Why are they only testing Alpha software in this country because thee-mail I forwarded referred to Beta software. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Steve Nutt" <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2010 8:53 AM Subject: [access-uk] Re: LookTel smartphone software Hi George, You miss the point completely. Alpha testers should be blind as well as sighted. I alpha test software, and with a modicum of common sense, it doesn't have to be as dire as you state. I would go further, even some of the programmers should be blind. All the best Steve -----Original Message----- From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of George Bell Sent: Monday 26 April 2010 22:43 To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [access-uk] Re: LookTel smartphone software As Glen has clearly stated, he only has alpha software, which is never considered anywhere near beta. And a golden rule with any alpha product is to never, ever, let alpha software out to critical end users like yourself, or you'll kill it stone dead. George. -----Original Message----- From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Steve Nutt Sent: 26 April 2010 22:14 To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [access-uk] Re: LookTel smartphone software Hi Paul, Interesting that Jackie hasn't seen it yet, so who has seen it who is VI? One of my biggest bugbears with any software is that it should be tested primarily by the target user group. All the best Steve -----Original Message----- From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Paul Leake Sent: Monday 26 April 2010 12:10 To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [access-uk] Re: LookTel smartphone software what about the quality of the voice? what are your visually impaired staff's thoughts? Cheers Paul paul.leake@xxxxxxxxxxxx ----- Original Message ----- From: "Glenn Tookey" <Glenn.Tookey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Monday, April 26, 2010 9:20 AM Subject: [access-uk] Re: LookTel smartphone software Iphone, not yet, the developers think they have a better interface for low vision. Yes, the phone has its own screen reader, which should let you into the messages, calls etc. My alpha version does not have all of this functionality, but it handles the touchscreen in a very clever way which makes it really easy to use. Regards Glenn -----Original Message----- From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Steve Nutt Sent: 26 April 2010 08:04 To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [access-uk] Re: LookTel smartphone software Hi Will, You can bet it probably will, although the camera on the iPhone sucks big time, so OCR won't work so well. All the best Steve -----Original Message----- From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of william lomas Sent: Monday 26 April 2010 07:21 To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [access-uk] Re: LookTel smartphone software will it be on iphone s well? On 26 Apr 2010, at 07:15, Alistair wrote:
Hi Glen, this is very helpful, one other question please? Regarding
subscription payments, will this be from card debit or will bank direct debit be possible?
Thanks Alistair ----- Original Message ----- From: "Glenn Tookey"
<Glenn.Tookey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Monday, April 26, 2010 6:49 AM Subject: [access-uk] Re: LookTel smartphone software Hi Alistair, Yes, it will have its own screen reader which also drives the other
phone functions. OCR should be up to KNFB standard, Symbian platform after 6 months i'm told. Not sure about GPS detail yet. The idea is to have a high quality all in one package that does not need the user to buy other products to make it work, such as a screen reader. The functionality is still taking shape.
Regards Glenn -----Original Message----- From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Alistair
Sent: 25 April 2010 21:24 To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [access-uk] Re: LookTel smartphone software Hi Glen, some questions: Will this be self-voicing? will the gprs be similar to wayfinder? Will the OCR be like bayo or KNFB? will it be ever available on the Symbian platform? I can see the benifit of purchasing one all-in-one package but only
if the
quality and performance is compatible. Alistair ----- Original Message ----- From: "Glenn Tookey" <Glenn.Tookey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Sunday, April 25, 2010 8:48 PM Subject: [access-uk] Re: LookTel smartphone software I guess it has to be put into perspective. Products in this market
tend to
be one off payments of £750 or more, so you can have 30 months at
£25 a
month, and you do not have to pay up front. Often people buy
upgrades in
that sort of timeframe so the outlay for this type of product could
be lower
across the lifetime of the user and it is easier to actually get
into as you
do not have to find a large sum to start with. As with everything, it does not suit everybody. Some people would
happily
pay thousands for technology, others do not want or need it. There
are many
ways to find out what is in your larder, LookTel is just one way.
