Introduction
The Rainbow Tech Group welcomed Steve Nutt from Computer Room Services for a question and answer session on technology for people with visual impairment. Steve was born blind — retinoblastoma at around three months old — and has had a passion for technology ever since. He got his first talking computer with a bespoke screen reader written by a colleague back in 1980, when computers were still running DOS. Today, Steve sells around 200 products and offers training and managed services through Computer Room Services.
AI Disclosure
This blog post was produced using AI. The original webinar was transcribed using AI speech-to-text software, and the transcript was then used to generate this Q&A with the assistance of an AI writing tool.
About Steve and Computer Room Services
What does Computer Room Services offer?
We offer training on Jaws, NVDA, and Narrator — you can go from beginner to really advanced screen reading. We also offer managed email services, so if you want your own email address with your own domain, we can do that. And we offer web services, so you can have your own website which we manage. On the product side, we have around 200 products on the website — I call myself Amazon for the blind, really.
Do you sell magnification products?
As a rule, we don’t sell magnification, and the reason is obvious: I can’t validate it, I can’t tell if it’s good or not, because I can’t see. So I won’t sell it generally. Unless somebody knows precisely what they want — if they know what they want, we can often get it, because we know a lot of the suppliers, like Sight and Sound, Aspire Consultancy, and various others.
Are consultations free?
Yes, I’ll always chat with you for free. It’s only when I start doing work that, you know… You’re very welcome to ring me for information.
Steve’s number: 01438 742286
Smartphones and Screen Readers
Are you an iPhone or Android person?
I’m an Android fan — I will put that out there. Most blind people follow the herd and get Apple iPhones, but I’m an Android fan, just to be different. I also think TalkBack is better than VoiceOver for various reasons.
You also use a Braille display?
Yes, I’ve got a 40-cell Braille display permanently connected to my computer, and it just gives me everything as well as speech. It gives me extra feedback. We sell those.
What would you recommend for someone who is losing their sight and finding smartphones difficult, particularly with limited dexterity?
It depends on how you get on with touch screens generally. If you’re struggling with the double taps and swipes due to arthritis or limited dexterity, one option is a Bluetooth keyboard. You can actually use a keyboard with your phone instead of the touch screen. We sell very small ones — tiny ones that go in your pocket, like the Revo2, which has a little keyboard a bit like the old Nokia-style phones. You might manage that better.
It also sounds like you could do with some TalkBack or VoiceOver training. When I do training and visit people in person, I actually take their hand and show them how to do it. That’s the only problem with remote training — you can’t show people how to do a double tap.
What about the Blind Shell Classic — is it any good?
If you get the Blind Shell Classic 3. It’s very good on audio, and if you press the side button for a phone call and say “Call Jenny” or “Call Pete,” it actually works very well. For people who want buttons, it’s ideal. And it has things like WhatsApp on it, so you can get your emails, no problem. It’s also got an AI agent in it called Luna, so you can use Luna much like you can Gemini.
The thing is, it is a specialist phone and it won’t do full Android things. If you want apps like Uber or Global Player, you’d have to get an iPhone or an Android phone. So it depends what apps you want to use.
AI Assistants: Gemini and Others
What’s happening with AI at the moment from a product point of view?
Being an Android fan, I use AI a lot. I use Gemini, which is also Google, and Gemini is fantastic. It gets things wrong, like all AI does, but it’s generally pretty fantastic. If you’ve got an Android or an iPhone, you should try Gemini because you’ve got this thing called Gemini Live. If you go live, you can tell Gemini to share your camera, and then you can say to it, “What can you see?” and Gemini will tell you what you can see around you. Really good.
How do you get Gemini?
If you’ve got an Android phone, you’ll more than likely have the Gemini app already built in. If it’s an older Android, you can download it from the Play Store. You can also install Gemini on your iPhone.
How reliable is Gemini?
I get about 75 to 80% success with it, I will be honest. For example, if I want to know where the buttons are on a new device, I can ask Gemini to read me the layout of the buttons. And if you tell Gemini you’re blind, it really does go to work. It’s really good.
What I’d advise about Gemini or any AI is to correct it when it’s wrong. I had a situation where I was researching some Sony speakers and Gemini told me one thing, and then said something that totally contradicted it. I said, “But you said you can’t,” and it said, “Good catch.” So AI is like a big child, really — just tell it off when it’s wrong. If we all do that, we’ll train the AI to be better.
Is there a paid version of Gemini?
There are two versions: the free version, or you can upgrade to the better version. The paid version is £19.99 per month. I actually pay for Gemini because I’m in the Google ecosphere — I use Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and so on, and it summarises documents for me and makes things a lot quicker.
How does Gemini compare to Siri?
Siri is as dumb as they come, to be honest. Apple Intelligence is just not there yet. Google are way ahead in AI. To give you an example — a member of the group asked a detailed question about changing the voice in Seeing AI when VoiceOver is off. Gemini came back with a full step-by-step answer covering where to find the settings, what to change, and even a note about downloading the enhanced version of the voice to keep quality consistent. You’d never get that detail from Siri. Not even close.
Can you use Gemini to do things like book an Uber?
Yes — you could say “Book an Uber” and, as long as the app’s installed, it would book the Uber for you.
