Frequently Asked Questions
GENERAL
What exactly is the BT Speak® Pro?
The BT Speak® Pro is a pocket computer designed especially for blind users. It has an eight-dot Braille keyboard for typing and for issuing commands and uses speech output.
Do I have to use Linux to operate BT Speak?
No! You don't have to know anything about Linux - or even what Linux is, for that matter - to effectively use and enjoy this device. Linux is the fundamental infrastructure of BT Speak, but it is largely irrelevant to the user experience except, perhaps, for advanced users who like to experiment and get their hands dirty. Otherwise it's a bit like worrying about the engine that powers a vehicle to get you from point A to B, when what really matters are things like comfortable seats, a smooth ride, safety features, etc. Both technical and non-technical users will find BT Speak easy to operate.
What does the BT Speak® Pro feel like?
Generally speaking, the BT Speak® Pro is very small— about the width and length of an iPhone 14 or 15, and has a depth approximately equal to two iPhones stacked on top of one another. It is designed to fit into a pants pocket or purse like a cell phone. The material of the case is smooth, but not glossy. It feels very much like the kind of plastic you’d find on the transformers of computer or laptop power supplies and battery chargers. The keys are laid out in a standard ergonomic configuration, with dots 7 and 8 placed on either side of the spacebar. The keys are also smooth and the key caps are very solid.
How will the unit ship?
Your order will arrive in a white cardboard box roughly 7x5x2 inches in dimension via USPS (within the United States) or FedEx (International).
What accessories are shipped with BT Speak® Pro? What's in the box??
All customers will receive a USB-C to 3.5mm wired headphone adaptor. We also provide a wall charger to customers in US and Canada.
Is a carrying-case provided?
We offer a case specifically designed for BT Speak by Turtleback, for purchase on our shop page.
HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS
What are the Hardware Specifications of the BT Speak® Pro?
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64-bit quad-core processor, 1.5GHz
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USB 2.0 (USB C port)
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Dual-band 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz IEEE 802.11b/g/n/ac wireless
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Bluetooth 5.0
How much internal storage is in the BT Speak® Pro?
32GB
Does the BT Speak® Pro accept any sort of external storage, such as a Micro SD card?
BT Speak® Pro is equipped with a Micro SD card slot for removable storage and a remote drive for connection to storage on other devices. For more details, see questions below 'What size SD cards does BT Speak® Pro support' and 'Can I connect my BT Speak® Pro to my PC or Mac to send and receive documents?'.
What is the largest micro SD card that the BT Speak® Pro can take?
Virtually any SD card we've tested (from 32GB through 1TB) has worked, as long as it’s properly formatted.
Can I connect my BT Speak® Pro to my PC or Mac to send and receive documents?
BT Speak® Pro enables remote connection to your storage drives on Mac and PC (Windows and Linux OS), as well as Android and iPhone mobile devices. Remote storage is accessible through the /Public drive and instructions for its configuration are provided in its help file.
Can I connect an external keyboard to the BT Speak® Pro?
Yes, you can connect an external keyboard to BT Speak® Pro via its USB-C port.
Can I connect a monitor to the BT Speak® Pro?
Yes, you can connect a monitor to BT Speak® Pro via its HDMI port.
What type of wall charger do I need for BT Speak® Pro? Can I use my iPhone charger?
BT Speak® Pro has a USB-C port. US and Canadian customers will receive a wall charger. Other international customers will need to get a cable with a USB-C connecter on each end or a complete charger with a USB-C port on the end that plugs into the device. Customers may also use a USB-C charger with a USB-A connector on the other end, though this may increase the charging time. BT Speak® Pro is compatible with the Apple iPhone 15 charger, but not earlier iPhone models with the lightning port. Check out this link for an example charger we've tested.
How long can I use the BT Speak® Pro on a full charge?
A full battery will provide about 10 hours of use, on average. The battery life ultimately depends on which applications are used.
SOFTWARE AND APPLICATIONS
What speech engines does BT Speak® Pro use?
BT Speak currently ships with six speech engines: Vocalizer, eSpeak NG, DECTalk, RH Voice, Pico, and Festival Lite.
Can BT Speak play internet radio stations?
BT Speak provides a radio tuner, which offers over 50,000 radio stations, with new stations regularly added. It even has a category for blindness-specific stations. See our product manual for more details.
What kind of media player does BT Speak have?
BT Speak has a dedicated media player on board, capable of playing most audio (MP3, MP4, WAV, M4A, M4B, OGG, FLAC, AAC, MID, CAF, and M4R) and playlist (M3U, PLS, XSPF, and TTL) formats.
Can I access YouTube on BT Speak?
BT Speak also has a custom YouTube player made accessible for blind users. Search and play YouTube videos and manage your channel subscriptions with a simple browser-less interface!
Does BT Speak have a contacts and address manager?
Yes! BT Speak has an application called Phonebook, where information like contacts, phone numbers, mailing addresses, email addresses, birthdays, and any other information can be entered, edited, searched, and easily retrieved. It is fully compatible with Google Contacts, ensuring your information is always synced between devices. See our product manual for more details.
What kind of agenda calendar does BT Speak have?
BT Speak's calendar is modeled after the popular calendar on the Braille 'n Speak line of products. It sports an easy-to-use interface tailored for blind users, allowing you to quickly and efficiently search, edit and add new calendar entries. It is fully compatible with Google Calendar, ensuring your events, dates, and appointments are always synchronized between your devices. See our product manual for more details.
Can I read and send email on BT Speak?
Yes! BT Speak has a full featured email client called Thunderbird. It runs in the GUI environment with Orca Screenreader. Activating your account, reading and searching mail, composing, replying and forwarding messages is a breeze! See our product manual for more details.
How can I browse the web on BT Speak?
BT Speak is one of the best devices to browse the web and we think you'll agree! First, there are two full featured web browsers to choose from: Chromium (Google) and Firefox (Mozilla). Conduct web searches, shop for the latest tech, learn new subjects, book travel, and more- all from your pocket computer. Second, BT Speak offers a custom web search application that simplifies conducting web searches for blind users. BT Speak's web browsing utilities are improving all the time, so check back soon and stay tuned! See our product manual for more details.
What about AI Tech on BT Speak?
BT Speak features an application called AI-chat, which is a speech and text out version of Open AI's Chat-GPT wrapped into an interface that we have specifically tailored for the blind. Use it as a writing aide, an idea machine, a learning tool, or anything else that comes to mind. The sky's the limit! See our product manual for more details.
How long does BT Speak® Pro take to boot?
Expect a 30 second waiting period when you first boot up the unit if it's completely powered down. However, once the device is powered on you can put it in a low power sleep mode with fast wake-up times. A quick press of the power button puts the unit to sleep. Pressing the power button again instantly wakes it up and you're back where you left off. Holding the power button for a few seconds performs a total shut-down.
What file formats does the BT Speak® Pro support?
Most file formats, including .brf and .brl Braille files, are recognized on BT Speak® Pro. Desktop mode enables access to the LibreOffice Suite, which includes Writer (a word processor) and Calc (a spreadsheet), where nearly all file formats are supported.
Does checking the time still work like it did on the Braille 'n Speak?
Yes. O-chord T speaks the time, O-chord D speaks the date and it still has the Gregorian Smart Calendar. Unlike the Braille ’n Speak, you can also use T-8-Chord to hear the time, D-8-chord for the date, and st-8-chord for battery status from anywhere on the device.
Will the BT Speak® Pro support .brf files as well as .brl files?
It does. If you create a file with a .brf or a .brl extension you'll be able to use the contractions based on whatever your Braille table is set for.