Now on to ZVRS! They may be last alphabetically, but they definitely are not least when it comes to VRS. At DeafNation World Expo, ZVRS had a fun booth set up and were really getting the crowds hyped up with their cash booth and other funny antics. Don’t forget that ZVRS was the first to announce a VRS solution for the iPhone 4 at the NAD convention at the beginning of July. Their iPhone 4 VRS service began service at the end of July, as announced.

I was able to talk with Phil Bravin, AKA “Dr. Z” about their service, Now, lets watch what Dr. Z has to share with you – all 39 seconds of it:

ZVRS at DeafNation World Expo.

Dr. Z is saying that iPhone 4 users who want to use ZVRS’ VRS solution at this time will need to make a brief voice call connection in order to get a ZVRS interpreter to call back via FaceTime. One of the reasons this is being done is to combat fraud by automating ZVRS’ billing records to make it clear to the FCC that these VRS calls are being made by legitimate callers.

A couple of things that I learned that were not mentioned in the video – their service IS NOT called “iZ” – apparently this was the invention of some bloggers, and ZVRS stressed to me that they are not calling it by this name at all. Another thing is that ZVRS is fully aware that their current solution for iPhone 4 FaceTime VRS means that iPhone 4 users are being charged for the first minute of a voice call while waiting to be connected to a ZVRS interpreter via FaceTime. Phil and other ZVRS personnel stated that they are working hard on alternative solutions to this issue, and that they do not intend that the current setup will be the permanent solution.

It is exciting to know that we already have multiple VRS providers on the iPhone 4. This can only be a win-win situation for us who have iPhone 4′s because competition is healthy. Right now we’re experiencing growing pains because of the new platform, but for myself and friends who I’ve talked with, this really is making a difference in our lives! Thank you Phil for the chat, and thanks to ZVRS for making this possible! We wish you the best of luck.

[UPDATE: Apparently ZVRS has responded to clarify some things that were mentioned in this post. See comment #4 below. I'm working on confirming this actually came from ZVRS.] [UPDATE 2: I've confirmed this was an official comment from ZVRS.]

I had the privilege of chatting with the founder and President of the company, Eric Feris, and asked him to tell us about their support for Mac users. It’s all here on video for you to watch, all 1 minute and 24 seconds of it!

[Readers on iOS devices: Vimeo doesn't embed in HTML5 yet, but if you would follow the link below the video, you'll be able to see the video in HTML5 on the Vimeo site.]

WIN.tv at DeafNation World Expo.

In short, WIN.tv knows about supporting Mac users, because they are Mac users themselves. :) They provide Mirial videophone software for Mac users so that they have a fully featured videophone for Mac OS X.

Many thanks, Eric, for telling us about WIN.tv’s support for Mac users! We wish you and your business the best of luck!

On the show floor, Sorenson was showcasing another iOS application called BuzzCards, which interestingly, isn’t directly related to VRS or any other form of relay. I wanted to know more about this new application, so Ron Burdett, Sorenson’s Vice President of Community Relations, was kind enough to take a few moments to tell me all about BuzzCards. You can see what he had to say in this 1 minute, 37 seconds long video:

[Readers on iOS devices: Vimeo doesn't embed in HTML5 yet, but if you would follow the link below the video, you'll be able to see the video in HTML5 on the Vimeo site.]

Sorenson at DeafNation World Expo.

Basically, BuzzCards is a replacement for your trusty pen and paper when communicating with a hearing person face to face. Once a note has been used, BuzzCards lets you save and categorize it for future use. It’s a free application available now on Apple’s iTunes App Store.

Thank you for telling us about BuzzCards, Ron, and thanks to Sorenson Communications for coming up with this time saver and sharing it with all of us iOS users for free!

I had the opportunity to speak to Kurt from Purple about the Mac version of their popular P3 videophone software, and got him on video for 25 seconds so you can see for yourselves.

[Readers on iOS devices: Vimeo doesn't embed in HTML5 yet, but if you would follow the link below the video, you'll be able to see the video in HTML5 on the Vimeo site.]

Purple at DeafNation World Expo.

As you can see, Purple expects P3 for Mac to be ready sometime “soon” (August or September?), and should look almost the same as the current PC version. Thanks Kurt for the chat, and wish you and Purple all the best!

I had the opportunity to speak with Greg Born, the son of IWRelay founders/owners Jeff and Vicky Born. Greg also has the distinction of being the developer of the IWRelay application, so it was a pleasure to talk with him about their app. He expressed excitement and optimism about the fact that their application coupled with the portability of the iPhone 4 and the ease of use of FaceTime would change the way deaf people would be able to access their VRS services. I took a brief (56 second) video of Greg showing off the IWRelay application, so you can see for yourself. (Sorry that the iPhone 4 screen isn’t that clear in the video.)

[Readers on iOS devices: Vimeo doesn't embed in HTML5 yet, but if you would follow the link below the video, you'll be able to see the video in HTML5 on the Vimeo site.]

IWRelay at DeafNation World Expo.

To recap, the IWRelay application allows you to directly dial a number to call via VRS, or you can choose an existing number from your iPhone 4′s Contacts list. You will be told that an interpreter will be calling via FaceTime shortly. Once you get connected with the interpreter, your VRS experience proceeds pretty much the same as any other VRS call. All calls made via the IWRelay app do not use your data or cost you any voice minutes (because FaceTime officially works only on WiFi).

Thanks, Greg and the rest of the IWRelay team for the opportunity to meet with you all in Las Vegas! We wish you the best with your application and your services.

