News

New: Actilino Firmware 2.1

The firmware 2.1 has implemented a new short switch-on sound. The sound can be turned off at the menu item Options. Wake-up and reminder sounds can now be stopped by pressing any key. In addition the memory management has been optimized. The Actilino now starts without a battery and also with a completely discharged battery.

The firmware 42.1 you will find here.
You will also find the Firmware on your StartStick.

Active Braille supported by Kindle Fire

In cooperation with the manufacturer Amazon, we have now built Braille support for the Active Braille in every Kindle Fire starting with the 8th generation. To benefit of the Braille support, the current software version 6.5.2.0 is needed.

To update your Kindle Fire, simply select the item System Updates at Settings / Device Options and execute the action "Check Now".
To connect the ActiveBraille via Bluetooth, please, select in settings the first menu item "Wireless & Bluetooth" where you can activate Bluetooth. If you select "Pair a Bluetooth Device" the Active Braille will be recognized. Confirm pairing with Y on the Active Braille and select "Pair" on the Kindle Fire. Now the Bluetooth connection is established.

Next, to select the Active Braille and start the Braille output for VoiceView, select the item Braille display at Setting / Acessibility / VoiceView to select the. Now the Braille output for VoiceView is started. As with iOS, you can navigate Chord 1 and Chord 4 and make a selection with Cursor rooting. We recommend activating the VoiceView Shortcut in the setting area of VoiceView. So you can comfortably start and stop VoiceView by pressing the on / off button three times.
Amazon is in the process of integrating the connection of our entire family of Braille displays.

Help Tech nominated for economic award

Help Tech has been nominated for the Grand Prix of Small and Medium Business by our local government of our district Freudenstadt. The Grand Prix of Small and Medium Business is considered Germany's most important economic award.
The district administrator of our district has supported our nomination. Already the nomination can be regarded as an award. Help Tech is the only company nominated amongst hundreds of mid-sized businesses in our area.

Help Tech: 25th company anniversary

On Friday, April 5th and Saturday, April 6th, we celebrated our 25th anniversary at our company headquarters in Horb-Nordstetten. In March 1994, managing director and owner Dipl.-Ing. Siegfried Kipke founded the company Handy Tech Elektronik GmbH in Horb with eight employees. Today, Help Tech has 45 employees. Several of them are blind or have a visual impairment.

The anniversary was celebrated at its best together with employees and a huge number of guests such as customers, partners, neighbours and family members. As guest speakers we welcomed the community representative Edith Barth and Ralf Bohnet, regional commerce promotor of the rural district of Freudenstadt. Bohnet was a representative for Dr. Klaus Michael Rückert, District Administrator of the rural district of Freudenstadt. Dr. Klaus Michael Rückert nominated Help Tech for the "Großen Preis des Mittelstandes", a German business award for small and medium-sized companies. Bohnet's daughter uses some of the Help Tech products and is very enthusiastic about them.


We offered a varied accompanying programme with activities linked to the key subject visual impairment. Kurt Brei, chairman of the self-help association ASM Nagold for people with and without disabilities, performed an outstanding show together with his guide dog Lando, a mixture of labrador and poodle. Lando understood words such as letterbox, telephone and bench and led his owner safely to the places mentioned. In addition, visitors had the opportunity to walk through a course using a white cane.

They also had the chance to try out the seat Segway provided by Andreas Hub. Our employee Annika Flaake who started working at the Help Tech Support Department on April 1st impressed with a vivid presentation on braille. A monitor displayed how Annika Flaake moved her forefingers along the braille display incredibly fast, reading the text to the audience.

Sigi Kipke, Help Tech managing director, gave a guided tour through the company’s premises. During the tour, visitors were shown the factory in which braille displays are designed.

The accompanying programme was completed by specialist presentations held by sales manager Hans Katalenic and information stands where employees of the Sales Department demonstrated various aids for the blind and visually impaired. The smart reading camera OrCam remained the most popular product. Putting oneself in the shoes of blind and visually impaired can often be quite difficult. Visitors had the opportunity to use simulation glasses and to experience what challenges visually impaired people face in everyday life.

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all the visitors and contributors. They made our company anniversary a very special event.