Category Archives: Editorials/Guest Blogs

Editorial #71-What is Get a Z-Life?

Get a Z-Life! What does this really mean?

We in the videophone community have become so used to walking to our videophones, sitting down, using a remote control to make a call…this is by today’s standards a very ancient way of making calls. Look at our hearing counterparts–they don’t walk a mile to make their calls–they take their phone out of their pocket and make a connection right where they are—this is exactly what ZVRS wants to do for us deaf and hard of hearing people–to make connections from wherever they are–the answer is mobile!

ZVRS is making a big push into mobile–this is because it is the most convenient way of connecting us all–not just for point to point, but for video relay calls as well!

If you think the folks at ZVRS are sitting back with what is already on the market–the answer is no! Dr. Z has taken a peek at the labs at ZVRS where our engineers are hard at work in making connecting easy for us all…look for more developments in the weeks to come! Dr. Z is excited like a child in a candy store!

Get a Z-life…this means you get connected anywhere, anyplace with any device you want!

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.
Disclosure: Dr. Z is a contractor working with CSDVRS on several projects.

Want to Learn More On How the Samsung Epic Works?

This is a great video–Dr. Z continues to look around for a good prescription for you folks to learn more about your devices.

One of ZVRS’ deaf sales engineers (Ken Brown) came up with a great video for the Samsung Epic. You can click on this link and after viewing it, you will be in love with your Epic.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.
Disclosure: Dr. Z is a contractor working with CSDVRS on several projects.

Editorial #70-The Future of Mobile Videophones from Las Vegas!

Last week there was a trade show in Las Vegas. It is known as the CES (Consumer Electronics Show). At this show many companies show off their phones, cameras, televisions and other electronic gizmos that they expect to roll out and sell for the next year.

Dr. Z has been browsing the web to identify some new trends that are emerging from the show and look for what we can expect this year. It is a dizzying array of devices and being a geek, Dr. Z’s mouth is watering!

There were many many tablets being demonstrated at the show. Samsung, Motorola, LG, HTC and many other manufacturers demonstrated their smartphones which have both a front-facing and a rear-facing camera. Remember, we need a front-facing camera to do video.

The one phone that stood out from the rest was the Motorola Atrix from AT&T. At first, it looks like a typical videophone–but Motorola (who makes the phone) went one step further–the phone has a laptop dock and a HD Multimedia dock. What that means is after you use the phone while you are out of the house, when you get home you attach it (dock it) to a laptop and the laptop accesses all the information on the phone and you use the laptop as a computer–while you are in the house. You can do many things with the laptop and any new information you out on the laptop is also put on the phone (because it is attached via a dock.) Then you can move it to a HD multimedia dock and the dock attaches to a television and it can play whatever you downloaded on your phone to your HDTV! This means your phone can do everything while you are out of the house, and do more when you are back home! Here is the link to the AT&T website about the phone. What a cool phone this is!

Dr. Z will post more blogs on other devices that have a great COOL factor.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.
Disclosure: Dr. Z is a contractor working with CSDVRS on several projects.

Editorial #69-Epic vs. Evo!

ZVRS has put together a video pitting the Epic against the Evo.

The video lists 4 key areas where the Epic outshines the Evo:

Processor
Camera
Keyboard
App Features

In the end, the choice is the Samsung Epic! Enjoy the video (link).

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.
Disclosure: Dr. Z is a contractor working with CSDVRS on several projects.

Editorial #68-Update on the FCC

Dr. Z had been traveling across the country for the most part in November and December–at the same time he has kept an eye on developments over at the FCC.

There have been 2 key personnel developments at the FCC–the first is the appointment of Greg Hlibok as Chief of the Disability Rights Office–he is the first person with a disability to head this very important office. Dr. Z wishes Greg well in his new position, The second is the hiring of Rosaline Crawford (formerly of the NAD) as attorney advisor in the Disability Rights Office. Again, Dr. Z wishes Rosaline well in her new position. With both appointments, the deaf and hard of hearing community will have people at the FCC who genuinely understands their needs.

There are two important VRS proceedings underway at the FCC, one making more headway than the other. The first is the 800/866 number issue that the FCC is reviewing. The rulemaking process is almost complete and the comment period has closed. The FCC should issue new rules on how 800/866 numbers will be handled for VRS consumers. The second is the Notice of Inquiry for the VRS industry as a whole. The FCC is expected to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking sometime soon after hearing all the comments and feedback from the VRS industry and consumers.

