HumanWare and Code Factory Agree to Jointly Distribute Mobile Speak Pocket and Mobile Magnifier

The HumanWare Group of Christchurch, New Zealand, and Code Factory, of Barcelona, Spain, have decided to work together to help blind people by giving them improved access to Pocket PC and PDA phone devices.

The agreement will make HumanWare the exclusive distributor for Mobile Speak Pocket and the forthcoming Mobile Magnifier in the US, Australia and New Zealand. HumanWare can distribute both of the assistive technology products also in the UK and Canada.

“We are delighted to be able to offer this exciting product to customers,” says Jonathan Mosen, product marketing manager for Mobile Speak Pocket at HumanWare. He added that HumanWare has plans to release a range of assistive technology products for blind people. “With Mobile Speak Pocket and Mobile magnifier, we have the best products in the industry to meet the needs of those who wish to purchase off-the-shelf PDAs and run Pocket PC applications such as Pocket Word, Pocket Outlook, Pocket Excel, Pocket messenger, the Audible Player, and Pocket Skype.”

According to Jonathan Mosen, cellular networks using the CDMA standard can particularly benefit from the agreement between HumanWare and Code Factory. “Blind people have had good access to some GSM-based hardware for some time, but those who wish to use networks like Sprint, Telecom New Zealand and Verizon did not have a truly accessible option until the arrival of Mobile Speak Pocket. Now, blind people have as much choice in terms of their cellular provider as do the sighted,” says Mosen.

HumanWare offers a number of assistive technology solutions and Mobile Speak Pocket is the latest addition. The company is actively revising all its current products.

According to Irja Emma Gerdes, chief marketing officer of Code Factory, the company is very pleased to be working with HumanWare. The collaboration will help both the companies to capitalize on others’ strengths. “Both Code Factory and HumanWare have a reputation for innovative user interface and strong product support. With HumanWare’s extensive reach in its major markets, Mobile Speak Pocket will be even easier to obtain with quality local support,” says Gerdes.