What?
Pat ByrneAt 03:40 PM 1/12/2021, you wrote:
Listers,
Neither had I heard about the device, until today, when Alain mentioned
it. And thanks for sending some info. Looks interesting, but my worries
are, what is the price?
With today's mobil devices all preloaded with a screen reader, or
computers where you can simply download NVDA, and at least perform the
most common tasks easily enough - my fears are that people won't look
much to the side of town, where things are heavily priced. Specially so,
should it come to assistive technology. First of all, persons with some
kind of infirmity, tends to have a low budget. And you guys mention
kids. If a family has one blind child, and two sighted ones, there is no
special budget given for that family so as to pay high prices for a
reading equipment - no matter how much help there would be in it. Even
in countries where the authorities have in place some kind of a funding
facility for buying technical aids - we have seen a steady decline in
what they are willing to approve.
For instance, a decade ago, locally we could apply for a bathroom scale.
You did need to mention that you - as a blind person - could not benefit
from a standard scale; but if you did so, they usually would approve of
you getting one, and they took the bill. Now, even if you prove your
blindness, and let them know that modern scales with a digital display
does not help you, or that the talking scales run into prices of the
hundreds of dollars - they refuse to approve anything. Not even if your
doctor tell them, you need the scale out of medical reasons. They
disapprove, based on two main factors:
1. Every modern home owns a bathroom scale, and as such, this unit is
not considered a blindness-related "special device".
2. If the blind person does not have a chance of reading the display, he
just needs to ring the doorbell of his neighbor, asking them to read it
to him.
Sure. That is privacy? (Big grin). OK, so you can imagine what they will
tell you, should you decide to apply for a reading device, that they
just would claim could be substituted by a scanner, or some service like
"Be-My-Eyes".
If a new reading device would attempt to replace the Optacon, the
pricing has to be low enough that people could buy one out of a normal
family budget; whatever that would mean these days. Without the person,
and half the family tree, selling their houses to bring up the finances.
Smiles. That in fact, was one of the obstacles of the Optacon. One thing
is the pricing was high in the States, but by the time it had crossed
the ocean and who knows how many borders, prices had grown like apple
trees in the warmest springtime. Then came the earnings of the company
that imported the Optacon to your country, and finally taxes closed up
the whole suitcase of 100-dollar bills that you had to bring, if you
should be the lucky owner of the great equipment. I know, that is the
facts of the commercial world, so let's just face it. Still, if a person
can pick up a mainstream cellphone for say 250 dollars, and he would be
using whatever free or low-paid service on that phone for his reading
projects, you won't see much people pay five times more to get a special
equipment, that only can read some text and diagrams.
Seemingly, the Abtim leaves the interpretation to the user's brainwork.
That is great news. I do know - and agree - there never will be such an
app or service that replaces the freedom of the Optacon. But to
new-comers, there will. You do not need just a hands-on experience with
an Optacon-like device; you need long-termed usage, leaving you the
chance to explore all the potentials. Only then, could you be persuaded
into buying such a device. Likely, this is why not many of us ever heard
about the ABTIM device.
One of you did mention all the benefits of the Optacon, and its great
capabilities of reading different types of material, like drawings and
schematics. And the webpage quoted, even tells the ABTIM to be able to
read flatscreens and handwritings. Wonderful. Yet, the printed world of
today, looks a bit more complex, than what it did a handful of decades
back in history.
Have you ever called some tech support line, asking them to help you out
with an issue on your computer? OK, they tell you to click on something
near the top right corner of the screen. Screen readers, are little help
here, since they tend to rearrange the screen layout. So a modern
Optacon solution, could prove helpful. There only remains one thing. The
support guy, tell you to click on the BLUE icon, not the GREEN. And, how
exactly do you want to ever have the Optacon confirming to you, what
color is under the camera? Not a big deal, when reading printed
material, as the individual character almost for certainty, is all
printed in one and same color. A totally different matter, if we are
looking on a graphic symbol.
