Category Archives: Zinfo

Editorial #90-Sorenson–Please Watch What Your Trainer in The Pacific Northwest Said About 911 Calls from the Z

Dr. Z takes 911 issues seriously, so does the FCC.

Here, we have received reliable information that a Sorenson trainer in the Pacific Northwest area indicated that Z phones would not be able to make 911 calls. That is NOT true! From day 1, ZVRS takes 911 calls seriously and we process dozens of 911 calls every day.

Our website says that in plain english with this link:

http://zvrs.com/company/fcc/911

This webpage has been on our website for over a year now. It has been there since the FCC required all VRS providers to handle 911 calls. All VRS providers are required by the FCC to handle 911 calls.

Sorenson, kindly think twice before assuming anything…ZVRS is proud of whom we are and we stand behind our products and services, including 911 calls.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Marketing at CSDVRS, LLC.

Editorial #89-Sorenson–Please Fix Your VP-200 or nTouch to Comply with Industry Standards

Dr. Z has been receiving comments that Sorenson’s VP-200 or nTouch does not always work with other units that do not belong to Sorenson. Sorenson trainers usually point their finger at the other providers. Dr. Z is asking those trainers to point their finger at a mirror.

The fact of the matter is there are industry standards that are published and most technology providers design their units to comply with such standards. ZVRS and other providers make every effort to comply with industry standards for video communication. The VP-200 and the nTouch do not necessarily follow such standards to the letter and that explains why we sometimes do not see videophones connecting with one another.

The solution may be to port your Sorenson unit to providers such as ZVRS so you know you comply with standards and communicate well with other videophones. Try it, you will be surprised at the difference.

Dr. Z takes interopoerability issues seriously and this is one example of Sorenson not placing emphasis on interoperability with other provider’s units/software, choosing to take care of its own.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Marketing at CSDVRS, LLC.

Going on Vacation this Summer? Tips for Using Your Videophone from Dr. Z

Summertime is around us — July 4th is the official start of vacation season…

Vacation takes many forms–driving on the road, hopping from one place to another–or you would go to one specific destination, staying at a beach house, or a hotel, or a rented house.

What videophone should you use? The ideal one would be the iPad2, followed by the iPhone, iPod Touch or the various Android models you see on our website (www.zvrs.com.)

The key to successful video calls while on the road is a good wifi connection. This is not guaranteed. One McDonalds may have it good while the next one won’t. One Marriott Courtyard may have it good while the next one won’t. It is hard to predict. A good video communication setup requires a good and robust wifi connection. You can test it with our bandwidth tool. Here is the link to it. If its low, then the video won’t look that good or may not work. Some wifi is free, some wifi you would have to pay.

If you are renting a beach house or a vacation house, most residential wifi connections are good. But some homes do not have wifi, so check in advance.

Dr. Z wishes you all a happy summer vacation. Drive carefully and safely.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclosure: Dr. Z is a employee with CSDVRS, currently its Vice-President of Marketing.

Editorial #87-Verizon Stops Unlimited Data Plan–What’s Next? Why is Dr. Z Worried? (Updated)

First it was AT&T and now its Verizon. There are rumblings other carriers might join. It’s not limited to smartphones, but your cable carrier as well. Time Warner and Comcast are reportedly looking into capping their data plans. Some carriers still allow unlimited data in their plans.

Why is Dr. Z concerned?

When we do video communication, we do not use the audio on the phone or the cable, we use the data portion of the phone or internet on cable. When the carriers cap data, this means if we talk more than the cap is allowed (such as 2 GB), we will have to pay extra for more data that we use in order to talk freely. Most audio plans have monthly minutes which can carry over and the minutes are for 300-600-900 minutes. 2GB of data will probably be good for about 10 hours (600 minutes) of video communication, maybe a bit more.

Dr. Z thinks it’s time for consumers to come to the FCC and ask that the carriers treat the deaf and hard of hearing consumers who use video communication to be treated appropriately and be functionally equivalent as the hearing consumers. There is precedent for this–in the TTY days, ATT used to give deaf and hard of hearing users a discount because it took longer to communicate via typing.

Let us keep an eye on those developments and tell the FCC not to limit our video communication because of the data caps!

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Marketing at CSDVRS, LLC.

Editorial #86-Wells Fargo Fined for Not Allowing Relay Calls

This is a victory for deaf and hard of hearing consumers!

Dr. Z is a customer of Wells Fargo and he experienced situations over the years when they refused to accept video relay calls, instead asking him to use an old fashioned TTY! So he had to use his TTY to make a direct call only to find out Wells Fargo didn’t answer his phone.

He and other deaf individuals filed complaints to the DOJ and the National Association of the Deaf (NAD). The NAD, as a result, led the way in paving a settlement which required Wells Fargo to accept video relay calls.

