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Our Tech Support team is keen to ensure that all DynaVox devices are fully "backed up" before coming in for repairs or for servicing. While all care is taken to preserve each device's individual settings and preferences, there are times when these settings may be lost as part of the repair process. So we encourage all device owners to back up to a computer or portable USB Storage Device before devices are sent for repair.

Why bother? If you have a full backup, it is a simple process to return your device to the way you prefer it to be. No need to spend hours re-programming to get it back there.

How do you back up your devices? The following guides should help, or, if you would prefer some personal guidance to step you through what you need to do, please contact Sue Owen at Spectronics. She will be happy to help you out.

Click here to download instructions on how to back up older DynaVox 3100 devices.

Click here to download instructions on how to back up a DynaVox Series 4 device to a portable USB Storage Device.

Click here to download instructions on how to back up an Enkidu Impact Communication device.

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The Impact Series of communication devices from Enkidu Research (now owned by DynaVox Systems) are high-end electronic communication devices built into portable computers running the Windows CE operating system. These devices have been around for a couple of years, but the new development which may be of interest to Australian AAC users, is that they are now all available as "Dedicated Communication Devices".

What does this mean? Dedicated versions mean that the mainstream computer functions of the device are locked away from the user - allowing the devices only to be used as communication devices. Many funding bodies in Australia (and overseas) will not fund devices which can also function as computers. Dedicated devices meet the criteria of being 100% communication devices and therefore are more acceptable to our electronic communication device funding organisations. As an added incentive, the new Impact Dedicated Versions cost the same as their standard Impact Device equivalents.

• Palmtop Impact
  Built into an iPAQ portable computer running Windows CE, the Palmtop Impact appeals to users who want a smaller device which looks more "mainstream" than some other communication devices. It is supplied with over 6000 PCS symbols, but supports use of text as well.



• Handheld Impact
  The Handheld Impact is built into an NEC Mobile Pro portable computer running Windows CE. It offers the option of combining keyboarding for text entry with its touchscreen facility. Good for users with fluctuating physical abilities or degenerative conditions.



• Tablet XL Impact
  This device offers all of the power of Impact software - allowing for flexible combinations of symbol and text displays. Its large bright 21cm x 16cm touchscreen provides even more real estate for buttons, making it ideal for phrase-based and symbol-based communication pages.

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We found a great new site the other day - for users of Auslan and/or Makaton signs. The Sign Swap Site allows you to browse, search, view and save images of Auslan Signs, or upload ones you've created yourself that you'd like to share with others. It also allows you to request an image of a sign for a particular word, or to suggest a new sign for our ever-changing modern vocabulary.

Auslan signs are used throughout the deaf community in Australia, and are also used for the Makaton sign vocabulary. Signing is an important tool for developing speech and language skills in children with complex communication needs.

This web site provides hundreds of common signs used by Auslan and Makaton signers. It is child focused and drawings of the signs are easy to copy and paste into your own documents to make teaching resources.

Bilby Publishing hosts the site which also includes useful links to research and information sites in the area of deaf sign language - along with information on its own products, designed to teach and support children and their families who are learning sign language. See www.bilby.net/signlinks.asp

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News-2-You is a USA-based online weekly newspaper service for symbol users providing 25 to 30 pages each week related to a current event. Jokes, recipes and other activities built around the weekly news are also included. Everyone needs ready access to sources of "new information" as it's the content that makes our conversations interesting and meaningful. All individuals have a right to this information, not just those of us who are able to decipher the information-intensive formats favoured by newspapers, radio and television.

News-2-You gives the AAC user timely access to the topical vocab they need to engage and interest their peers! Great for busy therapists and teachers too - as subscribers have current and up-to-date content, supported by PCS symbols, delivered each week to their computers, ready for printing and use in the classroom.

Spectronics is working to produce an Australian version of this service, as the US site content is not always relevant to our needs. For example, we are not into the latest baseball competition results and we'd rather read about Jana Pittman, Thorpie and Co. in Athens, than hear news of US Olympian's successes! Our plan is to offer a FREE monthly newsletter up until the end of December 2004 - giving you the chance to subscribe and evaluate whether the materials are useful for your students. Then from the start of the school year in 2005, we will launch our full weekly newsletter subscription service. Watch out for the launch soon of www.news-2-you.com.au!

If you wish to be kept informed about the progress of News-2-You Australian style, just send an email to Barbara Landsberg on barbara@spectronicsinoz.com and we will keep you updated.

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We have been thinking about ways to make ordering from Spectronics easier for our customers for some time now. One of the big hassles it seems is the need to work out what the cost of freight will be when we post your order to you.

Some of you working to tight budgets need to know exactly what the postage and handling charges will be before you can place your order. Sometimes this can be difficult for us to estimate on-the-spot, and you are then held up waiting for us to get back to you with a figure.

So, to make it easier all round ... we have decided that all orders shipped from Spectronics to anywhere in Australia will now be shipped "freight-free". No more postal charges. No more hassles!

Thanks for your feedback. Keep it coming and we will see what else we can do to make it easier for you to work with us on meeting your technology needs!

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