[access-uk] Re: LookTel smartphone software
- From: "Alistair" <alistair.kelly@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 07:15:26 +0100
Hi Glen,
this is very helpful, one other question please? Regarding subscription
payments, will this be from card debit or will bank direct debit be
possible?
Thanks
Alistair
----- Original Message -----
From: "Glenn Tookey" <Glenn.Tookey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, April 26, 2010 6:49 AM
Subject: [access-uk] Re: LookTel smartphone software
Hi Alistair,
Yes, it will have its own screen reader which also drives the other phone
functions. OCR should be up to KNFB standard, Symbian platform after 6
months i'm told. Not sure about GPS detail yet. The idea is to have a high
quality all in one package that does not need the user to buy other products
to make it work, such as a screen reader. The functionality is still taking
shape.
Regards
Glenn
-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Alistair
Sent: 25 April 2010 21:24
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: LookTel smartphone software
Hi Glen,
some questions:
Will this be self-voicing?
will the gprs be similar to wayfinder?
Will the OCR be like bayo or KNFB?
will it be ever available on the Symbian platform?
I can see the benifit of purchasing one all-in-one package but only if the
quality and performance is compatible.
Alistair
----- Original Message -----
From: "Glenn Tookey" <Glenn.Tookey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, April 25, 2010 8:48 PM
Subject: [access-uk] Re: LookTel smartphone software
I guess it has to be put into perspective. Products in this market tend to
be one off payments of £750 or more, so you can have 30 months at £25 a
month, and you do not have to pay up front. Often people buy upgrades in
that sort of timeframe so the outlay for this type of product could be lower
across the lifetime of the user and it is easier to actually get into as you
do not have to find a large sum to start with.
As with everything, it does not suit everybody. Some people would happily
pay thousands for technology, others do not want or need it. There are many
ways to find out what is in your larder, LookTel is just one way. There are
many ways to find out where you are when you are out, LookTel is just
another method.
When I came into the industry I wanted to find ways of using technology to
benefit this group of people, we search high and low for the best
technologies then offer them to the market, the market will decide if it is
good value or not.
We also wanted to introduce subscription models so that people on limited
incomes can pay as they go for products. LookTel will be priced at around
the level of a mobile phones service and less than Sky.
So, when it is ready, we will bring it to market and let the market decide
if it is good value or not. We will certainly do all we can to drive the
price down as far as we can.
Regards
Glenn
-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Paul Leake
Sent: 25 April 2010 18:31
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: LookTel smartphone software
Glen,
i'd be interested in what current blind and visually impaired employees of
sight and sound make of this product rather than the manufacturers'
perspective! £25 a month sounds overpriced too I think.
Cheers
Paul
paul.leake@xxxxxxxxxxxx
----- Original Message -----
From: "Glenn Tookey" <Glenn.Tookey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, April 25, 2010 12:45 PM
Subject: [access-uk] LookTel smartphone software
Hi
Sight and Sound Technology will be the exclusive provider of the LookTel
service when it launches in the UK, we are hoping that to be in June time -
but not confirmed yet.
Firstly, it will be a monthly subscription service - around £25 (again not
finalised). We are not sure of it will have OCR or GPS at launch.
Secondly, it is more than just taking pictures, it is a full object
recognition device. It means that once you have trained the mobile to
recognise something - say a can of Heinz Baked Beans or Tomato Soup or
currency... then whenever it is in recognition mode (live video over the
internet) to its base station (normally your home PC) it will announce to
you what it has seen when you point it at an object. This will be very
useful in the home or outside. It takes a minute or two to snap the images
that you want to recognise and then you are away. At a later stage we will
have bar code reading on it, so then you will be able to go into a
supermarket and find products from bar code.
The GPS is coupled with live video / audio feed so that an assistant could
guide you if you are lost. You can nominate more than one assistant who can
log into your base station and help with recognition, training of object,
location etc. We are considering extending this to the Sight and Sound help
desk so that you could call us if you need some assistance.
It will recognise more than just products, it will also recognise faces and
even places ( buildings) if you snap enough images to that they can be
recognised later.
Like all of these type of products, they are not infallible, but we have
been working with the developers for over 6 months (as have 200 blind people
in USA)to make it the type of service that really gives independence and
mobility to those with low vision. I have one working in the UK, it does not
use much of my data package on my mobile, so it will not be expensive -
currently on a windows mobile phone, but the range of phones will expand
over the first 6 months.
Products such as the KNFB reader still have their own place as does
Wayfinder, they all do a good job - Looktel is taking advantage of the
advances in recognition technology and the increase in computing power of
mobile phones. We want to be at the forefront of technology, bringing the
best of the best to the UK market. Looktel is the next step.
Watch out for more information, I'm hoping that we will be up and running
for Sight Village.
Regards
Glenn Tookey
CEO
Sight and Sound Technology
-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Barry Hill
Sent: 25 April 2010 11:04
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: LookTel smartphone software
Thanks for this, Peter.
Sounnds good, although I can already do all this with my own mobile to a
large extent. It's got K-NFB reader on it for the OCR, Wayfinder for the
positioning, and a camera phone that I can send photo's to a friend. Not
quite the live video feed, but I reckon it could work just as well.
Cheers
Barry
----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Beasley" <pjbeasley@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, April 25, 2010 10:46 AM
Subject: [access-uk] LookTel smartphone software
I got this from an american list I am subscribed to so have no idea if or
when it willbe available in this country.
We offer the following information, but caution that this is currently in
beta. Unfortunately,
as with most software of this type, it's quite expensive. This is all the
information
we currently have available.
