Épisodes

  • Irish Braille is changing - Talking Technology episode 104
    Jan 27 2026

    On this episode of Talking Technology, we’re discussing all things Braille.


    Peter Claridge-Bowler tells us about the Brailliant BI 20 and BI 40 X Braille displays from Humanware. Are they any good?


    Lina Kouzi from the Vision Ireland library and INBAF tells us about the new unified Irish Braille code, and what it means for those who have been using the Irish language Braille code previously.


    And we catch up with Mairead O’Mahony to learn about the Vision Ireland Braille team and some of the services they provide.


    It’s all buses and advertising in this week’s tech news, and we of course discuss the weather. It wouldn’t be an Irish podcast if we didn’t, now would it?


    Send us a voice note with your thoughts now to +353 86 199 0011.


    0:00 intro (and a discussion on the weather)

    2:48 Voice Notes

    15:59 The V I Labs Braille team

    18 53 Brailliant BI 20 and BI 40 x Braille displays

    34:07 Unified Irish Braille

    47:33 Talking Technology News

    59:45 Outro

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    1 h et 2 min
  • Jaws, Zoomtext, and something new. A conversation with the CEO of Vispero - Talking Technology episode 103
    Jan 13 2026

    On this packed episode of Talking Technology, we catch up with Rhonda Bassett-Spiers, the CEO of Jaws maker Vispero. We discuss what’s new in Jaws and Zoomtext, and we hear details of an entirely new product currently in development.


    We discuss Vispero accounts and changes to how Jaws and Zoomtext licences work, and could Vispero partner with or purchase Be My Eyes? We discuss all that and more.


    Dereck Carolan joins us to share some of the services offered by V I Labs at Vision Ireland, also teasing some of the courses on the way this January.


    We have coverage of the consumer electronics show in tech news, as well as discussion of major accessibility issues at Leinster House.


    Join the conversation with a WhatsApp voice note now. The number you need is +353 86 199 0011.


    0:00 Intro


    3:14 Voice notes


    22:18 An interview with the CEO of Vispero


    49:38 What is V I Labs?


    1:02:52 Talking Technology News


    1:18:29 Outro

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    1 h et 20 min
  • Christmas is finally here - Talking Technology episode 102
    Dec 23 2025

    On this episode of Talking Technology with V I Labs, David and Joe discuss the Christmas movies and TV available with audio description. Is Frozen a Christmas movie?


    Santa joins us to discuss his master plan to move to the South Pole as a result of global warming, and shares the emotional moment when his Meta Glasses gave a beautiful description of Mrs Claus in the snow.


    Was Glide the lowlight of the year? And what on earth is happening at iRobot?


    Get the biscuits, chocolates, and perhaps a drink of your choice, and enjoy the 2025 Talking Technology Christmas special.


    Thank you very much for listening to our content this year. If you’ve found what we do of value, you can support the work of Vision Ireland with a donation by visiting vi.ie/donate. You can also tell them the podcast sent you in the comments section.


    We hope you have a super Christmas and New Year, and we’ll join you again in 2026.



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    40 min
  • Jaws and NVDA, the similarities and differences - Talking Technology Episode 101
    Dec 9 2025

    On this episode of Talking Technology, we give you all the best bits from our Jaws and NVDA event which took place last week. What are the similarities and differences between these two popular screen readers? Peter and Brian put them to the test to find out.


    David and Joe discuss the audio-described Toy Show, and it’s Android update time in tech news.


    Send us a voice note with your thoughts now. The number you need is +353 86 199 0011


    0:00 Intro

    2:33 Voice Notes

    19:31 Jaws and NVDA Event

    49:38 Talking Technology News

    1:05:03 Outro

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    1 h et 7 min
  • Sight Village 2025 in London, and we finally made it - Talking Technology Episode 100
    Nov 25 2025

    We have finally reached episode 100 of Talking Technology. Thank you so much for listening.


    On this episode, we take a trip to London to explore some of the latest technology at Sight Village 2025. From new Braille devices to talking tactile ballot paper templates, there really is a lot to explore.


