Senior Reader

[Virtual Presenter] Welcome to this series of tutorials on the EZReader system, which consists of an all-in-one touch-screen computer, document camera and software written to make it easier for low vision users to see and use a computer. Our company is New Vision Concepts, headquartered in Dallas Tx. EZReader systems are on display at several low vision clinics throughout Texas. We have recently begun to expand sales to other states, adding our first employee to cover Oklahoma and surrounding states. We are actively talking with representatives in other states to expand sales beyond our local geographical area. We also have our eyes on working internationally, including Canada, the UK and Australia. The EZReader system supports only the English language at this time..

[Audio] The EZReader system hardware consists of an all-in-one, touch screen PC, running Windows 11. It provides a document camera, a high-contrast, wireless keyboard and mouse plus external speakers to provide a higher quality speech output. The touch screen is the single most important aspect of the PC. Low vision users find a touch screen significantly easier to operate than using a keyboard and mouse. The all-in-one PC requires only one power connection to the wall. The keyboard, mouse, speakers and camera all draw power through their USB connection to the PC. When running, the EZReader software utilizes under 10% of the computer processor capability. So while a lesser capable PC will run the EZReader software just fine, the AMD Ryzen 5 (similar to an Intel i5) and SSD were chosen to give the user an overall feeling of computer responsiveness, including quick startup. A slightly less expensive, 24" PC is available, but users generally prefer the larger 27" screen. The keyboard and mouse provide standard key size and positioning but does provide an enlarged letter font size on the keys. While users generally prefer wireless, a wired keyboard and mouse do have the advantage of not requiring batteries. The speakers are relatively inexpensive but provide a very noticeable improvement over the speakers that are integrated into the all-in-one PC. The EZReader software can be purchased separately, allowing users to purchase hardware of their own choosing. The EZReader website provides links on Amazon where the hardware can be purchased. If the user purchases a PC themselves, we highly recommend a two-year warranty – primarily because of the relatively high repair costs of all-in-one PCs..

[Audio] This image visually explains why users have trouble with conventional software and why EZReader applications make computers easier to see and easier to use. This is a side-by-side view of the MS Office Outlook email client and the EZReader email client. A simple glance at the image shows that EZReader is much easier to see because it is much less visually complex than the Outlook commercial product. All EZReader application compare similarly to their commercial counterparts. Visual simplicity is a key design criteria for all EZReader applications. We have watched users hundreds of times, struggling to see the user interface elements of standard software. They do their best but invariably click on the wrong item and have to undo and repeat the process. With EZReader, users see the apps more clearly, make fewer mistakes operating the apps and complete tasks more quickly. That's the foundation of re-gaining the confidence and independence that low vision has taken away!.