A Smartphone that Sees For You
Software from LookTel on a Windows-based smartphone uses "augmented reality"
to help
the vision-impaired and elderly
By:
Sean Gallagher
April 23, 2010
Leave a comment
Source: LookTel
This video
shows some of the ways the LookTel application can help people with visual
and other
handicaps.
A new set of software that works with relatively inexpensive smart phones
could help
visually disabled people and the elderly. Using a technology called
"augmented reality",
the software can help people by recognizing text, objects and places.
Augmented Reality, or AR, uses location and visual information from a camera
to supply
a smartphone user with extra information about their surroundings. For an
introduction
to AR, you can take a look at
my hands-on with Spyglass
, the augmented reality navigation application.
LookTel
takes AR technology and applies it to a very real problem. It was developed
by
Ipplex
, in partnership with the National Institutes of Health, the National Eye
Institute,
the Department of Veterans Affairs and a research organization for aides for
the
blind, to help people who can't see well or may become disoriented.
The Windows Mobile application uses character recognition technology and a
voice
synthesizer to read labels to the smartphone user. All that processing can't
be
done on the smartphone, so character and object recognition software are
part of
LookTel's "base station" software, which runs on a Windows-based home
computer. You
can also add coded labels to objects , as this
YouTube demonstration
shows, and associate those labels with voice descriptions of objects you put
them
on.
The app also can connect a user to a real person for assistance by
connecting back
to the application's Windows PC-based "base station" software:
For more complicated visual tasks such as locating a specific street corner
or bus
stop, LookTel enables you to remotely connect to another person for
assistance. Not
only can you talk to them, but you can also transmit live video from the
cell phone's
camera so that they can see your surroundings and help you with orientation,
recognizing
objects and media, and more. Your position will also be shown to them on
Google Maps
using the GPS services available on smart phones. These services aim to help
users
to independently go about daily activities with the confidence that they
will have
the assistance they need anytime, anywhere.
LookTel is currently in testing, and is available on pre-configured HTC
smartphones
and mobile Internet devices. Ipplex hasn't published the pricing for the
technology,
but is offering it at a discount during testing.
Original Article Source
http://www.techgoesstrong.com/smartphone-sees-you
LookTel Website
http://www.looktel.com/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <
http://accessible-devices.com/pipermail/a-d_accessible-devices.com/attachments/20100424/01348ba6/attachment.html
This is an Announce only list. Subscribers are not able to post to this
list.
To unsubscribe from the Accessible Devices list copy the line below. Paste
it inthe
To: line of a blank message and send it.
a-d-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
You may download our podcasts from this link,
http://www.accessible-devices.com/Podcasts.html
Or if you're using a podcatcher of some type the subscribe URL is.
http://www.accessible-devices.com/feed.xml
Visit our website at:
www.accessible-devices.com
Please feel free to pass this message on to a friend who might like to
subscribe.
To subscribe to Accessible Devices send a blank e mail to:
a-d-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Just follow the directions in the confirmation message when it comes.
Please Note: Accessible Devices is not able to provide tech support for
software
or products that we supply information about.
_______________________________________________
A-d mailing list
A-d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://accessible-devices.com/mailman/listinfo/a-d_accessible-devices.com
__________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature
database
5056 (20100424) __________
The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
http://www.eset.com
__________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature
database 5057 (20100424) __________
The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
http://www.eset.com
** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:-
** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe]
** If this link doesn't work then send a message to:
** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
** and in the Subject line type
** unsubscribe
** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the
** immediately-following link:-
** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq]
** or send a message, to
** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq
** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:-
** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe]
** If this link doesn't work then send a message to:
** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
** and in the Subject line type
** unsubscribe
** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the
** immediately-following link:-
** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq]
** or send a message, to
** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq
______________________________________________________________________
This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System.
For more information please visit http://www.messagelabs.com/email
______________________________________________________________________
** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:-
** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe]
** If this link doesn't work then send a message to:
** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
** and in the Subject line type
** unsubscribe
** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the
** immediately-following link:-
** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq]
** or send a message, to
** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 9.0.814 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2831 - Release Date: 04/23/10
19:31:00
--
I am using the free version of SPAMfighter.
We are a community of 7 million users fighting spam.
SPAMfighter has removed 32 of my spam emails to date.
Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len
The Professional version does not have this message
** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:-
** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe]
** If this link doesn't work then send a message to:
** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
** and in the Subject line type
** unsubscribe
** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the
** immediately-following link:-
** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq]
** or send a message, to
** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq
______________________________________________________________________
This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System.
For more information please visit http://www.messagelabs.com/email
______________________________________________________________________
** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:-
** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe]
** If this link doesn't work then send a message to:
** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
** and in the Subject line type
** unsubscribe
** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the
** immediately-following link:-
** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq]
** or send a message, to
** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq
** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:-
** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe]
** If this link doesn't work then send a message to:
** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
** and in the Subject line type
** unsubscribe
** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the
** immediately-following link:-
** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq]
** or send a message, to
** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq
______________________________________________________________________
This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System.
For more information please visit http://www.messagelabs.com/email
______________________________________________________________________
** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:-
** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe]
** If this link doesn't work then send a message to:
** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
** and in the Subject line type
** unsubscribe
** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the
** immediately-following link:-
** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq]
** or send a message, to
** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq
** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:-
** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe]
** If this link doesn't work then send a message to:
** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
** and in the Subject line type
** unsubscribe
** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the
** immediately-following link:-
** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq]
** or send a message, to
** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq
Other related posts:
