deafTECH

The holiday season is here, and of course, that means we all need to think of some gifts. Here are several ideas for you to get started!

You may want to consider giving a digital camera – especially for those with younger kids – you can snap all the pictures you want, and print only the best ones! You will be able to get a great 3 megapixel (MP) camera for around $200 these days. Taking pictures with at least a 3 MP camera will allow you to make good prints at any size up to 8″x10″. You should ignore all references to digital zoom, and focus on the camera’s optical zoom. However, you may want to look at cameras that incorporate “image stabilization” which will mean less blurry photos taken at full telephoto length. I strongly recommend you write down your needs (budget, flash, zoom, MP, memory card type, battery type, camera size, etc) and visit Digital Photography Review’s Buying Guide [1] to narrow down your choices and to see what they have to say about the cameras you may be interested in. Some good additions to the camera are a separate memory card reader, a spare battery (if the camera you choose has a special battery), a belt case, etc.

Other gift ideas could include USB flash drives [2], keychain LED lights (useful for signaling your deaf friend from the curb of the airport!) [3], force-feedback joysticks/gamepads for your PC [4], or even an subscription to a tech magazine such as PC World [5], Macworld [6], or Popular Science[7].

Are you looking for the best deals out there on tech (and regular too!) stuff for a particular person? Visit DealNews [8] and/or DealMac [9] to get the scoop! (Many thanks to reader Glenn Lockhart for suggesting the topic for this week’s column!)

Happy Gift Shopping!

[1] http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp
[2] http://www.deaftech.info/2004/10/1024_deafdigest.html
[3] http://www.photonlight.com/
[4] http://tinyurl.com/4bt7r
[5] http://www.pcworld.com/
[6] http://www.macworld.com/
[7] http://www.popsci.com/
[8] http://dealnews.com/
[9] http://dealmac.com/

T-Mobile [1] just started selling another phone with keyboard: Motorola’s new A630 wireless phone [2]. It comes with an AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) [3] client, a camera, and Bluetooth. The phone is quite small, and flips open to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard – the overall design will remind people of Motorola’s text pagers. The keyboard seems to be spaced quite nicely, and Motorola has predictive text software that assists with typing. CNET has a mostly positive review of the A630 [4], but it appears that the phone can not be purchased without a voice service plan like the Sidekick. The cheapest T-Mobile plan seems to include 60 anytime and 500 weekend voice minutes for $19.99 plus unlimited data for another $20 for a monthly payment of $39.99. Various dealers such as Deafpager.com [5], as well as Amazon.com, are offering the A630 with good rebates, making the phone cheap or even free in some cases. It’s nice to see another wireless phone with keyboard on the market – it gives us much more choice!

[1] http://www.tmobile.com
[2] http://tinyurl.com/4gq53
[3] http://www.aim.com
[4] http://tinyurl.com/3nbhw
[5] http://www.deafpager.com/models/A630.html

Thanksgiving is coming this week, and I thought it only appropriate to use this weekend’s column to give thanks for various recent advances in technology that have really benefited the deaf:

1. Videoconferencing/Video Relay Services – this past year has really seen Videoconferencing and Video Relay Services come to the forefront. We should give thanks to Sorenson [1] who has aggressively promoted their videophones and VRS services, making them household terms within the deaf community. They have set the standard for other providers – and other providers such as Sprint and HOVRS have stepped up to the plate with their various VRS offerings within this hot new arena of technology that enables communication for the deaf.

2. Internet-based Relay Services – Internet-based Relay Service providers really started thinking outside the box – that is, the traditional web based interface. Everyone has some form of this interface. Many thanks to MCI [2] for having the vision to change the landscape of internet-based relay service by enabling various internet-based services to work with relay such as AOL Instant Messenger. You used to have Java and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer web browser or a specialized software application like NexTalk just to use Internet Relay. Nowadays you only need an AIM client to send and receive relay calls! Other providers such as Sprint and Hamilton are following suit with Sidekick and AIM-based solutions of their own. Things can only get better for the users – us!

3. Market shift from specialized pagers to consumer mobile phones – The RIM 850/950 pager has been replaced by the T-Mobile Sidekick [3] within the deaf community as the wireless device of choice. We should be thankful that T-Mobile saw the opportunity for a consumer-level device that would be made available everywhere for cheap. The deaf community used to have to pay premiums just to use what were considered business-level pagers/services that had to be bought from specialized dealers. Now you can go to the local T-Mobile store to get a Sidekick, and you can even browse their in-store displays that have multiple wireless devices with keyboards! No need to make do with the only affordable device on the market anymore. This fall there will be at least 20 different wireless devices with keyboards available!

These are just three of the technology innovations for the deaf that really have stood out over the past year, that I am thankful for. I am eager to see what the coming year will bring for us!

[1] http://www.sorensonvrs.com
[2] http://www.ip-relay.com
[3] http://www.t-mobile.com

Many solutions have come forth for accessing relay from your wireless pager – but the majority have all been about making calls to relay from the pager – and those that did help you get calls – just were too complicated to explain to hearing people. It just wasn’t as simple as memorizing a phone number and dialing that number to reach you. Well, you will no longer be frustrated by this “imbalance” in wireless relay offerings after you hear about this new advance in relay technology!

