Hi Séverin

Your idea is quite interesting, and I think it could be built,
although probably not for $400.00.  It would require a pentium
class CPU and a real operating system such as windows or linux to
run the software speech synthesizer, so probably wouldn't come
off the shelf for less than a thousand or so.

the idea of a braille "virtual slate' would be pretty easy to
build using one of several possible technologies.

there is, I think, a better approach to get the same results and I
know of folks who are working on it now.

I can't tell you much because it is proprietary to the inventer,
but if you took an off the shelf PDA like a Palm Pilot or a
Handspring Visor, and modified the operating system so that the
touch screen could read braille stylus pokes, and also have
navigation points at the corners and in other obvious places,
you'd hae a similar gizmo for a couple hundred bucks.

You'd also be able to leave it so a user who is so deprived as to
not be a slate and stylus person could learn and use the simple
script that sighted folks use on palms and similar PDAs.

the buty of this is that these computers have "open source'
operating systems which can be accessed without needing the
cooperation of some big company that doesn't really care.

There is a slight problem because most of the current devices in
this category don't quite have the horse power to run software
text to speech, but I think this will be solved relatively soon.

sorry I can't say more, and absolutely no promises about what or
when, but we're thinking along the same lines.

It is always better to work with existing equipment and modify
it, or at least it is when you have 'open source' operating
systems, than to build your own.

we can imagine book readers, limited internet access via
wireless, GPS mapping systems and all them goodies all based on a
handheld that you buy off the shelf and for which you buy very
cheap adaptive software.

Wish us luck, and don't hold your breaths, but we're thinkin
hard.

and don't ask more, we won't tell you <G>

tom Fowle


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