[Electronics-talk] I-tell

Thu Oct 23 18:19:44 UTC 2008

hello,
 I think that the I-tell is a nice invention, but for that price, I rather 
get the forth generation ipod that has 8 GB which is $150. I might be wrong, 
but don't quote me on that yet.

The price of the I-tell is the same price of the 8 GB ipod Nano 4th 
generation from apple

Www.apple.com.

Thank you very much.

Priscilla

--------------------------------------------------
From: <electronics-talk-request at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2008 12:00 PM
To: <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Electronics-talk Digest, Vol 30, Issue 19

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> Today's Topics:
>
>   1. Cell phone  aide (David Andrews)
>   2. Accessible Devices I-Tell Talking iPod Controller (Dave Wright)
>   3. Re: Does anyone know whetherthegeorgeformanproducts are
>      accessible to us? (LINDA I FAUST)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:29:15 -0500
> From: David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>
> Subject: [Electronics-talk] Cell phone  aide
> To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org
> Message-ID: <auto-000069267846 at mailfront2.g2host.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
>
>
>>
>>A professor turns cell phones into aids for the disabled
>>
>>By CATHERINE RAMPELL
>>
>><http://chronicle.com/free/v54/i42/42a01302.htm>http://chronicle.com/free/v54/i42/42a01302.htm
>><<http://chronicle.com/free/v54/i42/42a01302.htm>http://chronicle.com/free/v54/i42/42a01302.htm
>>
>>Three years ago, in the depths of a Pittsburgh winter, Priya Narasimhan 
>>saw
>>a blind man trying to catch a bus.
>>
>>Stepping in and out of pools of slush, the man called out to passing
>>pedestrians to ask if a vehicle he heard arriving was his ride home. Buses
>>passed by.
>>
>>"We can do better than that," Ms. Narasimhan said to herself.
>>
>>Ms. Narasimhan, an associate professor of electrical and computer
>>engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, soon became the hub for student
>>research projects that develop technologies to assist the disabled by 
>>doing
>>such tasks as identifying buses or translating sign language into spoken
>>words.
>>Their
>>creations
>>turn the most ubiquitous device on a college campus - the cell phone - 
>>into
>>an independence-enhancing machine.
>>
>>Some of these endeavors are now being spun off into a small company. Ms.
>>Narasimhan's and her students' accomplishments have come after countless
>>hours of work, some for credit but much uncredited, and almost always not
>>financed
>>
>>save for a small grant cadged from the university.
>>
>>Shortly after the bus incident, Ms. Narasimhan began kicking around ideas
>>about ways to make blind people's lives easier using technology.
>>Her main
>>priorities
>>were convenience and affordability, so her first inclination was to 
>>upgrade
>>something many blind people already use: canes. Perhaps, she thought, she
>>could create a cane that would give audio clues to the surrounding
>>environment.
>>
>>In the process, she began consulting with Dan Rossi, a systems 
>>administrator
>>
>>at Carnegie Mellon who has been blind since childhood. Mr. Rossi has 
>>strong
>>views about what kinds of technologies can help blind people. He told Ms.
>>Narasimhan flatly that upgrading the cane, as other inventors have tried 
>>to
>>do, was a terrible idea.
>>
>>"A cane is a cheap tool," he said. "You know, it's 20 bucks. You can break
>>them, you can throw them away, you can get them wet, and they don't have 
>>to
>>be recharged. It's like a pencil. You really don't want to soup up a
>>pencil."
>>
>>Four Technologies
>>
>>Casting canes aside, the budding engineers starting looking at cell 
>>phones,
>>which can be bought already outfitted with text-to-speech software and 
>>which
>>many disabled people also already use. So far Ms. Narasimhan has advised
>>three student projects that adapt cell phones for use by the blind, and 
>>one
>>for use by the deaf.
>>
>>The first adaptation helps solve the problem faced by the blind man 
>>waiting
>>for the bus. Her students' software program allows users to retrieve
>>scheduled bus routes on their smart phones from the transit system's Web
>>site. The schedules are then read aloud by the phone.
>>
>>But buses tend to be off-schedule, so Ms. Narasimhan said she is also
>>lobbying the local transit authority to give her access to buses'