Meta Glasses and Google XR
What are Meta glasses and what can they do?
I’ve got the Gen 1 Meta glasses. The nice thing about them is that you get the sound of your phone through the glasses, so you can take phone calls and things like that. They’re pretty darn good.
How much do they cost?
If you get the Skyler or the Meta Ray-Ban glasses, they’re about £299. If you get the Oakleys, they’re £400.
Can you use Gemini through the Meta glasses?
Not directly, no — that’s one thing I don’t like about the Meta glasses. You say “Hey Meta” to get them going, but you can’t use the Google assistant through them in the same way. You can do it with Bluetooth headsets though. Also, we haven’t got Meta Live in this country, so I’m waiting for Google.
What about the Google XR glasses?
I can’t wait for Google XR glasses, which are coming out later in the year. They’re being developed in partnership with Samsung, and you’ll be able to get Gemini on the glasses. That will be a game changer, I’m pretty sure, because you’ll have Gemini Live on them.
The Plaud Note Pro: AI Recording and Transcription
You mentioned a product called Plaud — what is it?
The Plaud Note Pro is a tiny little note taker with one button on it, that’s all it’s got. You hold that button down and it vibrates once, which means it’s recording. You hold it down a second time and it vibrates twice to tell you it’s stopped. And it’s got two modes.
In conference mode, it records everybody in the room. It uploads to the cloud, summarises, describes, and transcribes the recording. It even labels all the speakers — you can give each speaker their name. And you can export it to Word or whatever you want.
If you want to record a phone call, you snap it magnetically on the back of your phone. It goes into phone mode and records from your phone directly. Because iPhones and Android phones are MagSafe, it will stick on the back of an iPhone as well.
Can it really identify different speakers?
Yes. And with the app, you can set up voice match for each voice. So if someone visits and you say “Can I set a voice match before we record the meeting?” you can record their voice on Plaud and label it. In future, when it hears that voice, it’ll label it automatically. That’s way beyond what iPhone and Android can do on their own.
What does the button do while recording?
If you tap it once while you’re recording — don’t hold it, just tap — it’ll bookmark that point. It’ll change to a new section or new heading. Then when it comes to transcribe, it’ll put everything into headings. Isn’t that amazing?
Can you do other things with it, like to-do lists?
Yes, you can record anything from to-do lists. You can see all your files — they’re all dated — and you can play back the recording, read the transcription, export to Word or Excel, and you can even ask Plaud questions about your recordings. For instance, you could say “When did I last talk to Tim?” and it will tell you what recording that was and what date.
What if my phone isn’t MagSafe?
Plaud has an answer for that — they give you a ring in the box that you can stick on the back of the phone. Then the other side is magnetic. They’ve even solved that problem.
Is there a smaller version?
If the Note Pro is too big — and you’ve seen how tiny it is — you can also get a Note Pin, which is like a badge you clip on your shirt, and that records as well.
How much does it cost?
The Plaud Note Pro cost me £169. Pretty impressive for what it does.
Navigation
Navigation is something many people are still grappling with — what’s out there?
There are navigation apps such as VoiceVista. There’s also something developed by a university that uses LiDAR — it was featured on BBC Radio 4’s In Touch. iPhone Pros have LiDAR built in, and LiDAR can get you to within inches for navigation.
What about smart canes and mobility aids?
There’s the WeWalk — it’s literally a cane that looks like the long white cane, but it talks as well as walks. And there’s also the Glide, which looks a bit more like a vacuum cleaner. It has a different way of navigating to a cane, though I haven’t seen it in person so I can’t speak to how accurate it is.
You also sell a product called Ray?
Yes, Ray is a little torch you hold in your hand. If you’re walking around, it vibrates and tells you when you’re walking up to objects. That will give you within a metre, so it’s not too bad. I use it to find doorways, believe it or not — when it stops vibrating, I know there’s a hole, there’s a door there. We’ve been selling it for years. I think Ray is £175, it’s not expensive.
Colour Identification
What are the options for colour identification?
Seeing AI is a free app that has a colour feature, though it depends on how well you can use your phone. There’s also Be My Eyes, where a volunteer can describe things for you via your camera.
For dedicated hardware, Caretech do a good colour tester that uses AI to work out the colour, so it’s a lot more accurate than older models. They have a product called the Colorino — I believe that’s around £299 — and they also have a newer one called the Color Star, which is much better.
Contact Details
How can people get in touch with Steve?
Ring Steve on 01438 742286. Initial consultations are free — Steve is always happy to use his knowledge and help you out.
What about AbilityNet?
AbilityNet have volunteers who will come and visit you at home. They cover all kinds of disabilities, not just sight loss. They can help with setting up Meta glasses, Alexa, and they also do “old school” stuff like Excel and Word. The number is 0300 180 0028. Do be aware that the quality of volunteers varies depending on where you live.
About the Rainbow Group
Rainbow Group Future Vision is a series of technology events aimed at people living with sight loss. Future Vision is a collaborative project between six local independent sight societies, which include Sight Advice South Lakes, My Sight Notts, ourselves, Support 4 Sight, Sight Concern Worcestershire, and Sutton Vision.
Future Vision events take place on the 4th Thursday of each month at 10am. You can access the archive of past events here.
