Hi
OK, let's deal with the first question, why am I writing about the new
release of the Talks software (which allows visually impaired people to
access third generation phones through speech output) on the Blind iPod
mailing list? The answer is simple. One of the reasons for purchasing
a third generation phone, particularly models such as the Nokia N91,
would be that they are capable of storing and playing large quantities
of music. Many of us have been waiting for access to these phones for
months and now it is finally here! It's exciting, and we should all be
shouting about access to these devices.
Speaking personally, we have had the Nokia N91 phone for a number of
months now. It is possible to obtain these phones on contract with a
number of mobile phone network providers. I particularly like it as the
figure keys are I think well pronounced and can easily be felt by most
people. In addition, the unit contains a hard disk with 4 GB of storage
space. The headphone jack is a standard 3.5 MM so is capable of
accommodating standard headphones or a small pair of speakers, and the
unit connects to a computer via USB. So the N91 definitely falls into
the category of a portable media device and now it is accessible with
Talks for third generation phones.
Within the next week, I will be devoting a page to the Portable Player
Portal site to this phone, giving its weight, dimensions, and other
useful details. For the record, people are welcome on this list to
discuss this phone within the context of how it interacts with music and
spoken word material, not how to use it in the traditional sense of a
mobile phone. There are other lists for that purpose. But any
discussion in terms of its media capabilities and specifically how they
can be accessed by visually impaired people using speech are welcome.
Brian Hartgen
More information about portable media devices can be obtained from the Portable
Player Portal. Please visit
www.hartgen.org
and choose the Portable Player Portal link.
To post a message, send your e-mail to
blindipod@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To unsubscribe from this list, please send a message to
blindipod-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
and put the word
unsubscribe
in the subject line.
To contact the List Owner, Brian Hartgen:
E-MAIL: brian@xxxxxxxxxxx
MSN: brian@xxxxxxxxxxx
SKYPE: brianhartgen
PHONE (UK): 0208-133-7186
PHONE (US): 213-985-3581