You could have a graphic, looking like an old-time clockface. Main color
is black, with yellow numbers along the edge. The hands might be in
blue, and there might be a grey area, sectoring out the hours the office
is closed. Green fields will indicate, when it is good to reach the
manager. See how complex one symbol could be?
In the days of the Optacon, such a scenario was hardly ever to be
considered. Printers, or printing facilities back then, would not be
capable of making up such complex color schemes anyway. And most things
were printed in clear text. Just think of the first laundry machine you
had, or even the first microwave. Even your software CD would be close
to labelled in clear text. Now, iconic, holographic, translucent and who
knows what kind of attributed text and symbols, are the standard of the
day. Things are engraved or embossed. Pictures with text inside, or
drawings of hands that point to this and that object, surrounded by all
other non-valid objects - well, your fantacy sometimes does not even
suffice for what avenue of info-conveying, the printing industry may
choose. And with all the touch-screen devices, I am not even sure you
will ever have an Optacon thing that will leave you the chance of
reading, without activating all the facilities of the display. Again,
without a prolonged hands-on experience with a device like the Abtim, I
would be rather doubtful as to how much it could do to someone who has
not the background of old-time Optacon users.
You know, one thing that crosses my mind, is if we who are old Optacon
users, tend to think it to be such a great device, due to our way of
living. Turn it what way you want, but if you own a car, you will live
as a car-owner, making tiny decisions throughout the day including
driving. Why would you bother the time-table of the bus, or the
ticket-pricing of the train?
As an Optacon owner - or former user - you might choose to perform many
tasks every day, based on the ability of reading your material. You
might even decide to obtain a microwave, due to the fact that you can
read its display and key panel. Or you will greatly enjoy the fact that
you were able to label your tumble-dryer's panel, by using the Optacon
to read the printed text or simplified symbols. That is why you chose
exactly that brand and model. And that is why you don't benefit much
from the services on your computerized devices. Your whole life-style is
build up around the very fact, "my Optacon solves everything". True. And
great.
But today's kids have grown up in a world that is ten times more printed
and visualized than we ever knew - and without helping devices. To them,
our life might seem more than old-fashioned - true enough, likely due to
many reasons. Smiles. They have learned solutions, that to them seems
just as beneficial, and which do not include any kind of Optacon device.
Why would they spend thirty minutes in scrambling through a page,
holding drawings, symbols and a few strangely printed words - when all
they need is to bring up Be-My-Eyes, and have a sighted person read it
out to them in less than two minutes?
Again, in your time, while you were doing your Optacon-reading, all your
peers were out playing football. You would not be able to participate,
Optacon or not - so it didn't really matter how long it took you to read
the newest novel. Today, kids are somehow more integrated. Or at least,
supposed to be. None of their peers would bother to wait for you to
explore the screen of your device, so as to hit the right info or icon.
They expect you to "just see it", right away. Electronically, with a
properly developed speech system, or some Braille functionality, this
demand could be met. With an Optacon-like device? - Well, I am not all
that certain.
It appears from their website that the device is available for sale in
Europe.display is much
VideoTIM3
READING DEVICE for the BLIND
Applications of VideoTIM
Picture: Tactile display TIM shows the character A
Picture: VideoTIM1 with hand-held video camera on a book page
VideoTIM devices are in use for over ten years in different jobs and in the
private sector.The most common forms of use include the reading of printed
documents and reading books.
Many VideoTIM users were previously OPTACON users. The OPTACON is an older,
no longer produced device with the same scope. The main differences should
be mentioned here: The VideoTIM device generates, in contrast to OPTACON,
neither interfering noise or vibration. The image on the TIM
clearer. VideoTIM shows much more pixel. As an OPTACON user thenumerals. Some
familiarization period is between four hours and two days.
Picture: VideoTIM1 with hand-held video camera on a newspaper
Picture: VideoTIM1 with hand-held video camera on a newspaper
Picture: VideoTIM1 with hand-held video camera on a medicine package
Picture: VideoTIM1 with hand-held video camera on a medicine package
Picture: Hand written number 7 on the TIM display
Picture: Hand written number 7 on the TIM display
Picture: Hand-held video camera of VideoTIM looks onto notes
Picture: Hand-held video camera of VideoTIM looks onto notes
Some people use the VideoTIM devices but also for other applications,eg for
newspaper reading, the reading of medicine packages, hand written notes and
foreign letters.