I even found the time to visit one of the three Apple Stores on the Strip. I think that Las Vegas has the most dense grouping of Apple Stores, the three stores are only 4.4 miles apart from the first (Fashion Show) to the last (Town Square). Two of them are only 1 mile apart (Fashion Show and The Forum Shops).

I visited Caesars Palace to see what was going on at the Apple Store in the Forum Shops, and it was about 10:30 pm. Watch the video below for more – its only 20 seconds! (Vimeo doesn’t embed in HTML5 yet, but follow the DMO@ link below the video, and you’ll be able to see the video in HTML5 on the Vimeo site.)

DMO @ Apple Store Caesars Palace.

Amazing, huh? I saw about 5 to 8 iPads being sold during the time I was there late at night. Oh boy. Even better, the video above was shot on my iPhone 4, and edited using iMovie on my iPhone 4. That’s a cute little program. We can’t complain that it doesn’t do everything regular iMovie does on the Mac because – it’s running on your phone! :D

Shh – the companies that I’ve got on video start with the letters I,P,S,W,Z. Stay tuned this week to find out who they are, and what they have to share with you!

Once you download the app, you are presented with a configuration screen that prompts you to enter your name, iPhone number, VP number, and your email address. Apparently all 4 fields are mandatory (on my iPhone 4, that is).

Once you enter that information, you are then taken to the main screen where you can click one of two buttons to make a call – “Call Contact” takes you to the Contacts app on the iPhone to choose a contact to call. Once you choose a contact to call, you are given a screen where you are told that an interpreter will call your iPhone shortly. Response time varies – I had to wait a while for the first call, but subsequent calls seem to have connected faster. A couple of calls I cancelled, and yet I got a FaceTime call from the interpreter anyways.

The “Dial Number” button is for one-time use calls, you are given the iPhone’s dialing keypad to dial a number.

IWRelay’s website (click on IWRelay VRS when that page loads) says that the application will work on any iOS device, even if it is not FaceTime enabled. The app will send your call request to an interpreter who apparently will then call your videophone (that you entered when first setting up the IWRelay VRS app). That way now you can keep all your contact information on your iOS device, and change the VP you want to have called. Perfect portability with no more hassle. Only if this worked on the iPhone 4 – I’d like to have a preference of using my iPhone 4 or a VP. (I tried blank field, no go, etc.)

So this app does look like a good start, and they get around the issue of how to contact a terp via FaceTime by doing it the other way around. They even beat ZVRS out of the gate. As many of you know, ZVRS has made a big splash with their iZ service announcement at NAD earlier this month, stating that their iPhone 4 / FaceTime based VRS would be ready on July 26th. I am excited to se that there is already competition in this hot new market of FaceTime VRS, and and it is quite likely that Sorenson will also throw their hat into this new ring in the near future. They have had a nice “Sorenson Video Center” app for iOS for some time now.

I’m pleased to announce that Deafmac.org will be having its first live talk show tomorrow evening (Tuesday, June 29) at 9pm Central time. (That’s 10p Eastern, 8p Mountain, and 7p Pacific for the rest of you in the US.) Please join us in our chat room and watch our talk show. We will be discussing the iPhone 4, FaceTime, taking questions from the chat room audience, etc. in ASL in real time. We will also have a prize drawing – you must be in our chat room at the time of the drawing. Prize is to be announced, but it definitely will be iPhone 4 related.

See you tomorrow evening!

What does that mean?  It means if you add a new line (maybe in hopes of getting a cheaper iPhone 4?) you will need to apply for a NEW TAP plan for that number. You will need a new audiologist signature. You will not get the old TAP unlimited plan back for the new number. Be careful.

(Many thanks to our contacts in Washington, D.C. who sent this in.)

Troubleshooting steps to ensure you can connect to another iPhone 4 FaceTime user:

1. Make sure they are on a valid WiFi connection and can open up a webpage in Safari, of course.
2. Make sure FaceTime is activated by going into settings —> phone, and FaceTime is toggled on with this message displayed underneath: “Your phone number will be shared with people you call with FaceTime.” If this is not the case, and it says “Waiting for Activation,” confirm that they are able to send and receive text messages. This could indicate an issue we would need to resolve with AT&T.
3. It is required that your Caller ID is shown when initiating FaceTime. You can make sure this is on by going to settings —> phone, then “Show My Caller ID.” Make sure this is turned on.

Some useful tips for when you’re using FaceTime. Some are obvious, and others are “whoa, thats cool” stuff:

If all of these things are set up properly, you should be able to initiate FaceTime with no issues. Some tips on how it works:
1. Your preview panel, which shows what the person on the other line is seeing, can be moved to any of the 4 corners by clicking and dragging.
2. If you want the person you are speaking with to see the image from the rear facing camera, you can tap on the icon in the bottom right corner. Tap it again to change back to the front facing camera.
3. You can put the iPhone into portrait and landscape mode to change the viewing orientation for the person you are speaking with.
4. Just like a phone call, you can multitask while in a FaceTime conversation. You will be able to hear each other, but your image will be paused on their screen while you are accessing email, Safari, etc.
5. FaceTime uses no AT&T minutes! You can initiate a FaceTime conversation without making a phone call by tapping on the contact you want to perform a FaceTime chat with, then selecting the FaceTime option.

I didn’t know I could multitask. Perfect. Need to look up something while on FaceTime, no problem. :D I also like that I can move my preview panel around – just like in iChat.

If you have any other tips re: FaceTime, feel free to post them. This is truly game changing stuff we’re seeing at work here.