>>GPS
>>locations. That
>>way a blind person can know for certain if the vehicle he hears 
>>approaching
>>is the one he needs to board.
>>
>>The second project assists blind people in shopping for groceries or other
>>goods by connecting a tiny bar-code reader to a cell phone, which 
>>retrieves
>>product names from a free Universal Product Code database that is already
>>available on the Internet. This way, Mr. Rossi said, he doesn't need a
>>sighted person to help him determine if the cookie box he is holding is
>>oatmeal raisin or chocolate chip.
>>
>>Ms. Narasimhan is hoping to build a new version of the public UPC database
>>that will include nutritional information, pricing, and other details that 
>>a
>>visually impaired shopper might want to know.
>>
>>Devices already exist that allow people to create custom-made bar-codes,
>>which could be added to the new database so that blind users could label 
>>and
>>
>>then
>>identify objects at home or at work.
>>
>>The last vision-related project Ms. Narasimhan and her students have been
>>working on may receive more attention thanks to a major lawsuit.
>>
>>In May a U.S. appeals court ruled that the U.S. Treasury must change U.S.
>>paper currency to make bills accessible to the blind. Unlike paper 
>>currency
>>from most other countries, U.S. bills of different denominations are the
>>same size and have the same texture. Blind people thus must ask sighted
>>people to
>>
>>identify
>>the bills they are given, and then usually rely on folding or organizing
>>tricks to remember which bills are which.
>>
>>Ms. Narasimhan's students have provided an alternative. They have 
>>populated
>>a database with images of bills, crisp and crumpled, well lit and 
>>shadowed.
>>With special software, a blind person can take a picture of a bill using a
>>cell phone camera. The software will transmit the picture to the database
>>and name the bill based on an image match.
>>
>>There are already text-reading currency identifiers that can also read 
>>words
>>
>>from a variety of other sources. A blind person using these products must
>>zoom in directly on the word "FIVE" or number "5," though, rather than any
>>other part of the bill. Image matching, with the Carnegie Mellon system,
>>does not have this limitation, though it has the disadvantage of not being
>>able to identify unknown text such as that on menus.
>>
>>Mr. Rossi and Ms. Narasimhan said that for years they have been trying to
>>get the ear of the Treasury Department - the defendant in the currency
>>accessibility suit - about this project.
>>
>>"My point to them was 'You guys can either spend a whole lot of money
>>modifying your currency or you could just buy a bunch of cell phones and
>>give them away,'" Mr. Rossi said.
>>
>>He said department officials have always wished him well but are reluctant
>>to support any particular company.
>>
>>So far Ms. Narasimhan has been financing most of the research out of her 
>>own
>>
>>pocket, though she recently secured a grant from the university for 
>>$50,000.
>>She is trying to figure out how to get the prototypes off the ground,
>>bundling them into a spinoff company called BeaconSys. When talking to
>>potential financers, she and Mr. Rossi emphasize ways that this software
>>created to help blind people could be useful to sighted customers - for
>>example, the bus-schedule software would be helpful to anyone using public
>>transportation - thereby expanding the market and bringing down prices.
>>
>>Attracting Outside Interest
>>
>>"I don't know what our exact price point will be, but it will be in the 
>>tens
>>
>>of dollars," rather than the hundreds or even thousands of dollars that
>>specialized devices for the blind like currency readers and bar-code
>>scanners currently sell for, Mr. Rossi said.
>>
>>Major national blind organizations have also shown interest, though Mr.
>>Rossi says he is wary of aligning the projects too closely with either
>>group.
>>
>>"The two main organizations, the National Federation of the Blind and the
>>American Council of the Blind, are kind of along the lines of Democrats 
>>and
>>Republicans.
>>They hate each other, and if one says one thing, the other is against it,"
>>he said, noting that the NFB has sharply criticized the AFB's lawsuit
>>against the Treasury. "We're not getting into bed with anybody just yet."
>>
>>While trying to secure backing for the technology projects for the blind,
