Tim,
Some things you need to figure out before going forward:
- What operating system will you be using?
- Will this just be a touchscreen monitor at a stationary location (using a pc box) or will you be using a laptop or other mobile computer?
If it is stationary, Windows XP will work nicely. If it is mobile, you could either use Windows XP, Windows XP with Tablet Extension, Windows XP Tablet. With a big enough screen, the ability to create buttons large enough for calling could be easily done. I rented a room from a man who had limited use of his fingers and was bound to a wheelchair. Although he managed to be able to use a standard phone, I could see he struggled with it much of the time. I would say a 2 inch wide by 1½ inch tall button would be sufficient. Allow about 3/4 of an inch between the buttons as a safety buffer.
The guys who worked on the SipXTapiDotNet project did a really great job. I can help you out with the basics of connectivity if you go down that path, as that is what I used. In case you haven't seen it yet, the link to it is here:
http://sipx-wiki.calivia.com/index.php/SipXtapi_User_Agent_Projects
It is listed under ".NET bindings:".
For a truly mobile situation, such as someone who is bound to a wheelchair, I would use a laptop configuration. Set up the laptop to allow you to close the cover, but do not turn off the power or hibernate. You should then hook up a custom touchscreen monitor to the external VGA port. This should allow you full access to sleep, so you conserve battery when you are not making calls. Since you mention difficulty to dial calls every time, be sure to include a method of storing and dialing from a contact list. This would allow them to push one button to access the list, select a contact, then hit Dial.
The project intrigues me greatly and I would be happy to help you with any questions you have and will help you where I can, from design to implementation.
Best of luck to you and I look forward to hearing more about your progress.
>Objective: develop touch screen based UI to assist physically disabled in using a telephone
>
>Approach: SIP softphone with specially designed GUI for use with a touch screen monitor
>
>Request: I need some suggestions/recommendations for a stable, SIP softphone library with an API I can interface to using VisualStudio 5.0 and either c++ or c#
>-----------------------
>Details:
>
>I am trying to help people who have very limited use of their hands. Typical capabilities/limitations include:
>- cannot grasp a telephone handset
>- cannot handle a phone book or use a computer keyboard affectively
>- often will have poor eye-site and therefore need large characters displayed
>- Can use a speaker phone except they have significant difficulty dialing a phone even if the phone has large buttons. The problem is that they find it very difficult to touch only the dial buttons of >interest and not accidentally touch an adjacent one while dialing.
>
>There is a proven technique for using a touch screen monitor (like a Point-Of-Sale terminal in a restaurant). The trick is to take a clear piece of 1/8" plexi-glass the size and shape of the touch screen
>and drill an array of nickel sized holes in the plastic. When this plastic is overlaid on top of the touch screen it allows the user to steady the side of his/her hand on the plastic and then twist their
>wrist to cause their finger to rotate into the desired hole in the plastic.
>
>To utilize a modified touch screen in this way the user interface must be designed so that all the active areas on the screen (buttons, etc.) are centered under one of the holes in the plastic. I am
>actively working on a UI now and have attached a few prototype screen shots. The program I am working on takes into consideration the screen resolution and physical size and automatically adjusts >the position of the active controls so they are centered under a hole in the plastic.
>
>A little about me:
>- masters degrees in both electrical engineering and computer science
>- many years experience as a system integrator and embedded system developer
>
>An help/suggestions would be most appreciated.
>
>Thanks in advance,
>
>Tim
>[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Radeco Solutions D2M Technologies
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