Hi, I was definitely put off by how the article characterizes blind people's use of touch screen devices. It suggests that the author doesn't know much about how effectively blind people actually use them. Whether the people who built the watch share this ignorance is impossible to tell from the article. I was really skeptical of the Bookworm, an eight-cell braille display, until I saw one, at which point I was a lot more impressed than I thought I would be. So I wouldn't consider buying one of these watches unless I'd had a chance to see one in action or heard from experienced blind people that it was worth it, but I'm trying to ignore the attitude of the article's author and keep an open mind.
Best, Anna > On Aug 14, 2015, at 9:05 AM, SSEric <sseri...@gmail.com> wrote: > > I wonder how much of the information in the article can be trusted. Maybe the > author is just ignorant but the blind has Seri read to them? Not a whole lot; > VoiceOver does the reading… > > E > > > From: viphone@googlegroups.com [mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of > Devin Prater > Sent: Friday, August 14, 2015 1:07 AM > To: viphone@googlegroups.com > Subject: Re: A Braille Smart Watch? > > Now if this company is actually real, more real than that laughable "braigo" > crap that's been around for years but hasn't done a thing, then I might just > have to look into this. But as I said before, they need to make an > inexpensive braille display before they get" to my heart. The watch will only > be a piece of bread in my belly. The display, though, will be the meat and > cheese. > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Aug 13, 2015, at 12:23 PM, Richard Turner <richardturne...@outlook.com > <mailto:richardturne...@outlook.com>> wrote: > >> I know nothing more than what is in the article below. This was in an Email >> I received today from the National Braille Press. I thought some folks might >> be interested. >> >> The link to the article is at the end. >> >> Now The Blind Can Read Texts On This New Braille Smartwatch >> >> Giving the blind one more technological tool to make life easier >> >> By Alexandra Ossola >> Posted July 28, 2015 >> >> now-blind-can-read-texts-shifting-braille-smartwatch# >> >> Touchscreens are not conducive to the blind as they cannot see the shifting >> pixels on the smooth device. That has not only slowed down the technological >> literacy for the blind, but has also impaired their reading literacy, >> cutting them off from most information that isn't published in print. Some >> tech companies have found workarounds, like having Siri read texts or >> creating braille e-readers, but they are often clunky and expensive. >> >> A South Korean startup company may have finally found a solution. They >> created >> Dot >> , the first braille smartwatch, complete with shifting cells of dots. This >> inexpensive gadget could help the blind catch up to the age of smartwatches, >> the sales of which have increased 475 percent in the last year thanks to the >> Apple Watch. But it could also be used as an educational tool. >> >> “Until now, if you got a message on iOS from your girlfriend, for example, >> you had to listen to Siri read it to you in that voice, which is >> impersonal,” Dot CEO Eric Ju Yoon Kim told >> Tech in Asia >> . “Wouldn’t you rather read it yourself and hear your girlfriend’s voice >> saying it in your head?” >> >> The Dot wearable looks like a cross between a Fitbit and a Pebble Time, >> Alphr notes >> . On its face, it has four cells each with six active dots, which can raise >> or lower to make four braille letters at a time. It links up with Bluetooth >> to convert text from apps like iMessage into their braille letter >> equivalents with the user’s voice commands. The device can last for five >> days without stopping to charge. >> >> One key feature of the Dot wearable is its cost. Unlike braille e-readers, >> which can cost thousands of dollars, the device is slated to cost less than >> $300 when it hits the U.S. market in December. >> >> But Dot envisions bringing braille beyond the wrist. The inventors have >> tested braille screen modules at ATMs and train stations, programming them >> to display information that regularly changes, such as account balances or >> train schedules. After the wearable’s launch in December, the startup will >> shift towards the public sector, which it anticipates could be its largest >> market. >> >> http://www.popsci.com/now-blind-can-read-texts-shifting-braille-smartwatch >> <http://www.popsci.com/now-blind-can-read-texts-shifting-braille-smartwatch> >> >> -- >> The following information is important for all members of the viphone list. >> All new members to the this list are moderated by default. If you have any >> questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel that a >> member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators >> directly rather than posting on the list itself. 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