Vision- and hearing-impaired consumers can get some assistance from their wireless devices with two announcements this week.
Danger Inc. has added new features to make its hiptop2 device useful for the hearing impaired, the company announced Wednesday. The California-based manufacturer incorporated a more powerful vibration motor and added software for recurring notifications that must be acknowledged by the user.
Additionally, two Internet applications have been added that help hearing-impaired users connect with a relay operator to make calls.
“Deaf and hard-of-hearing consumers are an important and passionate segment of the hiptop community,” said Hank Nothhaft, Danger’s chairman and chief executive officer. “We hope that these improvements will make on-the-go communication easier and faster for these customers.”
The hiptop2 will be on the market as the T-Mobile Sidekick II by the end of the month.
Meanwhile, Cingular Wireless launched a speech-enabled application to give vision-impaired consumers access to wireless text messages, appointment calendars and contact lists, as well as allowing them to check battery levels and signal strength. Compatible with only the Nokia 6620, the Talks application converts on-screen menus, instructions and content into speech on the phone’s internal speaker or through a headset.
The application was created by Cingular and software developer ScanSoft, Inc. Talks software retails for $199, but Cingular is offering a $199 service credit rebate to sight-impaired customers who sign two-year commitments.
