Pocket Power: Web Browsing with BT Speak

At Blazie Technologies, we like to call BT Speak a pocket computer. It’s small, but every bit as powerful as the computers you already know. One of the things BT Speak does especially well is giving you efficient access to the Web. Even better, you’re not limited to just one browser, as you get two right out of the box: Firefox and Chromium.

If you prefer something else, that’s possible too. Thanks to Linux and the open-source community, there are many other browsers that can be installed on BT Speak. Beyond Firefox and Chromium, options like Brave, Midori, Falkon, Epiphany, and others are available. While not every browser has been thoroughly tested on BT Speak, the flexibility of Linux means you’re not limited to just one or two choices.That kind of flexibility is unique to open technology, and it ensures that you always have a browser that matches your needs and preferences.

Firefox and Chromium: Pick What Works for You

Including both Firefox and Chromium gives users the best of both worlds. Firefox, developed by Mozilla, is known for its strong focus on privacy and independence. Features such as Enhanced Tracking Protection are built to shield you from ads and trackers, and it supports an enormous library of add-ons, many of which improve accessibility. Chromium, on the other hand, is prized for its speed and compatibility. Since many modern websites are built and tested with Chromium in mind, they often work flawlessly, and the browser supports the same wide ecosystem of Chrome-compatible extensions.

By giving you both, BT Speak ensures that you have flexibility. You can prioritize the flexibility of Firefox, or enjoy the lauded performance of Chromium, and switch between them whenever you like.

How to Get Started

Your BT Speak arrives with both Mozilla Firefox and Google Chromium installed and ready to go. To start browsing, switch into Desktop Mode by pressing all of the Braille keys except dot 7. You’ll hear “Starting Desktop Mode,” and BT Speak will take you to the desktop. From there, press O-chord to open the Applications menu, move into the Internet option with dot 4-chord, and press Enter. There, Firefox and Chromium are listed and you can choose whichever you prefer.

Once the browser is open, you can move straight to the address bar with either Control+L (X-chord followed by letter L) or Alt+D (letter D with dot 8). From there, you can type a website address or simply enter a search term and press Enter to show results.

BT Speak makes the Web feel like home

Reading web pages feels just like reading your own files in BT Speak’s editor. You move by line, word, or character in exactly the same way, making it easy to get comfortable. BT Speak also recognizes elements on a web page, so if you’ve used other screen readers before, the navigation commands will feel familiar. For example, you can move directly to the next heading, edit field, or other element without having to step through every single word. The BT Speak User’s Manual includes a full guide to browsing commands for those who want to learn more.

Your Shortcut to the Web with Blazie Mode

Sometimes you want the quickest possible way to get results. Blazie Mode features a text-based interface designed for speed and efficiency with an intuitive command set (read our recent article about Blazie Mode). In Blazie Mode, you can open the Applications menu, choose Web, and select Search the Web. Once you type in your search term and press Enter, BT Speak shows a list of results. You can skim through them and then decide whether to read a summary or open the full page. If you choose to open the webpage, BT Speak will launch it in your default browser in Desktop Mode, making the experience fast and seamless.

Why Open Source Matters

Because BT Speak is built on Linux, it benefits from the openness of that platform. Beyond Firefox and Chromium, many other browsers are available, ranging from lightweight designs designed for small systems to highly specialized browsers built for privacy or power users. This means you’re never locked in. If one browser doesn’t fit your needs, there’s almost certainly another that will. While Blazie Technologies has not tested every browser at the time of this writing, we can say that the Brave browser runs very well on BT Speak. Brave, which is built on the open-source Chromium project, combines speed with strong privacy protections. Its advantages include built-in ad and tracker blocking, optional privacy-preserving ads, and compatibility with Chrome extensions.

Blazie Technologies: Opening Doors to the Web

Whether you’re searching from Blazie Mode, exploring your favorite sites, or reading news on the go, BT Speak makes web browsing accessible, familiar, and flexible. With Firefox, Chromium, and so many other options available, your pocket computer gives you the freedom to explore the full web in the way that works best for you.