Category Archives: Zinfo

What is 3G and 4G for Mobile Video Phones?

Dr. Z gets this question everywhere he goes.  A lot of deaf and hard of hearing people out there are confused by what is meant by 3G and 4G and they sometimes confuse it with the product such as the Apple iPhone 4.

First–3G and 4G refer to the speed of the network the phone is connected with.  It has nothing to do with wifi.  Wifi is a totally separate network from 3G and 4G.

Second–3G refers to the speed of the network.  3G for AT&T is not the same as 3G for Verizon.  AT&T and T-Mobile use a different network (GSM) from that of Verizon and Sprint (CDMA).

Third–4G is faster than 3G.  All the phone companies use a different variation of 4G or 3.5G,  such as HDSPA, LTE, Clearwire.

Will 4G enable better video communication?  The answer is yes and no.  A good 3G connection is a better for video than a poor 4G connection.  You can tell the quality of the connection by looking at the number of bars on a smartphone.  4 bars is better than 1 bar.

Sometimes a 3G gets you good video, sometimes 4G gets you better video.  You can get better 3G in one spot and walk 50 feet and the connection gets worse.  It is never the same everywhere. The best way to answer is where you use the phone the most is where you should see which is better 3G with more bars or 4G with more bars.

3G is almost everywhere. 4G is still growing and it not everywhere yet.

A good wifi connection will get you a better video communication situation more than a 3G or 4G ever will for the most part.

Some Android phones have 4G enabled.  None of the Apple iPhones have 4G yet.  But both the Android and Apple phones have wifi.

It is Dr. Z’s hope that this information is useful.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

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

Editorial #81-Reflections on a Weekend Evening

Dr. Z has been busy the past few weeks, crisscrossing the nation spreading the gospel of video communication.  Now he is back at home in Vermont for the weekend, amid peaceful surroundings–saw a robin which is usually the first sign of spring in Vermont.  He went with his wife and grandchildren to a farm where they make maple syrup and cheese.  These are the basic essentials of daily life up here.

Looking at the past few weeks, he is seeing deaf and hard of hearing people taking up video communication to heart–something they didn’t have 10 years ago–now it is mobile, making it even more useful and accessible.

It is like going to the basics…like maple syrup and cheese, mobile video is basic to us all–we can appreciate how video communication is taking us up to the next level.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

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

Mobile Video Phones-Do’s and Dont’s

DO’s

DO handle it with care.  It’s a small and sensitive device.  A simple drop can break it if it lands in the wrong spot.

DO keep your hands clean when using it.  Oil from your hands can cause the touch screen to be less sensitive.  You can get a plastic overlay to protect the screen.  Dr. Z uses one himself — it does the job but you have a screen that is not as pretty as one without–but protection is sometimes more important than beauty.

DO walk 50 feet from the spot where you do not have coverage.  Sometimes you get a much better signal by just moving away from your current spot.  Video on mobile phones require a good and strong signal to be able to do video communication.

DONT’s

DO NOT use your mobile videophone while driving!!!

DO NOT get your mobile videphone wet!  Water is fatal to electronic devices.  If it happens, use a hair dryer as soon as possible but do not burn your phone with the heat from the hair dryer.

DO NOT move your phone while communicating–it makes the other party or the video interpreter get seasick!

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

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

Editorial #80-Good Karma! Dr. Z is in Austin-Birthplace of VRS

Dr. Z is in Austin, TX.  It is deja vu all over again!  He was there when he was part of the establishment of the first commercial VRS operation in the US, in a garage in North Austin in 1999-2000 when he was with CSD and working then and now with Tim Rarus who is also currently working with ZVRS.

He is in town for the Deaf Nation Expo, set for this coming Saturday–he will be talking about what happened over 10 years ago, in addition to talking about the new developments from ZVRS.

Good karma–he feels good about being in Austin once again–he feels the good spirit of VRS in Austin–it shows how it has evolved–from a garage to what is now a $700-800 million industry and many happy deaf and hard of hearing users!

Thank you, Austin, Texas!

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

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

An Experience Watching the NCAA Finals with the iPad2 and Z4 Mobile

It’s almost the perfect videophone!

Dr. Z had the opportunity to use an iPad2 at his home watching the NCAA Elite 8 last weekend and the experience was astounding.