At last weekend’s Deaf Expo West [1], MCI announced a new addition to their IP-Relay [2] family that will allow a hearing person to contact a deaf person using a personalized phone number. The days of having to explain relay, or explain how to use the special phone number along with a username, or so forth are over. Using the new My IP Relay Number [3] service from MCI, deaf AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) [4] users can receive relay calls via AIM. When you register [5] for a free My IP Relay Number, you will get assigned a free phone number that corresponds to the city and state that you specify when you register. You will be able to give out this personal phone number to hearing people and receive calls from them via AIM. MCI plans to roll out the capability to leave messages via email in “early December 2004.” [6] This free service will make it truly possible for deaf people to easily send and receive calls from hearing people wirelessly via their Sidekick or other AIM enabled device! Pah!

[1] http://www.deafexpo.com/west/
[2] http://www.ip-relay.com/
[3] http://www.ip-relay.com/number_info.htm
[4] http://www.aim.com/
[5] http://www.ip-relay.com/myiprelaynumber/ronRegister.jsp
[6] http://www.ip-relay.com/myiprelay_faq.htm

Last month, I mentioned [1] the new Ogo by AT&T Wireless [2]. After using it for a while, I came across some good tips that may not be obvious to most users. One such tip is in regards to manually checking email. The Ogo is not a “push” device, meaning that email is not immediately received on the device. The Ogo allows you to choose the time intervals between email checks – but what if you are waiting for an important email or need to see if your spouse got your message and has sent you a response, etc? You don’t need to worry. You can easily force the Ogo to check your email immediately by pressing the Ogo button, then going to the navigation pad and pressing the down key on the outside of the navigation pad. When you see “Send/Receive” selected on the Ogo screen, press enter. Wait a few moments to see if the Ogo vibrates, letting you know that you have a new message!

[1] http://www.deaftech.info/2004/10/103_deafdigest_.html
[2] http://tinyurl.com/586af

Happy Halloween to all! X-10 has some fun things to use for scaring others on Halloween – and they have links to ideas and ways to control Halloween decorations from the web [1]. It probably is too late to use them for this year, but you can always start planning for next year!

Last weekend at DeafNation Expo Pleasanton [2], there was a new device making some buzz. You know how you love using your video phone, but always wished there was a video answering machine your friends could use to leave you messages via your video phone? Well, you can wish no more because Scottwireless [3] has begun taking orders for the VPCorder for $199. The patent-pending VPCorder is a two-part system that consists of a VPC-100 controller box and a VCR that are wired together to automatically record incoming messages on your Sorenson/D-Link/Polycom video phone. This is amazing technology and it is good to know that this deaf-developed device is on the market. For more information, visit the VPCorder website [4] or see it being demonstrated at Scottwireless’ booth at DeafExpo West [5] this coming weekend!

[1] http://www.activehomepro.com/halloween.html
[2] http://www.deafnation.com
[3] http://www.scottwireless.com
[4] http://www.vpcorder.com
[5] http://www.deafexpo.com/west/

Have you ever tried to find a computer with a floppy drive to print that important document, only to find out there aren’t any around, or the floppy drive won’t read your floppy disk? Do you get tired of trying to fit several large documents in a floppy disk? Maybe it’s time to consider an USB flash/keychain/pen drive [1]. These are small rectangular pen-sized objects that often have a pocket clip or attach to your keychain, and they have a standard male USB “A” connector built in. You plug the flash drive in any available USB port, and it appears on your desktop as another drive that you can use just like any other. USB flash drives can be mounted by any of the major computer Operating Systems (Windows XP, Mac OS X and Linux) on the market today. They have become quite cheap and can be found everywhere. For example, you can buy a flash drive with about 10 times the storage space (128 MB) of your old floppy disk for approximately $20 [2]. Larger sizes are good for backing up important data, and there are even versions that incorporate password security or even biometric security using fingerprints – for the more paranoid out there.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pen_drive
[2] http://dealram.com/prices/37/128MB.html

Ever wished you could quickly search your computer for that chat, email, or web site you remember you had/saw some time ago with some important information in it? Wish no more, for Google [1] has come to the rescue with their Google Desktop Search (GDS) [2]! GDS will allow you to “search the full text of your email, files, viewed web pages, and chats.” More specific search capabilities are listed on the GDS About page [3].

Rael Dornfest of the O’Reilly Network writes this about GDS: “The Google Desktop [Search] is your own private little Google server.” Mr. Dornfest has written an excellent overview on setting up and using GDS [4], which unfortunately, requires a PC running Windows XP or 2000 SP3+ [5]. Mr. Dornfest’s closing remarks outline how good GDS is: “In evaluating the Google Desktop as an interface to finding needles in my personal haystack, one thing sticks in my mind: I stumbled across an old email message I was sure I’d lost.”

Apple users will have to wait for Google to come out with a version of GDS for Mac OS X – or they can wait for Apple’s upcoming Mac OS X 10.4, aka Tiger [6], which adds similar “instant” system-wide search via Apple’s new Spotlight [7] search technology. Soon all of us will be able to easily search through our virtual computer desktop clutter. However, it is quite unfortunate that GDS/Spotlight won’t make it any easier for us to search through the actual junk on our desks!

[1] http://www.google.com
[2] http://desktop.google.com/
[3] http://desktop.google.com/about.html#whatis
[4] http://tinyurl.com/5tdxj
[5] http://desktop.google.com/about.html#sysreq
[6] http://www.apple.com/macosx/tiger/
[7] http://www.apple.com/macosx/tiger/spotlight.html