Text-To-Speech on Phones: Nuance Talks

[Kirk Reiser]

I also am very interested in getting speakup running on the open
source gnu/linux based phones coming along.  I have slowly been
building an open embedded platform for compiling and am trying to
decide what device to buy.  It is a bit difficult because I don't
really like phones; okay that's an understatement, I hate phones, so I
don't know that much about them.  There is a phone produced by a
company named FIC called the Neo1973 which has just been released for
purchase to developers.  I believe it sells for $350.00 and they say
it is the cheapist linux base phone available.  That's USD of course.

The Levelstar Icon PDA has gsm phone and gps capability and the
advantage that it is designed specifically for the blind by blinks
themselves.  It comes with a large amount of software already built-in
and working so there's no waiting for software to catch up with the
technology.  Well, almost no wait.  The Icon's software is still in
the early stages of development but quite useful.  It comes in at
$1400.00 without the phone or gps chips which will cost extra.  I
believe the docking station is another $400.00.  Once again prices are
USD.

The drawback I see with the NEO1973 is it only has a touch screen for
input so some sort of template would need to be developed before
blinks could use it.  Templates for the blind community is one of the
items already on the wish list but who knows how long it will be
before somebody does it.

This is the early stages of open source PDA/phones so I think we have
a lot to look forward to.  Anyone interested in working on this stuff
speak up 'grin' and we'll try to determine how to break up tasks.  I
as usual am extremely busy so if it is me myself doing the work it
will be a long time in coming.  If however we can build a core team of
technically capable hackers we can do it much faster.

  Kirk

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Kirk Reiser				The Computer Braille Facility
e-mail: kirk at braille.uwo.ca		University of Western Ontario
phone: (519) 661-3061