> HI, Guys,
> Here's something new and interesting; somebody else making an attempt at
> making cellular telephones, or at least one model, actually accessible to
> totally blind people.
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
 Subject: (Access-UK) -  talking mobile phone
>
> hello listers,
>
> i thought you would find this interesting, especially if you already own a
nokia 9110 mobile phone.
> a german company has written a software program that makes a nokia 9110
speak almost all its functions including the Personal digital assistant
capability of the phone.
> this phone works on the geos operating system, and they now plan on
writing a program to work on the newer nokia 9210 which runs on the epoc
operating system, and they believe that this new program will also work on
most of the other makes of smart phones running the epoc system.
> their website is at:
> www.talx.de
> and they have an english version link.
> below is a copy of the discription given on their home page.
>
> pete gurney.
>
> For a long time, there has been a strong desire of blind or visually
impaired users
> of mobile phones for being able to use the advanced features of these
devices. To
> find out who has called in absence, to send or receive SMS, or to surf the
web with
> WAP, all this was not available to blind users.
> Nokia 9110 with screenshot
> With the Nokia Communicator 9110/9110i, TALX opens the door to this world
that has
> already become so natural for sighted people. The Nokia Communicator
9110/9110i is
> a combination of a mobile phone and a Personal Digital Assistent (PDA),
and with
> our software TALX it is just that for a blind person as well. The screen
contents
> of the PDA part are translated into speech, so you can listen to it
through the internal
> speaker of the Communicator, or by using the Speech Box from
> ETeX AG
> , Germany that is connected to the phone through its serial port.
> With TALX and the Nokia Communicator 9110/9110i, blind users can:
> Write and read SMS and e-mail
> Send out fax messages
> Surf the Internet with WAP
> Manage contact information and dial phone numbers from the phone book
> Use the appointment calendar
> Customize the phone settings according to their personal preferences
> This is an important step for blind people towards integration into
today's communications
> world. But how does it work? The following example demonstrates what it is
all about.
> Nokia 9110 open and closed
> You open up your Communicator that is equipped with TALX. It starts
speaking, telling
> you if SMS or e-mail messages have arrived, or how many calls you have
missed. It
> also tells you the most important key functions for these screens. You can
read your
> messages, and answer them instantly. While you type in your answers TALX
optionally
> reads back your entry, letter by letter or word by word.
> In a similar fashion, TALX brings speech output to the other applications
on the
> Communicator. With its internal speech, you can use it while on your way,
not depending
> on any additional hardware. The built-in speech supports a limited
vocabulary, and
> it spells words it does not know. Additionally, you can use the Speech Box
from ETeX
> to get great speech quality, faster response, and an unlimited vocabulary.
> TALX is available now for a recommended end-user price of DM 580
(excluding the mobile
> phone and the Speech Box).
> Please call us at +49-700-22553333 for further information or send e-mail
to
> [log in to unmask]
> .
>