>>Ms. Narasimhan has also been advising a nascent project that uses
>>text-to-speech software on cell phones to assist the deaf. This project
>>involves a gesture-recognition glove that can translate hand movements, 
>>such
>>as American Sign Language, into spoken words. When a deaf person wearing 
>>the
>>glove makes a sign, sensors in the glove translate each hand position into
>>words that are then read aloud by the cell phone's text-to-speech 
>>software.
>>That way, the deaf person can communicate with a hearing person who 
>>doesn't
>>know ASL.
>>
>>This project is still in the early stages and right now can translate only 
>>a
>>
>>few test gestures - a thumbs-up sign triggers the phrase "Go, Pens!," for
>>example, in honor of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
>>
>>Despite the financial straits Ms. Narasimhan's students say they are in, 
>>and
>>
>>the fact that they are no longer receiving course credit for this work, 
>>they
>>devote many late nights and weekends to the assistive-technology projects.
>>"I spend a little more time on this stuff than I should be, at least if I
>>want to graduate anytime soon," said Patrick E. Lanigan, a graduate 
>>student
>>who has been working on the technologies for the blind. But, he and his
>>colleagues say, in this kind of work, they are motivated by more than the
>>desire to obtain a degree, and have learned to get a lot of work done even
>>when resources are scarce.
>>
>>"This has mostly been a soup-kitchen kind of project," says Ms.
>>Narasimhan.
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:30:05 -0500
> From: "Dave Wright" <gymnastdave at sbcglobal.net>
> Subject: [Electronics-talk] Accessible Devices I-Tell Talking iPod
> Controller
> To: "Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances"
> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: General discussions on all topics relating to the use of Mac OS
> Xby the blind <discuss at macvisionaries.com>
> Message-ID: <17DE4F563D1F47998966690B08DA2BA7 at davee984e49f02>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Accessible Devices I-Tell Talking iPod Controller
> This is all the information we have on this
> device. Some of you may find this interesting.
> NEW!I-Tell Talking iPod Controller
> "You Can Make Your iPod Talk!"
> Item#: 308355
> Your Price: $149.95
> . Simply plugs into your iPod
> . Allows your I-Pod to announce stored
> Artists, Album Titles, Song Titles and Audio
> Books
> . 5 main buttons plus 2 for volume
> . No batteries; powered by the iPod
> . Includes removable belt clip
> This unique product is ideal for the blind and
> those with low vision. It enables
> your existing iPod to announce your stored
> artists, album titles, song titles and
> audio books. The I-Tell simply plugs into your
> iPod and your earphones plug into
> the I-Tell; you then control your iPod through the controls on the I-Tell.
> You can also connect other devices such as a
> radio transmitter or charger to your
> iPod while using the I-Tell. It features 5 main
> control buttons which work in a similar
> way to an iPod, with 2 additional buttons to
> control the volume. The unit has an
> additional setup menu, which enables you to
> choose the voice style, voice speed and
> the gaps between words. And it's economical to
> operate: since it is powered by the
> iPod, the I-Tell requires no batteries.
> Compatible with most iPods which have a docking
> connector. Compatible with all generations
> of the Nano as well the the classic and the
> Video. Not compatible with the iPod shuffle,
> the iTouch or either generation of the iPhone.
> Note: Do not plug your iPod into a
> computer while the I-Tell is connected to it.
> Includes built-in metal clip to attach to your
> belt, clothing, purse or briefcase.
> Measures 4.5" Long x 1.5" Wide x 0.5" Thick.
> http://www.maxiaids.com/store/prodView.asp?
> idstore=0&idproduct=7655&idCategory=&category=&product=I-Tell_Talking_iPod_Controller
>
>
>
> Best Regards:
> David Wright
>
> Email: dwrigh6 at uic.edu
> Mobile: 832-518-0707
>
> http://www.knfbreader.com
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2008 22:33:46 -0400
> From: "LINDA I FAUST" <lfaust1 at verizon.net>
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] Does anyone know
> whetherthegeorgeformanproducts are accessible to us?
> To: "Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances"
> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Message-ID: <001301c934b7$c67c1550$2f01a8c0 at tower>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> reply-type=original
>
> Hi,
>
> OK, great, so have you grilled salmon, and do you know where to get 
> recipes
> that can be used just bytiming when it's done?
>
> Linda
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Jacob Struiksma" <lawnmower84 at hotmail.com>
> To: "Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances"
> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2008 2:19 PM
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] Does anyone know
> whetherthegeorgeformanproducts are accessible to us?
>
>
>>I grill fish  all of time on my gorge Forman grill
>> from
>> Jacob Struiksma
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "LINDA I FAUST" <lfaust1 at verizon.net>
>> To: "Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances"
>> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Sunday, October 19, 2008 6:12 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] Does anyone know whetherthe
>> georgeformanproducts are accessible to us?
>>
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I used to be on a listserve of visuallyimpaired people, and quite a few
>> people thought the grill wasaccesssible and easy to use.
>>
>> A neighbor of mine gave me asmall George Foreman grill, but it just has a
>> button to turn it on and off, with a temperature selection.  It also has 
>> a
>> bread warmer which I don't know how to use.
>>
>> By the way, has anyone ever made vegetables or salmon on the grill?
>>
>> Linda
>>
>> P.S.  About a timer, I set the alarm on my talking watch (smile).
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "debbi williamson" <debbi107 at atlanticbb.net>
>> To: "Discussion of accessible electronics andappliances"
>> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Friday, October 17, 2008 7:32 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] Does anyone know whether the
>> georgeformanproducts are accessible to us?
>>
>>
>>> My Gf Grill has both a temperature setting and a timer.  The
>>> temperature setting goes from somewhing like 325 to 425 and 25
>>> min.  increments, I believe.  The timer is there but I don't use
>>> it so I don't remember how it works.  , think it goes in 1 min.
>>> increments.  My grill beeps when it gets to the correct
>>> temperature but the only way I can be sure of what the
>>> temperature is set namen is to use my Optacon--now, there's a
>>> real piece of technology--to read the very large, easy-to-read
>>> display.  All of that aside, I got it because I could take the
>>> plate off to wash them and that is easier, I think than some of
>>> the other models.  Mine came from QVC.
>>>
>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>From: "Jerry White" <MidwayVI at surry.net
>>>>To: "'Discussion of accessible electronics and
>>> appliances'"<electronics-talk at nfbnet.org
>>>>Date sent: Tue, 14 Oct 2008 23:55:13 -0400
>>>>Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] Does anyone know whether the
>>> georgeforman products are accessible to us?
>>>
>>>>The george forman grills that I have seen do not have temp
>>> settings or
>>>>timers.  I had to buy a talking timer seperate.  I set it for
>>> like 5 min.
>>>>when I plug the grill in and that pre-heats it.  Then, I set it
>>> for whatever
>>>>time I need depending on the meat involved.  The grill just heats
>>> up and
>>>>stays one temp until you unplug it.
>>>
>>>
>>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>>From: electronics-talk-bounces+midwayvi=surry.net at nfbnet.org
>>>>[mailto:electronics-talk-bounces+midwayvi=surry.net at nfbnet.org]
>>> On Behalf Of
>>>>David ingram
>>>>Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 11:32 PM
>>>>To: Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances
>>>>Subject: [Electronics-talk] Does anyone know whether the george
>>> forman
>>>>products are accessible to us?
>>>
>>>>Hi list members, i'd like to know whether anyone might know
>>> whether the
>>>>George forman products are accessible to us in terms of those
>>> products that
>>>>might have temperature controls or themomitors and or also timers
>>> so that we
>>>>can know when food is done?  I would appreciate any information
>>> that you
>>>>might have.  Thank you.
>>>>_______________________________________________
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>>>
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