[gui-talk] Fwd: Oratio for BlackBerry ® is now available

[Corbb O'Connor]

From: "HumanWare" <<mailto:marcom at humanware.com>marcom at humanware.com>
Date: February 1, 2010 11:56:55 AM EST
To: "Corbb O'Connor" <<mailto:corbbo at gmail.com>corbbo at gmail.com>
Subject: Oratio for BlackBerry ® is now available
Reply-To: <mailto:marcom at humanware.com>marcom at humanware.com



<http://hcamarketing.cmail1.com/t/y/l/olkkhd/ulkiiluyi/r>
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Oratio for BlackBerry® is now available

Longueuil, QC, Canada and Barcelona, Spain, 
February 1st, 2010 – HumanWare and Code Factory 
are pleased to announce that Oratio for 
BlackBerry(R) smartphones is now available for 
purchase. Formally known as Orator for BlackBerry 
smartphones, Oratio is the first screen reader 
software solution that enables visually impaired 
users to access and operate BlackBerry 
smartphones using state of the art Text-To-Speech 
technology to convert the visual information 
displayed on the BlackBerry smartphone screen 
into a intuitive speech output. This enables its 
users to use BlackBerry smartphones to increase 
their independence and productivity in today's competitive world.
image of a BlackBerry® with Orator software.

Orator user


The name was changed from Orator to Oratio to 
avoid any confusion with an existing product 
called Orator being manufactured by a 
telecommunications company in the USA. "Although 
we got accustomed to the name Orator for 
BlackBerry in the last few months, Oratio is less 
generic and provides a more personalized name and 
sound for the product" says Michel Pepin, Product Manager at HumanWare.


Availability:

Oratio will first be released in North America in 
English, supporting the BlackBerry Curve 8520 
smartphone from AT&T, available through online 
purchasing from 
<http://hcamarketing.cmail1.com/t/y/l/olkkhd/ulkiiluyi/y>www.oratio4bb.com 
for $449 US for a single license. Support for 
additional BlackBerry smartphone models and 
languages will be available in subsequent versions of Oratio.

Oratio is the product of the joint collaborative 
efforts between HumanWare, Code Factory, the 
leading provider of screen reader technology and 
maker of Mobile Speak, and Research In Motion 
(RIM), the maker of the award winning portfolio 
of BlackBerry products and solutions. Oratio 
users will experience more freedom and 
independence in their activities with the ability 
to stay connected anytime, anywhere. Users will 
also experience greater flexibility to manage 
their day-to-day activities in ways that are most 
convenient for them, increase their productivity 
and achieve more by quickly and efficiently accessing information they need.

Oratio also provides employers with an 
accommodation solution for blind and visually 
impaired employees that leverages an 
organization's existing investment in BlackBerry 
infrastructure and technologies.

Feature rich, through its easy to use menu and 
efficient shortcut keys, Oratio will provide users with:
    * Intuitive and familiar audio user interface.
    * Easy-to-use customization options for frequently used settings.
    * Auto start mode when the device turns on.
    * Different verbosity levels to allow users 
to define the amount of information provided.
    * Keyboard echo settings for text entry.
    * Easy to use command structure.
    * Support for BlackBerry smartphone's core applications.

BlackBerry smartphones offer multiple 
applications essential in a business environment. 
Oratio was designed to support the core 
application found on the BlackBerry smatrtphones 
allowing visually impaired users to:
    * Manage instant messaging, emails, SMS and MMS.
    * Make and receive calls with access to caller ID on incoming calls.
    * Manage contact list and call log.
    * Schedule appointments and tasks with alarms and reminders.
    * Access to the phone's settings, ring tones, speed dials and voice tags.

"Oratio is the first screen reader solution for a 
JavaME operating software (O/S). While this first 
release version may not answer each specific 
individual user's needs, HumanWare, with the 
joint collaboration of RIM and Code Factory, 
remain dedicated and committed to the future 
development growth of the product. We invite 
Oratio users to share their experiences with the 
product. This will provide us with directions on 
how to improve their BlackBerry smartphone 
experience" says Michel Pepin. "Our goal is to 
provide equal access to visually impaired users 
by enabling them to access and operate BlackBerry 
devices in a manner that is functionally 
equivalent to solutions offered to sighted BlackBerry users".


About HumanWare

HumanWare 
(<http://hcamarketing.cmail1.com/t/y/l/olkkhd/ulkiiluyi/j>www.humanware.com) 
is the global leader in assistive technologies 
for the print disabled. HumanWare provides 
products to people who are blind or have low 
vision and students with learning disabilities. 
HumanWare offers a collection of innovative 
products, including BrailleNote, the leading 
productivity device for the blind in education, 
business and for personal use; the Victor Reader 
product line, the world's leading digital 
audiobook players; the SmartView family of 
handheld and desktop electronic magnifiers; and 
myReader2, HumanWare's unique "auto-reader". For 
more information about HumanWare, visit 
<http://hcamarketing.cmail1.com/t/y/l/olkkhd/ulkiiluyi/t>www.humanware.com.


About Code Factory

Code Factory is the leading provider of screen 
readers, screen magnifiers, and Braille 
interfaces for the widest range of mainstream 
mobile devices. Our mission is to break down 
barriers to the accessibility of mobile 
technology for the blind and visually impaired. 
Our accessible solutions are used in more than 50 
countries and 30 languages. Among Code Factory's 
customers are well known organizations for the 
blind such as ONCE, and carriers such as AT&T, 
Bouygues Telecom, SFR, and Vodafone. To learn 
more about Code Factory, visit 
<http://hcamarketing.cmail1.com/t/y/l/olkkhd/ulkiiluyi/i>http://www.codefactory.es.
©2010 HumanWare. 
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