kind of getting the old retirement party, I'm sure they're putting up the balloons as we speak, and the move across to Android. So yeah, you're going to have just another Android tablet instead of Samsung on the cover, Amazon on the cover. You could see, is it going to cause prices to go up, maybe, maybe not. Were people attracted to Fire tablets for the Fire OS, I wouldn't have said so. No, it was the price really, wasn't it? It was the price, yeah. So Amazon are very shrewd about how to produce things, you can be sure they're going to keep the price point as low as possible, it'll probably increase a bit because, you know, switching over to Android will probably require a little bit more power in their basic units. So yeah, it'll be interesting to see how it pans out. And in other Android news, Joe, I want to come to yourself. We didn't cover this in Talking Technology News there, but Soundscape, the good old Soundscape app, is making an appearance on Android now in a limited form. Yeah, that's right. It's in beta form at the moment and released by, they call themselves Volatree Tech Operation, Scottish Tech Army. But yeah, they have a version of Soundscape on Android and it works very well. And people who use Android have been crying out for this for ages, so at least there is one there in the Google Play Store now to download and it probably is the best points of interest finder there is out there. So especially for visually impaired people. I know there's been blind square users and all that kind of stuff, but I think Soundscape is probably better myself. Yeah, I do like the app, I must say. It is a great little app. Gives you that 3D map in your head, basically what that means is if you're wearing stereo earphones, you will hear what's on your left in your left ear and what's on your right in your right ear and it just gives you that better idea of what's around you and you can use the emitted glasses with it and Bose earphones, all that kind of stuff. And bone conducting headphones as well, if you prefer though. So there's lots of different options out there to use with Soundscape, but the main thing is Soundscape is now available on Android and if you're an Android user, there is an option out there. So that's the gist of it, David, and hopefully it comes out in beta form and works as good as the one in iOS. Yeah, it will be brilliant to see and would really benefit those Android users over there. There really is a lot to discuss. Was there anything else Joe that stood out to you news-wise this week? Yeah, the Hable bringing out a new product, it just shows how big they're getting if they're venturing into speech labels. Labeling stuff is a big thing in the vision impaired and blind community, always has been and I'd be interested to try this one out, to see is it any better than the efforts that were before. A lot of them have died, as you know, different label and pens and stuff. So I'd be interested, have you researched much on this one David, do you think it's going to be a success or what do you think is involved? I'd hope so. I'd hope so. I like Hable's mission of kind of cheaper products. I think their pricing with this is very reasonable. I'd hope that it rolls out in Ireland soon enough as well. We do supply some of the Hable products. We supply Hable One and Hable Easy. I don't know if we will be stocking the speech labels in time. Time will tell. That'll be another product for either Colin or Breeders to Sell maybe one of these days. Who knows? But yeah, it is exciting and I think it is good to see them developing and I do generally like their mission. I must say I am the proud owner of a long retired RNIB pen friend, which was in many respects ahead of its time, but I think this is the modern answer to something like that, isn't it? Yeah, it is the modern answer to it. I suppose if you think of it, the main competitor to this device is going to be smart glasses again, isn't it? Well, that's true. Because you can pick up something and say the wake word to whatever smart glasses you're going to use and say, what is this I'm holding? You know what I mean? What am I holding in my hand or what's in front of me? So yeah, I think again, depending on the price this device is going to be will also depend how popular it's going to be. Yeah. Whether it's user friendly, it is as well if there's supposed to be an app involved or not, or it's just stickers or whatever, but it'd be interesting anyway for us even to get order one soon down the line and do a review on it and even we might even speak to Havel themselves and see what they have to say on the product. Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like. Brilliant stuff. Before we do dive into the elephant in the room, which is Glide, we did, just so you know, have some information about some issues regarding Revolut on Android. So if people are using Revolut on Android, there currently seems to be a talkback issue for people entering their PIN. So that is something to be aware of. Daniel, biometrics and biometric login is also an option here if people need it, though. Yeah, that's right. So yeah, there's an issue there where it skips over the PIN numbers and talkback tools. So yeah, so you can try and use something like Face ID in the meantime to get around that particular problem. So it has been reported to Revolut and their development team is going to get a look at that hopefully in release and update fairly soon. I actually submitted a