PRESS RELEASE

January 18, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BRAILLE DISPLAYS ARE TOO EXPENSIVE!

Peter Duran, VP Sales & Marketing
Tactile Dynamics, Inc.
110 Commerce Drive, Suite 210
Fayetteville, GA  30214
Toll Free:  877-993-4994
E-mail:  [log in to unmask]

Save your money!  Don't buy a single-line braille display when you can have
access to a multi-line or full-page braille display in the near future.

Single-line braille displays are still too expensive even though two of the
leaders in braille technology recently announced price reductions.  Freedom
Scientific announced 2 new Focus refreshable braille displays:  Focus 40
with 40 braille cells at $3,495 and Focus 80 with 80 braille cells at
$6,995.  Freedom Scientific also announced lower prices for its PAC Mate 20
and 40 braille displays: PAC Mate 20 with 20 braille cells at $1400 and PAC
Mate 40 with 40 braille cells at $3200.  Optelec announced 2 new braille
displays:  Braille Voyager 44 with 44 braille cells at $3,495 and the
Braille Voyager 70 with 70 braille cells at $5,995.  Moreover, current
braille display technology offers minimal text presentation  a major
drawback of all refreshable braille displays currently on the market.

Fortunately, Tactile Dynamics, Inc. (TDI) has a solution to both
problems.  With its recently patented refreshable braille display
technology (US Patent #6819228) TDI will lower prices significantly and
radically increase the amount of text displayed.  This revolutionary new
technology makes multi-line and full-page braille displays feasible and
truly affordable.  TDI will initially offer two text-only refreshable
braille displays (trbd's).

Braille Messenger(TM):  A trbd for 6- and 8-dot braille with display area
20 characters wide by 6 or 5 rows high  able to display 120 characters in
6-dot format or 100 characters in 8-dot format  priced at $2,650.  Braille
device manufacturers can bundle this trbd with their proprietary software
and hardware (via a USB 2.0 port connection) to provide devices suitable
for refreshable braille text messages.

Braille Book Reader(TM):  A trbd for 6- and 8-dot braille with display area
40 characters wide by 25 or 21 rows high  able to display 1000 characters
in 6-dot format or 820 characters in 8-dot format  priced at
$5,260.  Braille device manufacturers and DAISY book developers can bundle
this trbd with their proprietary software and hardware (via a USB 2.0 port
connection) to provide computer output devices and full-page braille book
readers.

These 2 trbd's will permit manufacturers of assistive technology to offer
innovative products with affordable braille text displays.  They
will   encourage mainstream manufacturers of appliances, cell phones, etc.
to provide braille add-ons to their products.
TDI will present a paper on this innovative braille technology at the 2005
CSUN Conference.  Here are the conference details:

Conference Dates and Locations:
March 14-19, 2005 at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport and the Los Angeles
Airport Marriott Hotels

Paper Presentation Schedule and Location:
Session ID:  C05G2179
Title:  Portable Full-Page Braille & Tactile Graphics Display
Presenter:  Larry Jenkins
Day/Date:  Friday, March 18, 2005
Start Time: 3:20 PM; End Time: 3:50 PM
Location:  Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel, Denver Room
www.csun.edu/cod

Please forward this announcement to any pertinent Internet lists,
newsgroups, braille advocacy groups, foundations, or potential braille
product developers.  Urge your braille vendor to contact us about reseller
participation.

You may get further details about TDI's braille technology by sending an
e-mail to [log in to unmask]  Put "trbd" in the subject line.


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