The RNIB also market the ‘Owasys’ talking mobile phone. This handset has been specifically designed for people with a sight loss and has no visual display. The buttons are easy to feel and the speech enables the user to input and review data. This phone enables texting and contact details to be managed and reviewed. I have found that by considering the speech feedback when navigating menus as questions, it is easier to use.Advanced mobile phones.
As mobile phones have become more advanced and started to do many of the functions more commonly associated with computers, so speech and magnification software has become available. These packages require specific, fairly high spec phones but do enable people with a sight loss to benefit from most of the features.
There are four main software packages to enable the mobile phone to speak:-Talks;
Mobile Speak;
Mobile Speak Pocket;
Smart Hal.
‘Talks’ and ‘Mobile Speak’ run on phones with the Symbian operating system. ‘Talks’ has been around for a few years now and some mobile networks will provide it as part of a contract package. In my experience Vodafone has been particularly helpful with this although it might take a little persistence as not all staff know about these more specialised products. ‘Smart Hal' has been developed by the same company that produces the ‘Hal' screenreader for computers. The main advantage of this product is that it is used with a ‘Windows smart phone’. This enables the phone’s contact and other data to be synchronised with your computer. Although this software is a little more expensive than Talks, it is licensed to you and not your phone so if you update your phone, you will not need to purchase the software again.
The company that produce the ‘Talks’ speech software also have a screen magnification software called ‘Zooms’. This allows the display to be enlarged in the same way as a computer. It is important to consider that if the writing is made bigger then less of it will be displayed at any time. This program can be used in conjunction with ‘Talks’ although in my experience people tend to stick to Talks after a few months.
There is also magnification software for windows Mobile phones.The access packages only work on certain types of conventional phone. It is particularly important to identify a phone where the layout works for you. I would always advise people to get some hands on experience of using a phone and take your time! Do not be bullied into being told by a salesman what phone would be best for you. You will need to learn how the phone works as well as how the software package operates. This may vary from phone to phone so remember that the phone was not necessarily designed for the access package.
As mobile phones have become more advanced and started to do many of the functions more commonly associated with computers, so speech and magnification software has become available. These packages require specific, fairly high spec phones but do enable people with a sight loss to benefit from most of the features.
There are four main software packages to enable the mobile phone to speak:-Talks;
Mobile Speak;
Mobile Speak Pocket;
Smart Hal.
‘Talks’ and ‘Mobile Speak’ run on phones with the Symbian operating system. ‘Talks’ has been around for a few years now and some mobile networks will provide it as part of a contract package. In my experience Vodafone has been particularly helpful with this although it might take a little persistence as not all staff know about these more specialised products. ‘Smart Hal' has been developed by the same company that produces the ‘Hal' screenreader for computers. The main advantage of this product is that it is used with a ‘Windows smart phone’. This enables the phone’s contact and other data to be synchronised with your computer. Although this software is a little more expensive than Talks, it is licensed to you and not your phone so if you update your phone, you will not need to purchase the software again.
The company that produce the ‘Talks’ speech software also have a screen magnification software called ‘Zooms’. This allows the display to be enlarged in the same way as a computer. It is important to consider that if the writing is made bigger then less of it will be displayed at any time. This program can be used in conjunction with ‘Talks’ although in my experience people tend to stick to Talks after a few months.
There is also magnification software for windows Mobile phones.The access packages only work on certain types of conventional phone. It is particularly important to identify a phone where the layout works for you. I would always advise people to get some hands on experience of using a phone and take your time! Do not be bullied into being told by a salesman what phone would be best for you. You will need to learn how the phone works as well as how the software package operates. This may vary from phone to phone so remember that the phone was not necessarily designed for the access package.
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