A while back there was an article circulated about Bonnie O'day's
complaint with the F.C.C. concerning cell phones not being
accessible and the new model of cell phone that was making strides
towards this end namely the Audiovox V.M. 4050.  Well, I was in my
local sprint P.C.S. store yesterday and had occasion to briefly
look at this phone.  It does have some nice accessibility features
like the synthesized voice speaking incoming and outgoing numbers,
the menu positions being spoken and a cue for when the battery is
low.  But the price for this phone is $329.00 and that is largely
because it has a digital camera built in.  Mind you it's not an
option like on some models, it is built into it.  You don't have a
choice but to take it.  I understand that some blind people do like
to have a digital camera, but I would think if they were going to
build an accessible cell phone for us it would have been far better
to do it by including more accessible features than a digital
camera most blind people won't even use or care about.  They could
have at least offered that as an option thereby keeping the price
down or made it more worth our money by including more audible cues
rather than a digital camera.  I think some corporate big whigs use
their heads for hat racks instead of to think with.  For those who
might be interested in this phone, it also has another model number
the V.M. 9950.  The sales rep told me that even though there are 2
model numbers they are both for the same phone.  I don't know why.
73.
Harvey Heagy (N.5.H.A.U.)