While watching the game, he was able to have his iPad2 on his lap and browsing NCAA.org to get more information about game he was watching.

Also, during timeouts and halftime, he was able to check his email during commercial breaks as well. This is indeed a big difference from using a desktop or a laptop while watching a game.

And when a video call came in, he rotated his iPad2 into a stand with the cover that is optional and he could chat while keeping an eye on the game as well as discussing the game with whomever was chatting with him.

Isn’t this the freedom we have not experienced for so long? He didn’t have to go to another room to answer his videophone call and miss the moments of the game in progress!

Go to this link for more information.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclosure: Dr. Z is a contractor working with CSDVRS on several projects.

What is So Special About the iPad2 with Z4 Mobile?

It’s almost the perfect videophone!

You can put it on a desk with a stand and make a video call.

You can put it on a coffee table with a stand and make a video call.

You can put it on a kitchen counter with a stand and make a video call.

You can carry it anywhere in your house and make a video call.

With a good 3G connection, you can make a video call from your car (passenger side highly recommended.)

If you have an iPhone 4 with Z4 Mobile, you can use the same address book (My Contacts) as the iPad2 with Z4 Mobile. You do not have to feed the same addresses on both devices.

No wires–no walking to your phone–no lost remote control–no dogs will eat your remote control!

What more do you want? The video quality is almost HD!

Go to this link for more information.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclosure: Dr. Z is a contractor working with CSDVRS on several projects.

Editorial #79-How Best to Manage VRS Interpreters-A Guest Editorial by Jeff Rosen

ZVRS (CSDVRS) is very mindful how we manage VRS interpreters in a way that we do not affect the surrounding community’s interpreting needs where we have a center. We work through this by having interpreters work remotely from their homes in a secure room. Jeff Rosen, CSDVRS’ General Counsel explains this in an editiorial which was previously submitted to Ed’s Alert along with a link to our response to the FCC on this issue.
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As a result of healthy competition and choices, there are many more interpreters engaged in providing VRS in the US. We must view the impact of call centers on the availability of in-person interpreters for the deaf community and also the impact of call centers on the well being of interpreters. Many people in the US (and Canada) are of the view that VRS has made it much more difficult for them to obtain in-person interpreters, that call centers leave such a large footprint on the deaf communities, and many interpreters are forced to leave their homes in areas of low population density to seek work at a call center usually located in urban areas.

CSDVRS recently wrote a letter to the FCC expressing some concerns.
(Link to FCC Letter)

There is no question that relay consumers have a right to absolutely secure and compliant video interpreted calls, we are smart enough to regulate in a way that accomplishes those requirements. We also can regulate how emergency calls must be handled by virtual video interpreters (also known as in-home interpreters). We can also make sure that all VRS providers primarily use call centers, with virtual video interpreters a limited % of the workforce.

What we cannot afford to do is detach regulatory decisions from the real world impact on deaf people and interpreters. There must be careful study, collaboration and to the extent possible, consensus with the affected constituents – consumers and interpreters.

Jeff Rosen
General Counsel
CSDVRS

Dr. Z (and Jeff) cares about your communication access.

Disclosure: Dr. Z is a contractor working with CSDVRS on several projects.

It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Superman–the new Z-20!

ZVRS is at it again! Another new product!

The “Mercedes” of Videophones–the Z-20…replacing the Z-150.

It has the features that were on the Z-150…and more and better…the screen quality is unbelievable–it has the same address book (My Contacts), answering machine (My Mail) and alerts (Z Alert).

If you have your address book on another Z-phone such as the Z4, you do not have to re-enter all the addresses on the Z-20.

For more information, go to this link.

To watch the video, go to this link.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclosure: Dr. Z is a contractor working with CSDVRS on several projects.

HTC EVO! Not just the software…

Wow–Z4 Mobile is now working on the HTC EVO!!!

But there are other things to think about:

–interpreter quality

–answering machine for both point-to-point and relay calls

–address book that works on all devices–you update one address book on one device–it updates other address books

–and MORE!!

Which software has all of the above? Z4 Mobile–try it, you will like it–go to this link to download the Z4 Mobile App

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclosure: Dr. Z is a contractor working with CSDVRS on several projects.