There are
many ways to find out where you are when you are out, LookTel is
just
another method. When I came into the industry I wanted to find ways of using
technology to
benefit this group of people, we search high and low for the best technologies then offer them to the market, the market will decide
if it is
good value or not. We also wanted to introduce subscription models so that people on
limited
incomes can pay as they go for products. LookTel will be priced at
around
the level of a mobile phones service and less than Sky. So, when it is ready, we will bring it to market and let the market
decide
if it is good value or not. We will certainly do all we can to drive
the
price down as far as we can. Regards Glenn -----Original Message----- From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of
Paul Leake Sent: 25 April 2010 18:31 To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [access-uk] Re: LookTel smartphone software Glen, i'd be interested in what current blind and visually impaired
employees of
sight and sound make of this product rather than the manufacturers' perspective! £25 a month sounds overpriced too I think. Cheers Paul paul.leake@xxxxxxxxxxxx ----- Original Message ----- From: "Glenn Tookey" <Glenn.Tookey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Sunday, April 25, 2010 12:45 PM Subject: [access-uk] LookTel smartphone software Hi Sight and Sound Technology will be the exclusive provider of the
LookTel
service when it launches in the UK, we are hoping that to be in June
time -
but not confirmed yet. Firstly, it will be a monthly subscription service - around £25
(again not
finalised). We are not sure of it will have OCR or GPS at launch. Secondly, it is more than just taking pictures, it is a full object recognition device. It means that once you have trained the mobile
to
recognise something - say a can of Heinz Baked Beans or Tomato Soup
or
currency... then whenever it is in recognition mode (live video over
the
internet) to its base station (normally your home PC) it will
announce to
you what it has seen when you point it at an object. This will be
very
useful in the home or outside. It takes a minute or two to snap the
images
that you want to recognise and then you are away. At a later stage
we will
have bar code reading on it, so then you will be able to go into a supermarket and find products from bar code. The GPS is coupled with live video / audio feed so that an assistant
could
guide you if you are lost. You can nominate more than one assistant
who can
log into your base station and help with recognition, training of
object,
location etc. We are considering extending this to the Sight and
Sound help
desk so that you could call us if you need some assistance. It will recognise more than just products, it will also recognise
faces and
even places ( buildings) if you snap enough images to that they can
be
recognised later. Like all of these type of products, they are not infallible, but we
have
been working with the developers for over 6 months (as have 200
blind people
in USA)to make it the type of service that really gives independence
and
mobility to those with low vision. I have one working in the UK, it
does not
use much of my data package on my mobile, so it will not be
expensive -
currently on a windows mobile phone, but the range of phones will
expand
over the first 6 months. Products such as the KNFB reader still have their own place as does Wayfinder, they all do a good job - Looktel is taking advantage of
the
advances in recognition technology and the increase in computing
power of
mobile phones. We want to be at the forefront of technology,
bringing the
best of the best to the UK market. Looktel is the next step. Watch out for more information, I'm hoping that we will be up and
running
for Sight Village. Regards Glenn Tookey CEO Sight and Sound Technology -----Original Message----- From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of
Barry Hill Sent: 25 April 2010 11:04 To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [access-uk] Re: LookTel smartphone software Thanks for this, Peter. Sounnds good, although I can already do all this with my own mobile
to a
large extent. It's got K-NFB reader on it for the OCR, Wayfinder
for the
positioning, and a camera phone that I can send photo's to a friend.
Not
quite the live video feed, but I reckon it could work just as well. Cheers Barry ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peter Beasley" <pjbeasley@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Sunday, April 25, 2010 10:46 AM Subject: [access-uk] LookTel smartphone software I got this from an american list I am subscribed to so have no idea
if or
when it willbe available in this country. We offer the following information, but caution that this is
currently in
beta. Unfortunately, as with most software of this type, it's quite expensive. This is
all the
information we currently have available. A Smartphone that Sees For You Software from LookTel on a Windows-based smartphone uses "augmented
reality"
to help the vision-impaired and elderly By: Sean Gallagher April 23, 2010 Leave a comment Source: LookTel This video shows some of the ways the LookTel application can help people with
visual
and other handicaps. A new set of software that works with relatively inexpensive smart
phones
could help visually disabled people and the elderly. Using a technology called "augmented reality", the software can help people by recognizing text, objects and
places.
Augmented Reality, or AR, uses location and visual information from
a camera
to supply a smartphone user with extra information about their surroundings.
For an
introduction to AR, you can take a look at my hands-on with Spyglass , the augmented reality navigation application. LookTel takes AR technology and applies it to a very real problem. It was
developed
by Ipplex , in partnership with the National Institutes of Health, the
National Eye
Institute, the Department of Veterans Affairs and a research organization for
aides for
the blind, to help people who can't see well or may become disoriented. The Windows Mobile application uses character recognition technology
and a
voice synthesizer to read labels to the smartphone user. All that
processing can't
be done on the smartphone, so character and object recognition software
are
part of LookTel's "base station" software, which runs on a Windows-based
home
computer. You can also add coded labels to objects , as this YouTube demonstration shows, and associate those labels with voice descriptions of objects
you put
them on. The app also can connect a user to a real person for assistance by connecting back to the application's Windows PC-based "base station" software: For more complicated visual tasks such as locating a specific street
corner
or bus stop, LookTel enables you to remotely connect to another person for assistance. Not only can you talk to them, but you can also transmit live video from
the
cell phone's camera so that they can see your surroundings and help you with
orientation,
recognizing objects and media, and more. Your position will also be shown to
them on
Google Maps using the GPS services available on smart phones. These services aim
to help
users to independently go about daily activities with the confidence that
they
will have the assistance they need anytime, anywhere. LookTel is currently in testing, and is available on pre-configured
HTC
smartphones and mobile Internet devices. Ipplex hasn't published the pricing for
the
technology, but is offering it at a discount during testing. Original Article Source http://www.techgoesstrong.com/smartphone-sees-you LookTel Website http://www.looktel.com/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <
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