I had all of those you mention specifically - lol! Still have the talking clock, a bit dented from being dropped and I lost the cover to the battery compartment but still works! Isn't that just hysterically funny? Not the point I know but it gives me a great laugh!
-- Cheryl I tried and tried to turn over a new leaf. I got crumpled wads of tear-stained paper thrown in the trash! Then God gave me a new heart and life: His joy for my despairing tears! And now, every day: "This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:21-23 ESV) > On Oct 19, 2014, at 10:53 PM, David Chittenden <dchitten...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Ah yes, I definitely remember what Sharp did. > > The Talking Time was the first Sharp talking clock. It was a marvel of > accessibility for one of the first talking clocks. Within a few years, a very > large number of blind people wanted them. By that time, Sharp was no longer > selling them. In fact, the NFB convinced Sharp to do one more manufacturing > run which the NFB then sold for the next couple years. > > When sharp was asked why they would discontinue such a popular clock, the > answer was, the clock was Sharp's least popular device. It only sold a few > hundred thousand when it was supposed to sell a few million. The same was > true for the excellent Sharp EL640 talking calculator. > > Panasonic created a wonderful talking clock radio shortly after the excellent > Sharp products. Again, Panasonic did not receive the general market sales > they predicted for the product, so they discontinued it. It was mainly only > blind people who were purchasing it. > > A similar thing happened in the mid 90's with Zenith and a talking > programmable VCR. > > I do have many more examples, including talking pagers, talking juicers, a > general market talking microwave, a couple general market talking digital > radios, and so forth. In all cases, when only blind people purchase the > products, and the products are priced for general market, companies lose lots > of money and pull the devices. > > David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA > Email: dchitten...@gmail.com > Mobile: +64 21 2288 288 > Sent from my iPhone > >> On 20 Oct 2014, at 12:09, Pamela Francis <gypsykitt...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> In the answer to a couple of your questions, ask for a company making their >> products usable by the disabled, do you or do you not remember what sharp >> did for us with talking clocks and calculators? Do you also know that >> Panasonic makes optional talking caller ID in its cordless phones? For >> years swans foods offered all of their catalogs in braille along with their >> cooking directions as one could also read on their boxes. It is not >> unreasonable or pompous to expect to be treated the same as anyone else in >> the same store paying the same money for the same product. If you consider >> that pompous, you must be living with your parents who do everything for >> you. I do not. I've lived away from my family since 1974, then married, >> raise two children and have four grandchildren. I've been through the times >> where we didn't as much as have digital readings on elevators or braille on >> hotel room doors. I travel anywhere I want to go, do anything I want to do. >> I do not expect special treatment. I ask for what I need. >> >> Pam Francis >> >> On Oct 19, 2014, at 5:10 PM, The Believer <ancient.ali...@icloud.com> wrote: >> >> That is a first. The general public now dictates what the disabled public >> gets? Apple develops products for the mainstream market...and they also have >> enabled these same products to be usable by the disabled. Can amy other >> comppany claim that? >> >> We all can walk into any Apple store along with the sighted general public >> and buy the same products they do and use the same products alongside them. >> >> And if we have an issue with our product, we can walk into any Apple store >> or cal their toll free number and get the same assistance. >> >> Why should we expect any different treatment? Because we are blind? That, >> IMO, is shortsightedness and perhaps even pompous. It certainly will not get >> one very far. >> >> No one is glossing over anything. On the other hand, some are over the top >> downright unreasonable. >> >> From The Believer. . . >> . . . what if it were true? >> ancient.ali...@icloud.com >> >>> On 10/19/2014 2:02 PM, Pamela Francis wrote: >>> Hi, >>> I'm normally not one to complain for the sake of complaining. I am a >>> realist. I know that we as a market are a minority within Apple's customer >>> base. I will give them credit where it's due. They did take the lead in >>> accessibility. However, mainstream society has caught on to the fact that >>> Apple products are accessible to blind people. That in itself is a double >>> edge sword. None of us want to be put into a corner and told what is good >>> for us by our cited peers. we want general society to except what we can >>> use on its own merit showing them we can use products that they can use. >>> there are still those who think that Apple products are simply all we can >>> use. It's an all or nothing statement within the cited community as much as >>> it is within our community. If that same statement is made with an aside a >>> community, no one gripes. However if we say anything, we're complaining. >>> Apple has become aware of what the cited community believes it's capable of >>> doing for us, therefore they have >> become lackadaisical forcing us to settle for whatever they throw at us, as >> it has been within Windows another third-party screen readers. If I go in to >> the grocery store and purchase what is supposed to be a complete packaged >> product, get it home find out it isn't, take it back to the store; am I >> complaining because I can't see? I don't think so. >>> What I'm getting at by this rant is if there is a given feature supported >>> by a given manufacturer that is designed for us or any other accessibility >>> community, it should be fully featured and attended to with the same fervor >>> as is done for the majority of its customer base. The fact that they >>> maintain an accessibility line within itself on its face is a good thing. >>> However, if those people truly have no say as to how things are done, are >>> they there only for lipservice? I'm not willing to walk into a store, pay >>> the same price for a product that my cited peers do and not have a right to >>> complain about its functionality whether it's for me or for my cited peers. >>> We as a blind community for too many years have been told we had to settle >>> for second place. In many cases prior to the Internet we didn't have a >>> means to communicate with people are issues, therefore we were forced to >>> settle. That is no longer the case. To those who choose to regale the >>> things that Apple does without being w >> illing to admit apples faults, you are hurting all of us. Take that for what >> it's worth. >>> >>> Pam Francis >>> >>> On Oct 19, 2014, at 2:23 PM, The Believer <ancient.ali...@icloud.com> wrote: >>> >>> I did not have a disastrous experience. I had just gotten a new Macbook >>> with Mountain Lion and Mavericks came out shortly after that. And history >>> repeats itself today with Yosemite. >>> >>> There were many complaints about Mavericks. Meanwhile, I worked with ML, >>> trying to forget Windows. Finally I upgraded to Mavericks about a month >>> ago! (smiles) >>> >>> I am still learning to use the Mac but it may not take me as long to move >>> to Yosemite. Maybe a month? I will install iOS 8 at the same time but not >>> intil both are better behaved. >>> >>> From The Believer. . . >>> . . . what if it were true? >>> ancient.ali...@icloud.com >>> >>>> On 10/19/2014 12:15 PM, Christine Grassman wrote: >>>> I agree. While I would stop short of placing Apple on a pedestal, as no >>>> one or company is worthy of that level of responsibility, I am realistic >>>> about the varying preferences and needs of a customer base consisting of >>>> millions of people, and I am steadfastly grateful for Apple and its >>>> integral part in allowing me to complete the essential tasks of my job and >>>> to enjoy much of what my sighted peers enjoy on a reasonably equitable >>>> playing field out of the box. >>>> I intend to write to Apple as someone who continues to appreciate its >>>> devices and software a great deal, and urge it not to forget little me and >>>> those like me. >>>> I think any "absolutist" or all-or-nothing statements do no good. >>>> I decided after a disastrous experience with Mavericks when it was first >>>> released that I would never again update immediately after a first >>>> release. I am anxious to avail myself of continuity, hand off, iBooks, and >>>> answering calls on my MacBook, but I can wait. I know for a fact that a >>>> VoiceOver lag will bother me in the extreme, and the very first thing I >>>> did was read Applevis's article on the bugs, even though I had no >>>> intention of updating right away. I am currently content, and I await >>>> Yosemite's evolution. >>>> Christine >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "MacVisionaries" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >> To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "MacVisionaries" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >> To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. 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