The point here is–if you experience some discriminatory activity, do not just sit back, one needs to scream and complain and take action–this is the only way to change things for the better.

Many thanks to the NAD for this achievement!

For more information on this settlement, click this link.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Marketing at CSDVRS, LLC.

Editorial #85-Traveling Overseas this Summer? You Need to Register in Order to Use VRS

Do you plan to travel overseas this summer?

Do you plan to use VRS to call home in the US from overseas?

If so, you must register with your VRS provider, as per FCC rules.

Here is the link to register with ZVRS so that you can call home from overseas this summer.

If you do not register, the video interpreter will not be able to handle your call. So register before you travel overseas!

Also, your registration is good for 4 weeks–if you travel more than 4 weels, you will need to re-register.

Happy traveling!

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Marketing at CSDVRS, LLC.

Editorial #84-What is VRI? How is it different from VRS?

Some of you asked if you could use VRS when you visit your doctor’s office or meet with your car dealer in person.

The answer is no–you need to use something called Video Remote Interpreting (VRI). VRI allows you to use video in the same room with a hearing person, with the interpreter at a remote location. Is VRI free? The answer is no, because it is interpreting–it is like when you hire a live interpreter when you meet with a hearing person.

VRS is different–because you and the hearing person are not in the same room.

Who made those rules?

The FCC has mandated they will not pay for VRI services. They will pay for VRS services.

Many providers are offering VRI, including ZVRS! What ZVRS offers is different from the others–ZVRS offers on-demand VRI, meaning you do not have to call to make an appointment to have an interpreter ready. When you need one, just call and the interpreter will show up on your screen! For more information, go to this link.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Marketing at CSDVRS, LLC.

Dr. Z at Deaf Nation in Riverside

Dr. Z was at Deaf Nation in Riverside last Friday and Saturday. What an event that was–over 6,000 people attended both days and Dr. Z used his trusty iPad2 to demonstrate the wonderful capabilities it had, including it being a videophone.

The following pictures say it all…the first picture was taken with an iPad2 and the second picture came from Deaf Nation.

Kids are our future…they loved the iPad2!

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclosure: Dr. Z is a employee with CSDVRS, currently its Vice-President of Marketing.

Want the Perfect VideoPhone? iPad2! (Hint: Mother’s Day?)

Dr. Z has been using the iPad2 for the past month or so….the device is growing on me–it is such a beautiful unit–it can do almost anything and on top of it, it is a full-blown videophone when you install the Z4 Mobile on it.

Phone Book?  Your My Contacts is downloaded from your profile on zvrs.com! And you can make VP calls to deaf/hard of hearing and hearing people from the contacts list!

Answering Machine? You got it–people who call you can leave a message–both your deaf/hard of hearing and your hearing callers!

Missed Calls?  You have Call History right on the device to call back!

Battery Life?  The iPad2 runs on 10 hours of battery before you recharge it.  But with the cover, everytime you cover the screen, it turns off the unit automatically–extending battery life to a few days!

Books?  With iBooks and Kindle software installed, you can read books!

Magazines? With Zinio, you can download magazines with a paid subscription!

Newspapers?  You got it–NY Times, Washington Post, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal!

Movies?  Download Netflix or iTunes which has a growing library of captioned shows!

Games?  Scrabble, Monopoly, Solitaire, Sudoku and more!

Want to know which TV shows to watch?  Download the TV Guide App!

Want to talk via video anywhere in the house?  In your living room, in your den, in your kitchen, in your bedroom, in your garage, in your backyard (within wifi range)–you got it, you can do it with the iPad2 wirelessly all over your house witha good wifi connection!

Want to talk on video on the plane, on the train?  Dr. Z has done it both, as long as there is wifi on the plane and the train!

At McDonalds, Starbucks, Barnes and Noble and want to talk to someone while sipping coffee–you got it with the iPad2 with wifi!

Convinced? You bet Dr. Z is convinced and he is sure you will be, after you put your hands on one! (and get one for your Mom?)

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclosure: Dr. Z is a employee with CSDVRS, currently its Vice-President of Marketing.

Eureka!!!! Made a Z4 Mobile Call on the Amtrak Auto Train

Dr. Z and his wife are on their way home from Florida to Vermont taking the Amtrak Auto Train. He has tried the Z4 Mobile on an Apple iPad2 in an airplane and now he has tried it on a train….using wifi (he was using a Sprint Overdrive device.)

This shows the versality of the device…you can use it practically anywhere to make video calls…with a good wifi or 3G or 4G connection you can declare independence from the leash of wires attached to your videophone. Using an iPad2 during travel is amazing…in addition to making video calls, you can browse the Internet, get directions, read magazines and newspapers, reading books..what a perfect travel companion it is!

Dr. Z declares today my Travel Independence Day!

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z (Philip Bravin) is employed by ZVRS as its Vice-President of Marketing.