http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2000/Nov00/PulseDataPR.mspx
Microsoft and New Zealand Company Pulse Data To Make Thousands of EBook
Titles Available to the Blind
Microsoft Reader Software to Be Integrated Into BrailleNote, Pulse Data's
Family of Personal Data Assistants
REDMOND, Wash., and CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, Nov. 20, 2000 - Microsoft
Corp. signed an agreement with Pulse Data International Ltd. that will
provide
the visually impaired with easy access to thousands of new and existing
electronic books. Pulse Data, a specialist in enabling access to information
for
the visually impaired, will collaborate with Microsoft in delivering a
blind-friendly interface for eBooks created for MicrosoftR Reader.
Microsoft Reader software will be integrated with Pulse Data's BrailleNote,
a family of screenless personal data assistants based on the Microsoft
WindowsR
CE operating system that offer feedback through speech and electronic
Braille.
"We at Microsoft have a dream that people with visual impairments will have
access to books and literature at the same time and with the same
availability
as sighted readers," said Janine Harrison, group program manager of
Microsoft Reader. "This collaboration is a wonderful step in making that
dream a reality."
Russell Smith, managing director of Pulse Data, shares this enthusiasm and
sees Microsoft as the driving force behind the alliance. "Clearly we are
very
excited about the opportunity and consider this the next step forward in our
relationship with Microsoft USA and Microsoft New Zealand. Integrating
Microsoft
Reader into the BrailleNote family is a further justification for our
decision to use the Windows CE operating system in the BrailleNote family of
products."
To read an electronic book with BrailleNote, users will need to download an
eBook title from an online distributor to their BrailleNote device, then
open
the file. They will have the option to listen to the speech version of the
eBook or read the electronic Braille display.
Jim Halliday, president of HumanWare Inc., the North American distributor of
BrailleNote, is thrilled about the possibilities for the technology. "The
implications
are enormous. With the integration of BrailleNote and Microsoft Reader,
blind schoolchildren will be able to read the same eBooks as their sighted
classmates,
and blind people will have virtually instant access to literally thousands
of titles that would take months or years to create through traditional
paper
Braille publishing."
Geoff Lawrie, managing director of Microsoft New Zealand, said, "Pulse
Data's work has been instrumental in promoting New Zealand's software
development
reputation on the world stage, and we are delighted to be working with Pulse
Data to further enhance its innovative products for the visually impaired."
About Microsoft's Accessibility Efforts
With more than a decade of experience and dedication, Microsoft has been a
leader in making accessible products and raising the standard for the
industry.
In addition to developing products, technologies and services that are
accessible and usable by all people, Microsoft works closely with companies
that
produce accessibility aids to achieve a common goal of improving the lives
of people with disabilities by making computers a positive force in
employment,
education and recreation.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" ) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business
computing.
The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower
people through great software - any time, any place and on any device.
About Pulse Data International Ltd.
Founded in 1988, Pulse Data international has become a world leader in the
design, manufacture and distribution of innovative products and software
that
enhance the lives of visually impaired people. These include electronic
magnifying systems for people with low vision and hardware and software
products,
which use synthesized speech and electronic Braille for the totally blind.
Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of
Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on
Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/
on Microsoft's corporate information pages.
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