video of the problem, so hopefully they'll be able to fix it. They can see actually from the video I sent them that the advice over skips from the top of the screen to the bottom of the screen. Yeah. Hopefully they do fix this. I mean, banks are required now to be accessible under the European Accessibility Act. Hopefully they get this sorted pretty quickly, but it is something to be aware of if you are a Revolut customer on Android. See if you can avoid updating your app, but if you can't, maybe do explore some of those biometric options. They may be a work around, albeit not ideal for now. It seems to have come in that brought this new thing on to Revolut, and it seems to be only on Android a little while back, where the PIN number visually is laid out, it's not in its 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, like a phone dialer. When you go in now, the numbers are all random, so the first number, obviously if TalkBack worked on it, the first number could be 7, or it could be 8, or it could be 6. You're not guaranteed it's going to be 1. So I think it kind of challenges people to look carefully at putting in their PIN number. That's terribly annoying user design. I understand why they're doing it, but that sounds like an idea that would just frustrate people, to be honest. But there you go. Yeah, I think that's why a lot of people use the Face ID or the fingerprint option. It's really an issue for any user that doesn't use Face ID or fingerprint to get into Revolut. Yeah, absolutely. Well, thank you so much for that, Daniel, and we'll see how it evolves. Moving on, then, just to that elephant in the room, and we won't stay too long on this because we do have a full podcast discussing the topic coming out on Friday, including that interview with Amos Miller, CEO of Glidance. But, Joe, your thoughts initially, anyway, on the delay of Glide? How are you kind of feeling about it? Yeah, I'm very disappointed to hear there is a delay. Well, didn't you say it's not released for the foreseeable future? Do they even call it? Is it even classed as a delay now, you know? So yeah, it's very disappointing for anybody who's pre-ordered it or put any down payment on it, obviously, to get the money back and stuff. I mean, it's so promising to come over and done a demo for people here as well, now it's not coming out. It's so disappointing. I can't say much more than that. Just really disappointed, and hopefully a competitor comes in down the line and maybe offers a product that's similar or better, or what can you say really, David? Does this open the market for a European competitor, then? Of course it does. I mean, we're always looking at people that have a disability, love competition, because it gives us choices, keeps the price down as well on certain products, and it encourages the original developers of any of these things to improve their product. So I say it does open the door, and look, the way it is, if there's not another competitor, there probably won't be a product like this. So if we want a product that guides us around, like in the form of a smart cane on a kind of a wheel or a roller or whatever way you want to look at it, there will be a need for another developer. But then, is it a cane that people want? This is the other thing, or do they want another type of device that helps them guide with AI or whatever, look, there could be a focus group, or get a lot of developers in a room and see what do people actually want? Is it a Dlyde type of device, or is it something else? So only time will tell, but I think for the most part, at the moment, I'm just disappointed that Dlyde haven't followed through and met people's expectations in Ireland and released the device. Yeah, it's going to be interesting to see, but certainly not today or tomorrow. We'll have that full interview with Amos on Friday, so do keep an eye out for that as well as some more detailed responses from some of the team here at Vision Ireland. People are quite disappointed, I think it's fair to say. But we will address that in more detail on Friday. But for now, though, sorry to end on such a negative note, but there you have it. Thank you so, so much for listening to Talking Technology with VIA Labs. A reminder that on a positive note, you can check out all of the courses that we have upcoming on our website. You can go to the upcoming events section and do pay particular attention there to that one that we have on the 5th of September. For anyone looking to try out the Metaglasses, you can pop in to some of our offices. You can try them out and we'll have loads of information, there'll be an online component to that as well. So if you're interested, do go check that out. All the details can be found on the upcoming events section of the website and if you need more information, you can send an email to training at vi.ie, that's training at vi.ie. But from us for now, though, that is our show. Thank you so, so much for listening. We'll see you again on Friday for another episode of Talking Technology. We're just going to stick to the numbers, we're not even going to call it extra because at a certain point they just stop becoming extra, don't they? But thank you so much for listening. We'll see you Friday and have a great rest of your week. Thanks for listening to the Talking Technology podcast with VIA Labs. If you'd like to support our show, please visit vi.ie slash donate. 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