    We discussed the addition of live audio description for this year‘s toy show and check out a new AI tool making images on WhatsApp more accessible.


    Join the conversation with a WhatsApp voice note. The number you need is +353 86 199 0011



    0:00 intro


    3:08 Voice Notes


    21:27 Sight Village 2025, Live from London


    23:44 Glidance - Makers of the Glide mobility aid


    31:14 Pakflatt - ballot paper templates in Ireland


    36:18 Luna night vision glasses


    41:47 it’s big, it’s purple, it’s a phone. It’s The Big Purple Phone.


    44:30 inside Vision discuss their Braille laptops the Inside 1+ and Inside Supra


    47:57 VocalEyes discuss audio description for theatre and exhibition


    50:06 HumanWare announce the BrailleNote Evolve


    58:16 Seable holidays are taking a trip to Ireland


    1:04:32 Dorian tells us about an exciting screen reader event


    1:09:06 Talking Technology News

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    1 h et 19 min
  • Accessible voting and BlindShell Updates – Talking Technology episode 99
    Nov 4 2025

    On this episode of Talking Technology, we explore accessibility issues from the recent presidential election in Ireland and discuss updates for the BlindShell smartphone.


    With Ireland recently electing a new president, we share views of those using the ballot paper template. Is voting in Ireland truly accessible?


    BlindShell finally supports the Meta glasses, but is the phone living up to its claims of being a smartphone?


    We have updates from Vispero and Amazon in tech news, and is the monarch the best invention of 2025?


    All that and more in this episode of Talking Technology.


    Join the conversation with a WhatsApp voice note now. The number you need is +353 86 199 0011.



    0:00 Intro

    4:08 Your Voice Notes

    9:04 The Presidential Election

    27:05 Blindshell Updates and Meta Glasses Support

    47:28 Talking Technology News

    1:00:42 Outro

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    1 h et 5 min
  • Big updates for Braille users – Talking Technology episode 98
    Oct 21 2025

    On this episode of Talking Technology, it’s all about Braille.


    We explore the new Braille access feature included with iOS 26, and we get a demo of its capabilities from our very own Mairead O'Mahony.


    Brian discusses how Meta glasses can be used with Braille displays and explains why this is so important.


    We discuss architecture in this week’s tech news and tell you about some exclusive content over on our YouTube channel.


    Links of note:


    accessible voting information from the electoral commission: https://www.electoralcommission.ie/accessible-voting/


    Audio for users of ballot paper templates: https://www.presidentialelection.ie/general-information/




    0:00 Intro

    3:18 Voice Notes

    15:51 Brian Discusses Braille on the Meta Glasses

    24:06 New iOS 26 Braille Access Features

    54:34 Talking Technology News

    1:08:36 Outro

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    1 h et 10 min
  • Major updates at Sky, and the people making RTÉ Player accessible – Talking Technology episode 97
    Oct 7 2025

    On this episode of Talking Technology, we catch up with David Nason from Sky to learn about lots of exciting new accessibility improvements across their Sky TV products.


    With audio description for on-demand content and major improvements to the voice guidance screen reader, there’s a lot to discuss.


    Back in episode 90 of Talking Technology, we explored the accessibility updates for RTÉ Player. In this episode, we meet the team that made those updates happen.


    Peter McCabe and Gillian Bowes from RTE join us to tell us about how the accessibility overhaul of RTÉ Player came about, and what’s next for the accessibility of their new audio product launching in 2026.


    We have new Amazon Echo products in Tech News, and Joe might need a new trampoline.

    All that and more on this episode of Talking Technology with V I Labs.


    Join the conversation with a WhatsApp voice note. The number you need is +353 86 199 0011



    0:00 Intro

    2:13 Your voice notes, and Joe might need a new trampoline

    15:52 Accessibility updates at Sky with David Nason

    36:21 Peter and Gillian from RTÉ talk about RTÉ Player accessibility

    54:48 Talking Technology News

    1:06:23 Outro

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    1 h et 8 min