Interestingly, here is how the VRS industry and the deaf and hard of hearing community interacted with the FCC during the month of December(in alphabetical order as of today’s listing on the FCC website):

CSDVRS:
Exparte (1 filing)
Comments (1 filing)

Purple:
Exparte (1)

Snap:
Exparte (1)

Sorenson:
Exparte (4)
Comments (1)
Reply to Comments (1)

TDI (on behalf of consumer organizations):
Exparte (2)
Comments (2)
Reply to Comments (1)

To read the above filings, you can click on both links: (03-123) (10-51)

The filings do reveal some information as to where the VRS companies and organizations representing consumers stand. You can see the other items that were filed in October and November with the links above by the above companies and other companies in the VRS industry..

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.
Disclosure: Dr. Z is a contractor working with CSDVRS on several projects.

A Happy New Year from Dr. Z!

Dr. Z is wishing you all a Happy New Year! He doesn’t want to wait until January 1st to do that–

In any event, here are Dr. Z’s resolutions for 2011…

1. To work with the VRS community to provide accurate (and sometimes opinionated) information to help assure consumers they have all the needed information to best enable video communication

2. To work with ZVRS in bringing out the best hardware and software to best enable video communication

3. To probe into the latest in technology and share with the VRS community

4. To have fun in doing all of the above!

Dr. Z sincerely hopes for the best for you all in 2011!

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

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

Thank You Santa Claus!

What a Year this has been!

Only a year ago, there was no mobile video…in only a year, we have a wide choice of mobile video, and its bound to get wider!

ZVRS has been at the forefront–adding videophone capability to many devices this year, with a lot more in the pipeline for 2011.

Dr. Z wants to thank Santa Claus for making this possible (Dr. Z still believes in Santa only because things for videophoning and all that have been great this year!)

Dr. Z will take a well-deserved rest this time of the year with his family—and many of his fellow associates at ZVRS are doing likewise–charging their batteries for what is going to be a big 2011!

Dr. Z also wants to thank ZVRS customers for putting their faith in us–we strive to do our best at ZVRS for you all.

Here’s wishing you the best of the holiday season!

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

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

Happy Birthday Z!

Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday dear ZVRS!
Happy birthday to you!

December 14 marks the fourth birthday of ZVRS! In 4 short years, ZVRS is not crawling or walking-it is running very well…introducing new products and services left and right…entering the mobile domain before anyone else did…providing answering machine services before anyone else did..the bottom line…ZVRS is proud of its mission to provide the best video communication technologies to deaf and hard of hearing people.

The people of ZVRS stand ready to continue to be the leader in video communication in the months and years to come…this is made possible by our DNA…the company will continue to be in the forefront for video communication and Dr. Z is proud to be associated with ZVRS…a happy birthday once again!

Happy Thanksgiving from Dr. Z and his Friends

In only a year, how things have changed!

Last year, at Thanksgiving time, we had wired devices to enable video communication.

This year, at Thanksgiving time, we have mobile and wireless devices to enable video communication.

It is time to give thanks to all those who make video communication and independence from wires possible.

Here’s a simple poem for you all…and a Happy Thanksgiving from Dr. Z and his friends at ZVRS…

He who thanks but with the lips
Thanks but in part;
The full, the true Thanksgiving
Comes from the heart.

–J. A. Shedd

Editorial #68-Using 2 Remote Controls to Make a Videophone Call-Does this Make Sense?

Dr. Z has an observation and it occurs to him that many deaf and hard of hearing people have been conditioned to use 2 remote controls to make a videophone call. It is beginning not to make sense. One remote control to control the TV (turn it off/on, control the input) and another remote to control the videophone. All this with a set of 5 wires attached….

It is really time to cut or reduce the leash! The leash of 5 wires is not necessary in today’s age and time. When we look at our hearing counterparts–their phones do not have wires–the sight of a wired telephone in hearing people’s homes is practically nonexistent. All they use are wireless phones. There is an emerging trend of wireless videophones—the Apple iPhone 4, the Apple iPod Touch and the Samsung Epic. Those videophones put us on a level playing field with our hearing peers. And sets us free from the wires.

Some wired phones such as the Z-150, Z-340 and the Z-Ojo have a place in the home office or office at the workplace, just like hearing people who have wired telephones in their workplace. But for communication anytime, anywhere–wireless is the way to go!

It’s time to CUT the leash!

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

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