SpeechPAK TALKS for Speech-Enabled Mobile Phones

ScanSoft distributes a speech solution for the Symbian Series 60 and 80 mobile phones. With the acquisition of the German company Brand & Gröber Communications, ScanSoft now offers a smart solution for the blind and visually impaired.

The software works with the phone’s existing interface to read aloud the phone’s text display such as menus, contacts and short messages in a natural-sounding, synthesized voice. It has been specifically designed to make handsets accessible to blind and visually impaired users.

According to the World Health Organization, there are more than 180 million people who are blind or have low vision, and the visually impaired population has expanded more than 50% in the last decade. SpeechPAK TALKS system enables users to have full access to features and information on their mobile phones - from short text messages to caller ID - read aloud to them in a natural-sounding voice.

SpeechPAK TALKS provides users with the information such as email, text messages and incoming calls, and provides a unique caller ID function that enables users to learn who is calling without picking up the phone. Typical caller ID features are visually based, and force the blind or low-vision caller to answer the phone to learn who is calling. With SpeechPAK TALKS, the caller’s identity is read aloud to the user in a voice that is configurable and easy to understand. In addition, speech-enabled access to features, such as battery and signal strength.

“The SpeechPAK TALKS application turns a standard, mainstream handset into an actual ‘talking phone’,” said Alan Schwartz, vice president of embedded solutions for SpeechWorks, a division of ScanSoft. “While SpeechPAK TALKS was originally designed to meet the needs of the blind and low-vision community, its implications are far-reaching, and have broader use in the mainstream market, such as automotive and consumer devices, where legislation is mandating hands-free access to information.”

Source: ScanSoft Inc.