[MD-Sligo] BlindShell Monthly Newsletter August! 🔥

Fri Aug 1 12:00:39 UTC 2025

A banner with a light background sprinkled with glitter. On the left is an orange logo and the word BlindShell, on the right a golden balloon in the shape of the number 2 – we are celebrating the second issue of the Monthly Newsletter!

** BlindShell Monthly Newsletter
25th edition August
------------------------------------------------------------
View this email in your browser (https://mailchi.mp/blindshell.com/newsletteraugust25?e=a3d799fccc)
Hello, BlindShell friends,

When we published the first issue in August 2023, we had no idea how much joy, feedback, and new ideas our community would bring us. Today marks two years since the publication of the first issue of the Monthly Newsletter, so we have prepared some interesting information for you. You can look forward to an interview with the developers and a competition!

** News, Updates, Apps
------------------------------------------------------------

** Let's take a look at the updates that have been made and some information that may be useful for the applications in question.
------------------------------------------------------------

** In July, we updated the following for you:
------------------------------------------------------------
BBC Sounds - Released app for the Classic 3
BlindShell Tandem app - Searching for a contact in the chat list.
Local deletion of chat messages. Added information about the number of unread messages in the chat.
Fixed sending invitations. Fixed notifications when the app is open.
BlindShell Vision Aids - Beepers - renaming function was fixed.
File Manager - The file opening menu was improved.
E-mail Client - Attachment downloading has been improved. A new synchronization interval has been added.
Calendar - Adding a reminder to an event has been fixed.
BlindShell Tools - Fixed issues with sharing voice messages via WhatsApp and improved renaming behavior.
WhatsApp - Required an update.
Book Reader - Improved support for DAISY book format, fixed TTS language selection when reading text books, and other minor improvements.
Aira - Stability improvements and updated login: email confirmation required in browser; phone number login no longer supported on BSC2.
Be My Eyes - Update required. We're aware of issues with calling volunteers and are working on a fix.
Mau-Mau - Occasional game freezes have been fixed.

Symbol chytré žárovky

** Did you know...? Tips and Tricks
------------------------------------------------------------

** ... BlindShell is delivered to 39 countries, including the US and Canada?
------------------------------------------------------------
It may seem that the BlindShell phone arrives just as you hold it in your hand – ready, set up, and in English. But in reality, there is another important part of our team behind it.

Before the phone reaches you, it passes through the hands of our team of young technicians. They are IT and electrical engineering students who set up each device, install the necessary languages, and perform a final check. Thanks to them, your phone arrives ready, functional, and fully customized.

If you ever need to change the language of your phone, just go to Settings → Language. And if you only need to translate something occasionally, install BlindShell Translator, which you can find in the BlindShell app catalog.

** 🎙Interview with the developers
------------------------------------------------------------

** Let's stay with our team – we bring you an interview with our developers. Many of you have asked for it in the past – and here it is! 👇
------------------------------------------------------------

** 1. What do you enjoy or find most motivating about developing BlindShell?
------------------------------------------------------------
Lukas:
„What I enjoy most about developing BlindShell phones is the diversity. Although it may not be apparent at first glance, our phone is a very complex device, and our small team handles almost everything from A to Z. This includes new applications and features, as well as the infrastructure that is invisible but essential for many of the features our customers use. First and foremost, we have to provide a server from which users can download system updates and the BlindShell App Catalog for downloading and updating applications. We also have to connect to a lot of other services, such as weather forecasts, internet radio databases, podcasts, and so on. There's just so much to do, and it brings a lot of technical challenges, but at the same time, that's where you learn the most – and I enjoy that. And if I had to be really specific, it would be developing applications that I would use myself or already use, such as internet radio. I also enjoy our team, where I have many friends from my
university days. What motivates me? Definitely the fact that I know I'm contributing to something that can help people in their everyday lives or bring them entertainment and joy. Every compliment from our customers recharges my batteries, and I think that's true for everyone else as well.“

Jan:
„The ability to make decisions and propose solutions.“

** 2. What are you currently working on – what new things are you planning for the coming months?
------------------------------------------------------------
Lukas:
„In the words of a character from a theater play by Czech genius Jára Cimrman: "We cannot even hint." We love surprising our customers. 🙂 In general, we try to focus on things that are useful and move phones forward. On the Classic 3, these are features that use AI to make certain things easier.“

Jan:
„Luna improvements, Daisy improvements in the Book Reader, and more.“

** 3. What is the biggest challenge in developing for blind users?
------------------------------------------------------------
Lukas:
„The biggest challenge is to make complex things simple. Since the main transfer of information from the phone to the user is via voice and BlindShell controls, it has to be as simple as possible, so it can sometimes be quite a challenge to get more complex functionality right. Fortunately, our blind testers help us with this by providing useful feedback and helping to ensure that everything works. We are very grateful to them for that!“

