[bookshare-discuss] In collaboration with Battelle, NFB and Trace Center,HumanWare will design the next generation talking book player forNLS

"Shelley L. Rhodes" <juddysbuddy@xxxxxxxxxxxx> · Fri, 18 Mar 2005 22:27:01 -0500


PR Newswire
Friday, March 18, 2005

In collaboration with Battelle, NFB and Trace Center, HumanWare will design 
the next generation talking book player for NLS

    MONTREAL, March 18 /PRNewswire/ - HumanWare, the new business issued 
from
the recent merger of VisuAide and Pulse Data International, is pleased to
announce that it has been contracted by the Federal Technology Service of 
the
General Services Administration, on behalf of the National Library Service 
for
the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) as a member of a consortium led 
by
Battelle and involving the National Federation of the Blind and the Trace
Center to design and develop their next generation of digital talking book
players.
    HumanWare is the world leader in providing listening devices for NISO 
and
Daisy material globally with more than 100,000 players in operation around 
the
world today.
    The new flash-based player will be lightweight, portable, and durable
enough to survive years of heavy use; it will be built and freely 
distributed
to over 700,000 individuals in the US who benefit from having access to the
latest books and magazines in an accessible format. Digital Talking Books
revolutionize the reading experience for people who have reading 
disabilities
in providing advanced features such as ease of navigation, better audio
quality and the possibility to enter bookmarks. Additionally, a complete 
book
will fit on a single flash memory card.
    "We are excited to have brought this exceptional group of companies on
board. We have great confidence in their capabilities and we know that the
product they design will be a success for our patrons," says Frank Kurt 
Cylke,
NLS director.
    Gilles Pepin, President of HumanWare Canada, is proud that HumanWare is
being recognized as the leader of the Digital Talking Book industry. "We are
excited to participate in the first redesign of the NLS audiobook player in
the last 30 years and to contribute HumanWare's and our partner's experience
toward the launch of a revolutionary player to serve the visually impaired 
and
print-disabled community", he said.
    "This project will enable the blind to actively participate in the
development of the next generation audio book player", said Dr. Marc Maurer,
President of the National Federation of the Blind, "our community has an
opportunity to contribute directly to this important project".
    HumanWare has designed and commercialized digital talking book players
since 1999 under the Victor Reader product line. HumanWare offers the widest
choice of both hardware and software playback devices starting with the
smallest and most affordable hardware player in the industry (Victor Reader
Vibe) and offering adapted solutions for students, professionals and the
elderly with the Victor Reader Classic family.

    About HumanWare

    HumanWare combines two of the industry's most innovative companies -
VisuAide and Pulse Data International are recognized as world leaders in 
their
respective fields. Products like the SmartView video magnifier and more
recently myReader - the world's first low vision auto-reader - are 
redefining
the way people look at low vision while the Victor Reader family of digital
talking book players has been at the forefront of the industry since its
inception. The BrailleNote is the best-known solution in the notetaker 
market
today, and this market will be expanded with the introduction of Maestro.
Finally, the companies produce the world's only commercialised GPS based
orientation solutions for the blind - Trekker and BrailleNote GPS.

    About NLS

    NLS is in the midst of a full-scale transition from analog audio
casssettes to DTBs, a project that will involve creating 20,000 DTBs (10,000
converted from cassette and 10,000 recorded digitally) and developing a
digital playback device to replace the four-track tape player that has been 
in
service for nearly three decades. NLS has approximately 730,000 audio 
cassette
players in use worldwide today and maintains an inventory of more than
23 million cassettes containing audio books and magazines that it circulates
free of charge to blind and physically handicapped readers.

    About Battelle

    Battelle is a global leader in science and technology. Headquartered in
Columbus, Ohio, it develops and commercializes technology and manages
laboratories for customers. Battelle, with the national labs it manages or
co-manages, oversees 19,000 staff members and conducts $3 billion in annual
research and development. Battelle innovations include the development of 
the
office copier machine (Xerox), pioneering work on compact disc technology,
medical technology advancements, and fiber optic technologies.

SOURCE HUMANWARE

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/03-18-2005/0003210286&EDATE=


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