Thursday, June 18, 2009

Finally!

After years and years of having a cell phone, I finally can do more than just talk on my phone. Thanks to advancements in assistive technology for cellular phones, I can now text message, browse the internet, listen to music, send and receive e-mails, manage the phonebook, and change my ring-tones, all independently.

Of course, being able to send a text message is not an essential part of my life. But for many years I was blocked out of being able make the most of my phone, simply because accessibility was not an option for so many cell phone manufacturers.

And because barriers absolutely bother me, I was always annoyed that I couldn't do a simple task like enter a name in the phonebook of my cell phone. So, for the last 15 years, I've hoped that technology would be created to knock those barriers down. And finally, there are companies that are dedicated to creating a product that is accessible for blind cell phone consumers. Yipee!!!

The program I use is Mobile Speak for Windows. This program was created by Code Factory. And it works marvelously on my Palm Treo.

I'm able to do almost anything on my phone, like a sighted person would. Of course, I'm having to not only learn how to use the Treo; I'm having to learn how to use the Mobile Speak as well. That's a little challenging. But the rewards far outweigh the time and energy I'm having to use to learn the phone.

The greatest benefit of having speech on my phone is the feature that allows me to enter information into my phonebook. For so many years, I was not able to save phone numbers. That was fine when my memory was in tip top condition. But now that I'm getting a little older, being able to have a telephone number in an easily accessible format is incredibly important. Already, after only having my phone for a couple months, I have 150 contacts saved in my phone. I suspect that number will increase over time.

Another aspect of my phone I enjoy is the possibility of sending someone a quick text message. So many times, I need to say something to someone, but do not want to actually call them. Texting truly works in those situations.

If you want to learn more about Mobile Speak, visit the manufacturer's website.
http://www.codefactory.com

Blessings!
Angie

1 comment:

LISA VAZQUEZ said...

Hey there Angela!

Be sure that you let the company KNOW that you are writing about their product because my friend told me that there are companies who will send all sorts of free products for blind persons to try out and write about... companies always want to know how different consumers are using their products and they ESPECIALLY love when they receive kudos for the product developments from persons who aren't being paid to plug their products!!