Jan:
„A proper understanding of the issues and how blind people function.“

** 4. Do you remember any funny or interesting moments from the development process?
------------------------------------------------------------
Lukas:
„It may not be funny, but it is interesting. In one of the older models, a developer hid an Easter egg. An Easter egg is a harmless joke in programs or computer games where, after a special key sequence or tapping on a specific item in the menu, an image appears or a sound plays. When this Easter egg was discovered, the names of people who were working for us at the time began to appear on the BlindShell screen. Apparently, one lady managed to display it by accident, but she thought there was something wrong with the phone, so we decided to remove the Easter egg from the phone. Is there any other one there? Who knows.“

Jan:
„There are many. I am not sure if it is entirely humorous, but I once "bricked" (irreversibly destroyed) BlindShell Classic 2. I also remember an Easter egg on BlindShell Baroque that consisted of a short video with subtitles showing the names of the developers and employees, which could be activated by a specific combination at a specific location in the phone menu. Once, a customer managed to activate it, and it caused quite a stir.“

Interestingly, our colleagues – each on their own – came to the same conclusion, so this really promises to be one of the most exciting topics. Now, here comes the final question.

** 5. Would you like to say something to our readers?
------------------------------------------------------------
Lukas:
„Thank you for supporting us and being with us – we couldn't do it without you. Unlike large manufacturers of conventional phones, we don't have hundreds of people working on every single thing. So if you ever come across a bug, please bear with us – it may take a while to fix it. 🙂“

Jan:
„Thank you for your support and patience.“

We hope you enjoyed the interview and found it interesting. Now let's move on to the contest question!

** BlindShell competition
------------------------------------------------------------

** How many BlindShells do you have at home?
------------------------------------------------------------
We've noticed that many of you don't just own one BlindShell – you often have an older model at home as a backup or out of nostalgia.
So here's our competition question:

👉 How many BlindShell phones do you have at home in total – and what models are they?

We will draw one winner from all the answers, who will receive a one-year extended warranty for their current Classic 2 or Classic 3 phone.

And if you already have an extended warranty, or your phone is no longer under warranty and you are not planning to buy a new one, don't despair – we have a replacement battery for your phone as a gift for you. 🎁

Please send your answers as a response to this Monthly Newsletter to dominika at blindshell.com (mailto:dominika at blindshell.com) .

** Inspiration and information from the blind community
------------------------------------------------------------
Finally, here is some inspiration for online events you can participate in.
CIRCA – nightly digital art stream
Every evening at 20:20 CET, CIRCA broadcasts a three‑minute contemporary art piece to city screens (e.g. Piccadilly Lights) and live‑streams it online here (https://circa.art/) .

🖼️ Each piece often has an audio narration or rich sound design—an inclusive sensory snapshot from contemporary artists across the globe.

Albertina Museum (http://albertina.at) , Vienna – Online Guided Tours
Albertina offers audio‑guided virtual tours of exhibitions, in collaboration with accessibility services for the blind in Austria themayor.eu.

📅 Likely available in August as part of regular programming
🖼️ It functions like a live podcast—narrated art tours you can join from home, including Q&A entry points.

Do you have any recommendations or specific questions about what you'd like to see in the next Newsletter?

And if you enjoy the Monthly Newsletter, feel free to recommend it to your friends so they don’t miss out on useful tips and the latest BlindShell updates!

Feel free to send us feedback, we'll be looking forward to it! 😊

Dominika,
BlindShell team
Banner with a beige background dotted with golden glitter.

============================================================
** BlindShell (https://www.blindshell.com)
** Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BlindShellcom)
** Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BlindShellcom)
** Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/blindshell/)
** Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/blindshell/)
** YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeJ4uDMU1u1bBzRn0uaxygw)
** YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeJ4uDMU1u1bBzRn0uaxygw)
Copyright © 2025 BlindShell, All rights reserved.
 You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website. Thank you very much

Our mailing address is:
BlindShell
Branická 26/43
Praha 14700
Czech Republic
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences (https://blindshell.us11.list-manage.com/profile?u=b8d375c29e4846151ed81ddc3&id=8f8599944c&e=a3d799fccc&c=16c716f36d)
or ** unsubscribe from this list (https://blindshell.us11.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=b8d375c29e4846151ed81ddc3&id=8f8599944c&t=b&e=a3d799fccc&c=16c716f36d)
.
 Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp
https://login.mailchimp.com/signup/email-referral/?aid=b8d375c29e4846151ed81ddc3
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/md-sligo_nfbnet.org/attachments/20250801/f8b669ba/attachment.htm>