Picture: Business grafic on the TIM display
Picture: Letters A, B and C on the TIM display
Picture: Business grafic on the TIM display
Picture: Letters A, B and C on the TIM display
Picture: Scissors symbol on the TIM display
Picture: Windows symbol for minimize on the TIM display
Picture: Scissors symbol on the TIM display
Picture: Windows symbol for minimize on the TIM display
The Video TIM device can represent more than just writing and
people use the pen-shaped camera to work on flat screen displays (PCoff-stage," it is
monitors
or smartphone displays). This way some software programs can be used.
The VideoTIM can also present graphics. For example it can show simple
business charts, curves, icons and page layouts.
Picture: TIM display shows a moving hand
Picture: Hand movements in front of a video camera
The pictures above show an example of how a video camera captures the
movement of a hand against a white background. The hand movements are shown
live
on the TIM display.
table with 18 columns and 25 rows
table with 6 columns and 1 rows nesting level 1
home
home (e)
the videotim
techn. data
usage
contact
table end nesting level 1
VideoTIM3
READING DEVICE for the BLIND
Technical Data
Picture: VideoTIM3 with mini hand-held video camera on a text document
Version: VideoTIM3
list of 18 items
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Plumlee (Redacted sender "knobman" for DMARC)"
<dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2021 1:06 PM
Subject: [optacon-l] Re: abtim reading device
I had not heard of the abtim reading device until you mentioned it; that
device might be interesting and worthy of further exploration because it
appears to be able to put a blind person back in contact with the actual
printed page. As much as I hate to see the Optacon "move
(without the quotes) in the message subject.happening - slowed only by those of us who are confirmed Optacon users whoto view the list archives, go to:
still use this device. I would like to see the abtim reading device
explored in greater detail especially for the sake of young blind persons
in grade school and high school who do not have direct contact with the
printed page these days.
I would like to see more information on it - its technical specifications,
price, and the like. As I see it, one "weakness" of the standard Optacon
which would make it a "hard sell" for use in schools these days is the
fragile cable between the retina and the box. We who are experienced
Optacon users get along pretty well with the unit because we have been
taught now to take good care of that cable; but knowing what I hear about
kids these days - the way they have to rush around and carry a lot of
stuff with them - putting a standard Optacon in their hands would be
trouble waiting to happen.
Nowadays, with multiplex technology very well developed, it might be
possible to have wireless digital communication between the camera and the
box. I understand that modern pipe-organ makers use data multiplexing to
connect the organ console to the pipe room so that they can now have a
cable with far fewer wires than the cables of old which could sometimes be
the diameter of a fire hose with maybe a few hundred wires in it. Today's
multiplexing works fast enough that you wouldn't detect any delay in the
response of the organ compared to what it would be if you had hard-wire
connections for everything in the instrument. A similar system might be
possible to "cut the cord" between the camera and the "box."
The bottom line in my opinion is that my hat is off to anyone who can
develop a sustainable reading system that would put students and adults in
intimate contact with the actual printed page. Such intimate contact
would be great for showing relationships that sighted people see on a page
and take for granted. I can envision how complex equations might become
more intelligible if they could be examined on a page the way they are
laid out on that page. And we won't even talk about electronic schematics
and similar types of diagrams. Any reading device which would work as
well or better than a standard Optacon would probably have merit in
reading that type of material. The key is that the human mind needs to be
the "motor controller" and "image decoder" to gain greatest benefit.
-----Original Message-----
From: optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On
Behalf Of Alain Bardet
Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2021 11:32 AM
To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [optacon-l] abtim reading device
Hi all,
I am a French optacon user and I still enjoy the device!
Have some of you heard about the abtim reading device? What do you think
of it?
Cheers stay well and happy new year!
Alain from Paris
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